Glossary · Travel distribution
GDS (global distribution system)
A GDS (global distribution system) is a computerised reservation network that aggregates schedules, availability and fares from many airlines — and often hotels and car hire — so travel agencies and online sellers can search, book and ticket across suppliers in one system; EU law calls it a computerised reservation system (CRS).
Reviewed 30 Oct 2026
What a GDS does
Regulation (EC) No 80/2009 defines a CRS as a computerised system containing information about, among other things, the schedules, availability and fares of more than one air carrier, with or without facilities to make reservations or issue tickets. The company running it is the system vendor.
Airlines file fares and their rules; the GDS prices itineraries against them for the agency's point of sale, holds seats by fare class, and issues tickets. Agencies, corporate booking tools and many OTAs sit on top.
GDS, NDC and direct channels
| Channel | Where the price is built | What it carries well |
|---|---|---|
| GDS (legacy) | Filed fares priced by the GDS | Multi-airline search and ticketing |
| NDC | The airline builds the offer per request | Bundles, ancillaries, rich content |
| Airline website or app | The airline | Everything the airline chooses to sell directly |
Why it matters for fare data
The same flight can be priced through different channels with different content, so a fare seen on an agency site and one on the airline's own site are not automatically comparable. Fare collection records which channel and market each price came from; see airline fares and corporate travel benchmarking.
FAQ
Questions
Something not covered? Write to contact@arcproxies.io.
Is a GDS the same as a CRS?
In everyday use, largely yes. EU Regulation 80/2009 uses the term computerised reservation system for any system holding schedules, availability and fares of more than one air carrier; global distribution system is the industry name for the large multi-supplier networks.
Who uses a GDS?
Travel agencies, travel management companies, corporate booking tools and many online travel agencies, to search and book across airlines and other suppliers through one connection.
Can I access GDS data directly?
Only under a contract with a system vendor, typically as an agency or a technology partner. ARC does not provide GDS access; what proxies help with is collecting the public prices sellers display on their own websites.
Is NDC replacing the GDS?
NDC is a data standard rather than a system, and NDC offers can reach sellers through GDSs as well as through direct connections. What changes is where the offer is built: by the airline, at request time, instead of from filed fares.
Sources & review
Last reviewed by the ARC Proxies team. Prices are read from the live catalog at build time.
In practice