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Category: Travel

Date: October 20, 2023

Computer Reservation System Guide : CRS in Travel Industry

Travel is one of the top business areas. It employs various technological advances and offers numerous benefits to both travelers and travel agencies.

Computer Reservation System (CRS) is one of the most widely used tools in the Travel and Tourism Industry. In fact, it has revolutionized the whole industry. Get partnered with a leading travel website development company , as they help to recognize the pivotal role of Computer Reservation Systems (CRS) that is revolutionizing the travel sector. With their cutting-edge travel website development services , they seamlessly integrate CRS to enhance booking efficiency, streamline operations, and enrich the overall user experience.

In this blog, let’s find out what CRS is and how it has helped to dial down the workload of many travel agencies.

What is a Computer Reservation System?

A computer reservation system or a central reservation system (CRS) is a web-based software used by travel agencies and travel management companies to retrieve and conduct transactions related to air travel, hotels, car rental, or other activities. It was originally designed to be used by airlines but was later extended to be used by travel agencies and Global Distribution Systems (GDS) to book and sell tickets for multiple airlines.

The main objective of CRS was to make a one-stop service shop and eliminate physical and geographical distances between mediators and consumers. With universal coverage, these distribution systems provide information for airlines, hotels, car rental companies, travel agencies, corporations and more.

If you want to focus only on a specific travel-related service like offering air tickets, a CRS will be useful. If you want to tap into multiple services, using a CRS is not advisable.

The term CRS is not much used as it has become part of a bigger system known as the Passenger Service System (PSS) which comprises of CRS, an airline inventory system and the departure control system (DCS) .

What Are Some of the Basic Functions of Computer Reservation System in the Travel Industry?

Some of the basic functions in a crs:.

• Displays travel services with prices and images
• Inventory and reservation management
• User friendly reservation system
• Online payment gateway integration
• Customer data management
• Email notifications
• Booking cancellation and refund management

What Are the Major Airline CRS Systems?

The term CRS is not much used as it has become part of a bigger system known as the Passenger Service System (PSS) which comprises of CRS, an airline inventory system and the departure control system (DCS).

Here are some of the major players in this field are:

• Aircore an Airline PSS Powered by Microsoft Azure
• Avantik PSS

What Are the Benefits of Travel Computer Reservation Systems?

Here are some of the benefits of crs.

• All the services-related customer information such as Passenger Name Record (PNR) or Guest Name Record (GNR) are recorded
• Invoicing, accounting, customer and quota management is possible
• High speed network of information infrastructure
• Fare quote, ticketing and voucher generating process
• System can also store customer related information such as all the services provided to a certain customer, type of payment, service information etc
• CRS are web based applications which saves a lot of time on administration work
• Interfaces with technologies such as Amadeus, Travelport and APIs/XMLs
• Suitable for B2B and B2C business models
• Includes a comprehensive admin console
• Offers custom reporting

History and Evolution of Computer Reservation System

Before the development of CRS, tourists had to depend on the information provided by suppliers through printed brochures, flyers and listings in local and regional travel guides. As a result, the promotional materials were costly, labor-intensive and information remained static when the data needed to be changed frequently.

To facilitate a smooth and dynamic flow of information, the first CRS was introduced as an experiment in the 1960s by airlines to keep track of sold seats. In 1963, SABRE (Semi-Automated Business Research Environment), the world’s first CRS was introduced by American Airlines. After that, CRS became the primary means of distributing air travel information and had a major impact on competition within the airline sector. In 1976, travel agencies started using them and henceforth became a universal feature of the tourism industry.

All of the CRSs carry out four basic functions. They are,

• Display products and services offered by various tourism providers
• Passenger or guest name record
• Fare quotation and ticketing depending on the complexity of the services offered
• Provision of information about trade shows, visa regulations, and payment gateways

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Access of crs to travel agents.

During 1976, the Apollo system was offered to travel agents which provided immense convenience. Soon after that, SABRE, PARS and DATAS gave access to travel agents as well. During the same year, some of the British Airways joined hands and launched Travicom, the world’s first multi-access reservations system. It allowed agents and airlines to communicate via a common distribution language and network. 97% of the UK’s airline business trade bookings were done through this channel by 1987.

An airline deregulation act was passed in 1978 to control fares, routes, and market entry of new airlines. So a CRS proved particularly important.

In the 1980s, European airlines also began to invest in this field due to the demand for advancements in travel. After that, many travel technologies such as Amadeus and Worldspan were introduced. An even smaller company such as KIU was formed to carter low-cost carriers.

In conclusion, the CRS technology has reached a point where it would be hard for travel agents to do their work without it. As a major distribution channel, it functions as a powerful sales outlet.

Do you want to launch an influential travel website with all the latest technologies?  Get in touch  with our team at ColorWhistle , we’ll give you a hand.

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About the Author - Anjana

Anjana is a full-time Copywriter at ColorWhistle managing content-related projects. She writes about website technologies, digital marketing, and industries such as travel. Plus, she has an unhealthy addiction towards online marketing, watching crime shows, and chocolates.

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What is Computer Reservation System (CRS) ?

Home what is computer reservation system (crs) .

Trawex offers Central Reservation System for travel agencies, tour operators, and travel companies to manage their complete inventories such as flight, hotel, car, transfers, holidays and cruise. Trawex is the #1 travel technology company globally  offering complete suite of Central Reservation Systems to its customers around the world. 

Global travel agencies are going online and We offer a fully customizable experience in delivering the complete travel booking solutions to our clients globally.                                                               Our Web CRS Solutions enable access to rich content and travel deals in 190+ countries. It is easy to integrate and complement your existing travel offerings with an even more wider range like Trawex APIs and CRS solutions .    

What is CRS Computer Reservation System?

The computer reservation system (CRS) is probably the most widely used reservation system in the travel and tourism industry. CRS system allows travel agents to promote sales and provide fast and accurate information and details about availability, price, reservation, and bookings of products and services. 

Computer reservation system is used to configure, store and distribute travel inventory and other services to the public for reservations and bookings.  The main objective of booking reservation system software / CRS  was to make a one-stop service shop and eliminate physical and geographical distances between   travel suppliers and customers. 

These reservations are managed across a multitude of distribution channels such as the third-party API integration booking websites, direct internet booking engines, the travel global distribution system (GDS) wholesalers, and more . A Central Reservation System will move the reservation data to the Global distribution systems in real-time so that flights and  hotels are able to reach clients across geogrpahy as part of their distribution strategy. 

In case of Hotels, CRS allows managing room allotment for single to multi-property groups and chains . Customers can acknowledge to market demand and adjust pricing and rates quickly, and can create reservations and allocate rooms real time   

Table of Contents

• What Are Some of the Modules of Computer Reservation System ?
• Who Provides Best CRS systems ?
• What are the major benefits of Trawex Central Reservation System ?
• How does the central reservation system work?
• How Trawex can help you in launching your CRS System ?

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1. What Are Some of the Modules of Computer Reservation System ?

Major Modules of  Computer Reservation Systems by Trawex are :

• Hotel Booking  System  
• Flight Booking System
• Transfer Booking CRS 
• Car Booking  CRS
• Bus Reservation system  
• Cruise Booking  CRS
• GDS System , XML / API  based Integration Solutions  

2. Who Provides Best CRS systems ?

Below distribution systems provide inventories for airlines, hotels, car rental companies to travel agencies, travel management companies and more

• Trawex 
• TraveloPro  
• FlightsLogic 
• Amadeus GDS
• Sabre  GDS
• Galileo GDS
• Worldspan  GDS  

3. What are the major benefits of Trawex Central Reservation System ?

• Instant Voucher And Discount Coupon Management
• Payment Gateway Integrations
• Agent Management [B2B] 
• Content Management system 
• Pre integrated with multiple Global Distribution Systems 
• Comprehensive Mid Office Management 
• Book accommodation, flights, cars 
• My Account for B2C
• Complete online booking 
• Multiple Markup options
• Holiday Package CMS 
• Detailed Reporting Module

4. How does the central reservation system work?

A computer reservation system, CRS as its known, is web-based travel agency system software. It enables travel agencies/travel management companies a 24/7 interface to its clients to search and book flights, hotels, transfers, sightseeing, holiday packages and more.

Central  reservation system supports Travel Portal B2C , B2B, B2E , B2B2B  and while-label. For flights we ahve integrated with multipleGlobal Distribution System like Travelopro GDS, Flightslogic GDS etc in addition to our own contracted inventory.   

The computer reservation system can also connect to all your suppliers via web services API XML Integration . Your customers can search for flights, hotels, cars, and packages in real time, select & make the payment and get confirmation vouchers at the same time.

What are the basic functions of the computer reservation system in the travel domain?

• Real Time Inventory management.
• Custom Email notifications.
• Payment gateway integration.
• Booking cancellation Modules.
• Refund management .
• Reservation management.
• Customer data management

5. How Trawex can help you in launching your CRS System ?

Trawex offers travel booking software and Travel Portal API for agents and agencies, travel portals, consolidators, destination management companies, and hotel resellers. Trawex offers bouquet of customizable features that are personalized to meet your  requirements. 

Decade of experience in the travel industry has given us a deep insight into the requirements of our customers and revolutionized the way our clients work. Our team of highly dedicated professionals and a portfolio of clients around the world shows our ability to build robust and feature-rich travel agent software that plays a crucial role in your growth.  

We are constantly working on integrating the latest technologies and updates and devising new ways to ensure we are always ahead of the market.  

Looking for the right travel technology  company ? We have global delivery capabilities for most complex tasks with travel technology experts ready to engage with you .   Connect with us Today !   

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• Hotel Central Reservation System
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But despite the popularity of the Internet, old-fashioned word-of-mouth is the basic foundation of many popular rating systems that offer consumers guidelines on the quality of their travel accommodations, whether those accommodations are airline travel, hotel accommodations, restaurants, or entertainment.

Ratings are extremely important in the travel industry and are designed to generate business, customers, and positive feedback. Ratings may be used to define everything from the smell of your hotel room, to the amenities provided in the bathroom. Ratings are available for world-class resorts, local motels, restaurants, campgrounds, and various entertainments and attractions.

For example, the star ratings defined by the AAA range from one diamond to five diamonds. Briefly, a one-diamond rating was basically meant to define the accommodations that provided essential but "no-frills accommodations" - meaning a basically clean, comfortable, and hospitable accommodation.

A 5-diamond rating defines luxury and sophistication. Such ratings judge first-class service, expectations, and impeccable standards of excellence. Also included in such considerations are the number and quality of amenities, as well as personalized services offered by a hotel or facility.

Most properties found domestically and abroad generally ranged between the 3- and 4-diamond ratings. These ratings take into consideration the appearance and appeal of hotel rooms, restaurant menus, and amenities.

Campground ratings range between a 1 and a 3. Campgrounds rated with a 1 designate rustic and limited facilities -- such as bathrooms and showers -- while those rated with a 3 offer recreational options, a variety of general service facilities, such as laundry rooms, showers, bathrooms, and even a grocery store or nightly movies.

However, most travel providers found on the Internet, as well as hotels themselves, have created a mishmash of ratings that often cause confusion among consumers. The most popular travel-rated websites used today -- Travelocity, Hotwire, Expedia, Sidestep, Orbitz, Priceline.com, and Hotels.com -- offer their own renditions of different rating systems.

Check out these statistics of ratings offered to the Hilton Hotel at Chicago's O'Hare Airport. Expedia rated the hotel as a 3, as did Travelocity, Orbitz, and AAA. However, Priceline, Hotwire and Travelweb all gave the Hilton Chicago O'Hare Airport hotel a 4-star rating. What gives?

Obviously, criteria for a 4-star hotel ranking differ between service providers. For example, AAA will offer a 4-star hotel ranking only if the establishment offers increasingly stylish and refined accommodations. The level of quality, amenities, and exquisite attention to detail, service, and hospitality are also measured.

However, Priceline.com will offer a 4-star rating to a hotel that offers remote control TV with premium channels, radio alarm clock, telephone with voice mail, fitness center access, a hair dryer, an iron and ironing board, room service, a concierge, and 24-hour service at the front desk.

A 5-star rating by Skytrax recognizes a specific airline for excellence in service delivery and product, and is often judged by its ability to set trends that are followed by other airline carriers. Ratings are also developed and offered for staff service delivery for in-flight and airport environments. Most star rating categories of airline carriers belong to the 3-, 4-, or 5-star rating categories.

The travel agent should be able to explain to clients the various aspects involved in ranking or rating, if asked, and should always err on the side of caution when recommending accommodations or restaurants by getting on the phone and making contact with such establishments to ask specific and direct questions.

Whether your customers want to travel by rail, car, or air, the hotel agent is obligated to understand how each of these systems are ranked, utilizing online and well as print technology to determine the quality of each establishment that will suit the client's needs, expectations, and budget.

In the early years of the new century, the United States Department of Transportation suggested revising the regulations that govern the use of computer reservation systems in order to help meet the changes of online access, as well as airline ownership, distribution, and use.

The most popular computer reservation systems used in the United States include:

Delta Airlines, Northwest, and TWA founded Worldspan in 1990. It provided global travel information via electronic distribution on the Internet. Worldspan offers its database to home-based travel agents by remote access and provides a variety of reservation products. Agents are able to offer clients real-time reservations interface and booking engine options from their website.

Sabre used to be owned by American Airlines and is widely used by travel agents using conventional dial-up, as well as Internet access, for both agency and home-based travel agents.

Galileo International offers a variety of products for the travel industry much like Worldspan and Sabre, and also offers access to tour and cruise operator booking engines.

Amadeus has been operating since 1992 and is co-owned by both private airlines -- including Air France, Lufthansa, and Iberia -- as well as public stockholders. Amadeus is a popular international travel agency database that offers Internet-based reservation systems for home-based travel agents, as well as automation projects and features used by agents around the world.

Most travel agents rely on at least one of these services, and often utilize a combination to provide clients with access to detailed flight information and options. Indeed, major airlines have increased their online selling options, which generate and offer travel agents constant competition for services. As a matter of fact, Sabre and Galileo are no longer controlled by any one airline system, though a large number of Internet distribution systems for airline travel depend on the CRS for reliable, up-to-date information.

There is a difference between using the CRS and a web-based booking engine. The CRS requires understanding and training in its keyboard-driven formats for efficient operation and results. Web-based booking engines are user-friendly and utilize a "point and click" function.

Many travel agent training centers offer training in various aspects of the computer reservation system, including the most popular Sabre and Galileo (Apollo). Learning and understanding one computer reservation system often enables a travel agent to fairly easily convert to using another system without much difficulty.

The major training factors that are necessary to properly use computer reservations systems include:

• Defining the availability of airline reservations, classes of service and flight information
• Obtaining fair and reasonable pricing and ticketing options
• Obtaining car reservations
• Obtaining hotel reservations
• Creating complete Passenger Name Records (PNR)
• How to change, delete, or add to optional PNR fields

Coursework in CRS generally requires up to 35 hours of access to a CRS system. Travel agents should also take the time to study and become familiar with the travel and booking systems made available through popular web-based reservation systems, like those that belong to Orbitz, Travelocity, and others.

Anyone interested in a career as a travel agent should obtain training in some aspect of computer reservations system use. Not only will such knowledge enhance a travel agent's ability to find a job in a traditional travel agency, but it will also enhance the quality and efficiency of services provided to clients. While many home-based travel agents may not need to understand or use the CRS, because they use web-based booking engines, it's important for a travel agent to understand and be familiar with both methods.

As mentioned earlier, many airlines have joined and combined with consumer sites like Expedia, Travelocity, Hotwire, and Orbitz.com to offer lower airfares, as well as to take advantage of vacation packages that offer car rentals, hotels, and cruises.

Home-based travel agents, and agents working independently through traditional travel agencies, may use a combination of such services to offer low fares while still making a living, and offering services to clients who are not comfortable making their own reservations or planning detailed vacation packages.

The 21st century has developed more travel agents who specialize in certain aspects of the travel industry and take advantage of personalized services, products, and packages. A travel agent who takes advantage of a variety of Internet booking services and exploits them to his or her advantage will stay ahead of the pack.

Learning how to develop a business, as well as how to market and promote your services, will help you create and sustain a successful travel business, no matter where you work.

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What is GDS? Your Complete Guide to Mastering Travel Technology

Did you know that it has been possible to instantly book flights, car rentals, and hotel rooms using electronic GDS systems since the 1960s? Although we mainly associate bookings with online travel agencies, or OTAs, such as Booking.com, many years before, global distribution systems enabled real-time access to hotel and flight tickets and inventory for travel suppliers worldwide. So what are global distribution systems? How do GDSs support travel agencies and the whole travel industry? You’ll read about it later in this article.

What is GDS in the hotel industry?

How does a gds work in travel, how do travel companies use gds, what is gds software, what is the difference between gds and crs, what is the difference between ids and gds, what benefits does the gds offer.

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A Global Distribution System (GDS) is a vast computer network connecting hoteliers, travel agencies, hospitality providers, and others involved in other travel-related services .

The GDS enables instant exchange of information, room reservations, price and availability management, and other critical functions needed for the proper operation of tourism.

It transmits up-to-date product, pricing, and availability information to travel agencies and online booking systems to automate the transaction and booking process. GDS is often used for business travel bookings because it allows hotels, flights, and rental cars to be presented in one interface, providing convenience to users.

The GDS intermediates between the travel agent and the central hotel (or airline) reservation system . With the GDS, travel agents can view current rates and available resources for a specific hotel in real-time.

How does the GDS work in practice? Current rates and availability are sent directly from the hotel’s property management system (PMS) to the GDS and online booking pages via the channel manager.

Once a reservation is made in the GDS or online booking site, the channel manager immediately updates availability across all channels, including the hotel’s official website, and automatically transmits the booking details back to the PMS or central reservation system (CRS). This eliminates the need for the travel agent to talk to hotel staff and for the hotel’s reservation agents to enter any data manually.

Importantly, each GDS has individual connection fees and registration requirements. So before choosing a particular GDS, it is worth knowing the terms of cooperation.

[Read also: Yield Management: What It Is and The Best Strategies ]

Travel agents use Global Distribution Systems (GDSs) in many ways, as they are a vital tool for organizing travel.

GDS – all-in-one major global distribution systems

GDSs are electronic platforms that allow travel agents, airlines, hotels, car rental companies, and other travel service providers to connect in a single system . As a result, travel agents have access to a wide range of information, pricing, and availability, allowing them to manage bookings for clients effectively.

Access to multiple resources and compare offers

Examples of GDSs popularly used by travel agents include Amadeus , Sabre , and Travelport . These platforms provide access to various resources.

For example, if a client wants to book a flight, a travel agent can use the GDS to check available flights on different airlines and compare prices, flight schedules, and travel options. Once the choice is made, the agent can book the airline ticket directly through the GDS. The GDS also allows the agent to manage bookings, such as changing flights, canceling tickets, adding additional services such as seat reservations, choosing onboard meals, etc.

Verification of hotel room availability

In addition, hospitality providers use GDS to book hotels. Travel agents can browse various hotels and check room availability, prices, location, and customer reviews. With a GDS, they can make hotel reservations on behalf of clients and receive confirmation instantly.

More efficient customer service

GDS systems are essential for travel agents because they allow them to search and book travel services quickly, conveniently, and accurately. This allows travel agents to provide their clients with a wide range of choices, access to up-to-date information, competitive prices, and personalized bookings.

Do you know that the idea of the first GDS system was born during a meeting with two Mr. Smiths in 1953? On an American Airlines flight from Los Angeles to New York, they met C.R. Smith, airline president, and R. Blair Smith, a senior sales consultant at IBM. The brief conversation led to the idea of developing a system for processing airline reservation data that would allow instant electronic access to this data via telecommunications networks.

Today, the GDS Global Distribution System is a sophisticated interface that integrates the various offerings of travel service providers. In addition, its tasks include:

• collecting data from travel providers and storing it in its database. This information includes flight seats and other details, hotel room availability, prices, booking conditions, etc.;
• managing bookings , such as changing flights, canceling reservations, adding additional services, etc.;
• generating booking confirmations for customers and any necessary travel documents, such as airline tickets, hotel vouchers, car rental confirmations, etc. Accommodation providers can provide these documents to clients electronically or in print, making it much easier to organize daily activities.

[Read also: Best travel management solutions ]

GDS and CRS (Computerized Reservation System) are separate but interconnected systems in the travel and hospitality industry. Although they serve similar purposes, there are some differences between them.

Scope and Connectivity

GDS is a comprehensive platform connecting multiple travel suppliers, including airlines, hotels, and car rental companies.

CRS focuses primarily on the internal reservation management system of a single travel service provider, such as an airline or hotel chain.

Integration

GDS integrates different online travel websites and suppliers into a unified system, allowing seamless access to multiple suppliers and their offerings. In addition, it acts as a bridge between travel agencies and suppliers, facilitating the exchange of information and transactions.

CRS is an internal system a single travel supplier uses to manage inventory and bookings. It optimizes a supplier’s internal processes and ensures efficient bookings and related operations management.

Market Coverage

GDS has a global reach and connects hospitality providers worldwide to an extensive network of suppliers.

CRS primarily serves the offerings of a specific travel supplier or group of suppliers. It focuses on its inventory and bookings, making it more limited in market reach.

Customer base

GDS caters to travel agents as intermediaries between travelers and travel suppliers. It provides agents with the tools and resources to effectively manage bookings and deliver personalized travel experiences to their customers.

CRS serves the customers of a specific travel provider directly. It enables bookings, guarantees access to pricing information, and manages bookings now through the supplier’s channels, such as websites or call centers.

Functionality and features

GDS offers a broader range of features, including comprehensive capabilities for searching, comparing prices, checking availability, and managing bookings across multiple other airlines and travel sectors. In addition, it provides agents with powerful tools to handle various travel requirements.

CRS is more focused on the supplier’s specific needs, emphasizing features such as real-time calculations and inventory management, price control, booking modifications, and internal reporting.

IDS (Internet Distribution System) and GDS are integral components of the travel and airline industry, serving different purposes in distributing travel services. The main differences between the two are:

Connectivity and Outreach

IDS connects travel suppliers, such as hotels, directly with online travel agencies, global distribution systems (GDSs), and other distribution channels. This allows suppliers to reach a broad online audience and distribute their services through various online platforms.

GDS connects accommodation providers to a comprehensive network of travel suppliers, including airlines, hotels, car rental companies, and more. It facilitates bookings and information exchange between agents and suppliers, serving as a centralized travel distribution platform.

Target Group

IDS primarily targets online travel agents, tour operators, and other intermediaries operating on digital platforms.

GDS primarily aims at hospitality providers as intermediaries between travelers and travel providers.

Scope of Services

IDS mainly focuses on the distribution of hotel accommodations and related services. It enables hotels to manage rates, availability, and other hotel inventory, across various online channels, providing a broader online presence and maximizing revenue opportunities.

GDS covers a broader spectrum of travel services, including flights, hotels, car rentals, cruises, and more.

Integration and Technology

IDS uses advanced technology and connectivity solutions to integrate multiple platforms and online systems. It enables seamless data exchange, inventory synchronization, and reservation management between travel service providers and OTAs.

GDS is a centralized booking system integrating various travel providers into a unified platform.

Market presence

IDS has gained prominence with the growth of OTAs and the increasing popularity of online booking channels. Playing a pivotal role in online distribution, GDS has long been present in the travel industry and remains an important distribution channel for travel agents.

The global distribution system offers the travel and hospitality industry many benefits.

Key among them are:

Wider distribution reaches

The GDS provides access to a global sales network, allowing it to reach many travel agents and customers worldwide. According to statistics, in 2020, the global distribution system handled about 670 million hotel bookings worldwide.

Facilitated synchronization of offers

GDS provides a unified interface that allows hotels or airlines to update and synchronize their offers. This gives accommodation providers access to the most up-to-date data, making sales more effective.

Competitiveness

By having a presence in a GDS, travel entities have greater visibility among travel agents, who often use these systems to search and book accommodations for their corporate clients. According to the data, about 65% of hotel bookings by travel agents worldwide are made through the GDS.

Operational efficiency

In addition, the GDS makes it easier to manage reservations, control room availability and pricing. The automation of these processes contributes to the operational efficiency of hotels.

Access to analysis and reports

GDS also offers advanced reporting and analytical tools to track sales performance, analyze booking data, and identify travel market trends . Such data is precious for making strategic business decisions.

Key statistics on GDS in travel industry in 2024

As of 2024, the Global Distribution System (GDS) in the travel industry has been showing a trend of significant growth.

The global market for travel technologies, which includes GDS, was valued at around US$ 6 billion in 2023 . It is projected to continue growing at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of approximately 8% through the next decade , potentially reaching a valuation of US$ 13 billion by 2033 .

Specifically, the GDS segment is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.1% from 2023 to 2033​​.

Previously, in 2022, the global market for travel technologies was estimated at US$ 5.4 billion and projected to reach US$ 10.7 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 8.8% during the period from 2022 to 2030. Within this market, the GDS segment was expected to record a CAGR of 7.9% and reach US$ 7.2 billion by the end of this period​​.

These trends and projections underscore the robust growth anticipated in both the GDS and broader travel technology markets. This growth trajectory is primarily driven by factors such as the increasing preference for online travel bookings, advancements in technologies like AI and IoT, and the overall expansion of the travel and tourism industry.

Sources: Fact.MR , GlobalNewswire , Transparency Market Research .

Regarding major global distribution systems, several noteworthy players contribute to the travel industry. Let’s delve into some leading GDSs shaping the travel landscape with their innovative solutions.

One of the largest GDSs globally, Amadeus stands out for its comprehensive offerings. It is a valuable intermediary between travel suppliers and agents, granting them access to real-time information and enabling hassle-free reservations. Alongside its core functionalities, Amadeus empowers travel agency professionals with tools and features to streamline operations and enhance customer experiences. This GDS embodies the essence of efficiency and convenience within the travel industry.

Another prominent player in the realm of GDSs is Sabre . With its cutting-edge platform, Sabre equips travel agencies with many tools and solutions. This empowers them to effortlessly book air tickets, hotels, and car rentals and even arrange specialized tours. Moreover, Sabre extends its expertise beyond traditional travel agents themselves, providing technology solutions that cater to the unique requirements of multiple airlines, hotels, and other service providers. Such comprehensive support showcases Sabre’s commitment to driving innovation and excellence across the travel landscape.

Travelport is yet another global distribution system that warrants attention. With its dynamic platform, Travelport empowers travel agents to search for and book various travel-related services efficiently. From flights and hotels to car rentals and more, Travelport ensures that agents have access to a wide range of options to meet the diverse needs of their clients. Not stopping there, Travelport extends its value proposition by offering robust tools and solutions for airlines, hotels, and service providers. This facilitates the sale and distribution of their offerings, driving growth and profitability in the highly competitive travel and tourism industry.

To start using GDS, take the following steps:

• Contact the GDS provider for information on the registration process and terms of use.
• Conduct training or obtain a certificate in GDS operation to learn basic functions and procedures.
• Register as a GDS user by providing the required data, such as contact and travel agency information.
• Sign a contract with the GDS provider that specifies the system’s terms of use, as well as fees and commissions.
• Install the GDS software on a computer or use the online platform, if available.
• Configure user preferences and customize system settings.
• Start using GDS by searching and booking airline tickets, hotels, car rentals, etc.
• Keep track of changes to the GDS system, such as updates, new features, and promotions, to keep your knowledge current.

Remember that the specific process for getting started using GDS may vary depending on the system provider, so it is essential to consult the provider directly for detailed instructions and support.

Need help integrating GDS into your business? Contact Stratoflow, the travel industry software specialists. Let us guide you seamlessly through the process. Book your free consultation today !

The cost of using a Global Distribution System (GDS) can vary depending on several factors, such as:

• the specific GDS provider,
• the services required,
• and volume of use.

Pricing structures are typically tailored to the needs of individual companies and may include installation fees, monthly subscription fees, and transaction fees for booking. It is estimated that commissions for OTAs are typically around 15-18%, while GDS booking can be about 10% plus a small transaction fee. In addition, it is essential to remember that GDS is extremely popular for increasing corporate bookings and international travelers. Therefore, for accurate and up-to-date information on the cost of using a GDS, it is recommended that you contact GDS providers directly.

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Computer Reservation System, tourism

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Bennett, M. 1993 Information Technology and Travel Agency: A Customer Service Perspective. Tourism Management 14:259-266.

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Boberg, K., and F. Collison 1985 Computer Reservation System and Airline Competition. Tourism Management 6:174-183.

O’Connor, P. 1999 Electronic Information Distribution in Tourism and Hospitality. Wallingford: CABI.

Schulz, A. 1996 The Role of Global Computer Reservation Systems in the Travel Industry Today and in the Future. Electronic Markets 6(2):17-20.

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Naqvi, M.A., Jia, H. (2014). Computer Reservation System, tourism. In: Jafari, J., Xiao, H. (eds) Encyclopedia of Tourism. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-01669-6_510-1

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Computer Reservation System

A computer reservation system, also called airline central reservation system (CRS) is used to store flight-related information such as schedules, fares, passenger name records (PNRs) and distribute the information related to air travels with customers and agents. CRS was Initially developed and operated by airlines for sale purpose; but, it was gradually extended for use by travel agencies, meta search engines, and global distribution systems (GDSs) to handle airlines’ sales. DCS.aero has provided a full list of CRSs Suppliers in order to assist individuals who intend to choose appropriate Computer Reservation System for their Airlines or IT infrastructure.

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Definition of Computer Reservation System (CRS)

A computer reservation system, also called airline reservation system is used to store flight-related information such as schedules, fares, passenger name records (PNRs) and distribute the information related to air travels to customers and agents. CRS was Initially developed and operated by airlines for sale purposes; but, it was gradually extended for use by travel agencies, meta search engines, and global distribution systems (GDSs) to handle airlines’ sales. Today, some airlines have their own CRS independently as a part of their passenger processing system (PSS). On the other hand, many air carriers prefer to host and control reservations on one of the global distribution systems (GDS) like Amadeus, Sabre, and Travelport.

By using Airline reservations systems, airlines and charter carriers can conveniently sell their inventory through every possible sale channel including B2B, B2C, B2E and etc. Furthermore, Airline CRS may be integrated into a bigger passenger processing system, which also includes an airline inventory management system and a departure control system (DCS). Apart from air carriers, Computer Reservation System (CRS) is very significant for the third-party travel agents. Using CRS, the agents can access flight information through the global distribution systems (GDS) interfaced with CRS or extract it directly from meta search engines.

Computer Reservation System (CRS) functionalities

Airline CRSs are designed and developed to eliminate physical and geographical barriers between the air carriers and the clients. These distribution systems carry out their tasks by integrating with airlines' passenger processing systems and interfacing with passenger contact points such as the airline’s website, Travel agents (e.g. OTAs) and other third-party booking platforms.

Passengers can directly perform booking on an airline’s website that is connected to the airline’s reservation system. The central reservation system that integrates with airline websites can help airlines receive commission-free bookings. It also permits different currencies and payment methods leading to a higher user experience. Meanwhile, if this option is not available or a passenger decides to buy a ticket from a third-party agent, global distribution systems and meta search engines are the mediator between travel agents and service providers.

Importance of Computer Reservation System (CRS) for airlines

The Airline Reservation System is an important tool for airlines as it is used to maintain air travel information, manage bookings and fares/tariffs, and keep track of booking records in real-time. In addition, air carriers can improve their customer engagement and brand awareness by implementing B2B and B2C interfaces at the same time.

Features of Airline Computer Reservation System (CRS)

• The most reliable tool for distribution of air travel information through web-based applications • Allowing users to remotely book travel services online at any time • Interfacing with Global Distribution Systems (GDS) and APIs/XMLs • Recording all the flight-related information such as Passenger Name Record (PNR) or Guest Name Record (GNR) • Provides Invoicing, accounting, customer and quota management

What is Computer Reservation System (CRS)?

What are the benefits of Computer Reservation System (CRS) for third-party travel agents?

What is the advantage of booking directly from airline’s website?

What are the Features of Airline Computer Reservation System (CRS)?

What are the benefits of Computer Reservation System (CRS) for airlines?

What are the main functions of Computer Reservation System (CRS)?

Why is Computer Reservation System (CRS) important?

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SABRE and the Travel Global Distribution System

Mar 16, 2023

Computing has totally changed how people buy and experience travel. That process seemed to start with sites that made it easy to book travel, but as with most things we experience in our modern lives, it actually began far sooner and moved down-market as generations of computing led to more consumer options for desktops, the internet, and the convergence of these technologies. Systems like SABRE did the original work to re-think travel - to take logic and rules out of the heads of booking and travel agents and put them into a digital medium. In so doing, they paved the way for future generations of technology and to this day retain a valuation of over $2 billion.   SABRE is short for Semi-Automated Business Research Environment. It’s used to manage over a third of global travel, to the tune of over a quarter trillion US dollars a year. It’s used by travel agencies and travel services to reserve car rentals, flights, hotel rooms, and tours. Since Sabre was released services like Amadeus and Travelport were created to give the world a Global Distribution System, or GDS.    Passenger air travel began when airlines ferrying passengers cropped up in 1914 but the big companies began in the 1920s, with KLM in 1919, Finnair in 1923, Delta in 1925, American Airlines and Ryan Air in 1926,  Pan American in 1927, and the list goes on. They grew quickly and by 1926 the Air Commerce Act led to a new department in the government called Air Commerce, which evolved into the FAA, or Federal Aviation Administration in the US. And each country, given the possible dangers these aircraft posed as they got bigger and loaded with more and more fuel, also had their own such departments. The aviation industry blossomed in the roaring 20s as people traveled and found romance and vacation. At the time, most airlines were somewhat regional and people found travel agents to help them along their journey to book travel, lodgings, and often food. The travel agent naturally took over air travel much as they’d handled sea travel before. 

But there were dangers in traveling in those years between the two World Wars. Nazis rising to power in Germany, Mussolini in Italy, communist cleansings in Russia and China. Yet, a trip to the Great Pyramid of Giza could now be a week instead of months. Following World War II, there was a fracture in the world between Eastern and Western powers, or those who aligned with the former British empire and those who aligned with the former Russian empire, now known as the Soviet Union. Travel within the West exploded as those areas were usually safe and often happy to accept the US dollar. Commercial air travel boomed not just for the wealthy, but for all. People had their own phones now, and could look up a phone number in a phone book and call a travel agent. 

The travel agents then spent hours trying to build the right travel package. That meant time on the phone with hotels and time on the phone with airlines. Airlines like American head. To hire larger and larger call centers of humans to help find flights. We didn’t just read about Paris, we wanted to go. Wars had connected the world and now people wanted to visit the places they’d previously just seen in art books or read about in history books. But those call centers grew. A company like American Airlines couldn’t handle all of its ticketing needs and the story goes that the CEO was sitting beside a seller from IBM when they came up with the idea of a computerized reservation system.

And so SABRE was born in the 1950s, when American  Airlines agreed to develop a real-time computing platform. Here, we see people calling in and pressing buttons to run commands on computers. The tones weren’t that different than a punch card, really. The system worked well enough for American that they decided to sell access to other firms. The computers used were based loosely after the IBM mainframes used in the SAGE missile air defense system. Here we see the commercial impacts of the AN/FSQ-7 the US government hired IBM to build as IBM added the transistorized options to the IBM 704 mainframe in 1955. That gave IBM the interactive computing technology that evolved into the 7000 series mainframes. 

Now that IBM had the interactive technology, and a thorough study had been done to evaluate the costs and impacts of a new reservation system, American and IBM signed a contract to build the system in 1957. They went live to test reservation booking shortly thereafter. But it turns out there was a much bigger opportunity here. See, American and other airlines had paper processes to track how many people were on a flight and quickly find open seats for passengers, but it could take an hour or three to book tickets. This was fairly common before software ate the world. Everything from standing in line at the bank, booking dinner at a restaurant, reserving a rental car, booking hotel rooms, and the list goes on. 

There were a lot of manual processes in the world - people weren’t just going to punch holes in a card to program their own flight and wait for some drum storage to tell them if there was an available seat. That was the plan American initially had in 1952 with the Magnetronic Reservisor. That never worked out. American had grown to one of the largest airlines and knew the perils and costs of developing software and hardware like this. Their system cost $40 million in 1950s money to build with IBM. They also knew that as other airlines grew to accommodate more people flying around the world, that the more flights, the longer that hour or three took. So they should of course sell the solution they built to other airlines. 

Thus, parlaying the SAGE name, famous as a Cold War shield against the nuclear winter, Sabre Corporation began. It was fairly simple at first, with a pair of IBM 7090 mainframes that could take over 80,000 calls a day in 1960. Some travel agents weren’t fans of the new system, but those who embraced it found they could get more done in less time. Sabre sold reservation systems to airlines and soon expanded to become the largest data-processor in the world. Far better than the Reservisor would have been and now able to help bring the whole world into the age of jet airplane travel.

That exploded to thousands of flights an hour in the 1960s and even turned over all booking to the computer. The system got busy and over the years IBM upgraded the computers to the S/360. They also began to lease systems to travel agencies in the 1970s after Max Hopper joined the company and began the plan to open up the platform as TWA had done with their PARS system. Then they went international, opened service bureaus in other cities (given that we once had to pay for a toll charge to call a number). And by the 1980s Sabre was how the travel agents booked flights. The 1980s brought easysabjre, so people could use their own computers to book flights and by then - and through to the modern era, a little over a third of all reservations are made on Sabre.

By the mid-1980s, United had their own system called Apollo, Delta had one called Datas, and other airlines had their own as well. But SABRE could be made to be airline neutral. IBM had been involved with many American competitors, developing Deltamatic for Delta, PANAMAC for Pan Am, and other systems. But SABRE could be hooked to thee new online services for a whole new way to connect systems. One of these was CompuServe in 1980, then Prodigy’s GEnie and AOL as we turned the corner into the 1990s. Then they started a site called Travelocity in 1996 which was later sold to Expedia. 

In the meantime, they got serious competition, which eventually led to a slew of acquisitions to remain compeititve. The competition included Amadeus, Galileo International, and Worldspan on provider in the Travelport GDS. The first of them originated from United Airlines, and by 1987 was joined by Aer Lingus, Air Portugal, Alitalia, British Airways, KLM, Olympic, Sabena, and Swissair to create Galileo, which was then merged with the Apollo reservation system. The technology was acquired through a company called Videcom International, which initially started developing reservation software in 1972, shortly after the Apollo and Datas services went online. They focused on travel agents and branched out into reservation systems of all sorts in the 1980s. As other systems arose they provided an aggregation to them by connecting to Amadeus, Galileo, and Worldspan.

Amadeus was created in 1987 to be a neutral GDS after the issues with Sabre directing reservations to American Airlines. That was through a consortium of Air France, Iberia, Lufthansa, and SAS. They acquired the assets of the bankrupt System One and they eventually added other travel options including hotels, cars rentals, travel insurance, and other amenities. They went public in 1999 just before Sabre did and then were also taken private just before Sabre was. 

Worldspan was created in 1990 and the result of merging or interconnecting the systems of  Delta, Northwest Airlines, and TWA, which was then acquired by Travelport in 2007. By then, SABRE had their own programming languages. While the original Sabre languages were written in assembly, they wrote their own language on top of C and C++ called SabreTalk and later transitioned to standard REST endpoints. They also weren’t a part of American any longer. There were too many problems with manipulating how flights were displayed to benefit American Airlines and they had to make a clean cut. Especially after Congress got involved in the 1980s and outlawed that type of bias for screen placement. 

Now that they were a standalone company, Sabre went public then was taken private by private equity firms in 2007, and relisted on NASDAQ in 2014. Meanwhile, travel aggregators had figured out they could hook into the GDS systems and sell discount airfare without a percentage going to travel agents. Now that the GDS systems weren’t a part of the airlines, they were able to put downward pressure on prices. Hotwire, which used Sabre and a couple of other systems, and TripAdvisor, which booked travel through Sabre and Amadeus, were created in 2000 and Microsoft launched Expedia in 1996, which had done well enough to get spun off into its own public company by 2000. Travelocity operated inside Sabre until sold, and so the airlines put together a site of their own that they called Orbitz, which in 2001 was the biggest e-commerce site to have ever launched. And out of the bursting of the dot com bubble came online travel bookings. Kayak came in 2004

Sabre later sold Travelocity to Expedia, which uses Sabre to book travel. That allowed Sabre to focus on providing the back end travel technology. They now do over $4 billion in revenue in their industry. American Express had handled travel for decades but also added flights and hotels to their site, integrating with Sabre and Amadeus as well. 

Here, we see a classic paradigm in play. First the airlines moved their travel bookings from paper filing systems to isolated computer systems - what we’d call mainframes today. The airlines then rethink the paradigm and aggregate other information into a single system, or a system intermixed with other data. In short, they enriched the data. Then we expose those as APIs to further remove human labor and put systems on assembly lines. Sites hook into those and the GDS systems, as with many aggregators, get spun off into their own companies. The aggregated information then benefits consumers (in this case travelers) with more options and cheaper fares. This helps counteract the centralization of the market where airlines acquire other airlines but in some way also cheapen the experience. Gone are the days when a travel agent guides us through our budgets and helps us build a killer itinerary. But in a way that just makes travel much more adventurous. 

About the Podcast

Computers touch all most every aspect of our lives today. We take the way they work for granted and the unsung heroes who built the technology, protocols, philosophies, and circuit boards, patched them all together - and sometimes willed amazingness out of nothing. Not in this podcast. Welcome to the History of Computing. Let's get our nerd on!

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What Is a Global Distribution System (GDS)? Everything to Know

Key takeaways.

• Global Distribution Systems enable the distribution of travel products from suppliers (airlines, rail, car rentals, hotels) to OTAs, TMCs, DMCs and Travel Aggregators.
• Sabre, Amadeus and Travelport are today’s GDS market leaders, accounting for a whopping 98% of all travel bookings made.
• GDSs are a mainstay of the Travel & Hospitality sectors, having shed their archaic models and adapted to new standards and technologies to stay relevant and profitable.

Like several other businesses, the travel industry has immensely benefited from the adoption of technology to make travel products available to a global market. Travel tech has not only made travel planning convenient, but it continues to enrich the traveler’s experience, making it intuitive, interactive, and immersive. Let’s take an in-depth look at how one such development, the Global Distribution System or GDS, transformed the face of the travel industry worldwide, and the various global players that have emerged as GDS service providers.

• What’s a Global Distribution System (GDS)?

A Global Distribution System (GDS) is a computerized network that makes the combined inventory of travel suppliers from all over the world available to Online Travel Agents (OTAs), Travel Management Companies (TMCs), Destination Management Companies (DMCs) and Travel Aggregators.

What started out as a distribution channel for air travel products expanded to include hotel, car rental and even cruise bookings. Today, it is also possible for travel agents to create customized travel itineraries for end-users through a GDS.

Let’s understand the origin and evolution of GDSs to what it is today and look at the factors that differentiate a GDS from an Internet Distribution System (IDS) and a Computerized Reservation System (CRS).

A Brief History

The first GDS saw its origin in 1959 in a collaborative effort between American Airlines and IBM to create a computerized reservation system that would hold the inventory of airline seats and enable airline employees to perform and manage bookings on the platform, a departure from the manual paper-based bookings that were time-consuming and prone to error. The reservation system thus created was named Semi-Automated Business Research Environment or SABRE.

The system made it possible for multiple airline executives to perform bookings simultaneously, which helped to address the spurt in demand for air travel. In 1960, Sabre was jointly rolled out by American Airlines and IBM as a third-party GDS, the first of its kind in America, although a wide-scale uptake of Sabre as a GDS would not happen until the late 1970s.

Other airlines followed suit, some adopting Sabre GDS, while others ventured out to create their own reservation systems and capitalize on the new technology. Although airlines were increasingly adopting computerized systems, travel agencies were still functioning manually. It was not until 1976 that an external travel agent was granted direct access to an airline reservation system, launching the dawn of a new era in the travel industry.

With direct access to reservation systems now available, travel agencies could efficiently execute travel bookings. On the flip side, airlines were using disparate reservation systems, which left travel agencies with no choice but to integrate a single airline’s reservation system with their computers. It is worth noting that airlines would charge travel agencies a recurring payment for installing and using their airline reservation system, making multi-airline integration financially untenable.

This gradually changed with airline industry deregulation, followed by airlines opening up their inventories on a unified platform – a GDS. Sabre, Trans World Airlines Programmed Airline Reservations System (TWA PARS), and Delta DATAS II were some of the earliest GDSs in operation during the period from 1970 – 1985. By 1985, Sabre had become a market leader in the GDS industry, entering into contracts with over 10,000 travel agency offices.

The Internet Distribution System, or IDS, saw its emergence in the widespread roll-out of Internet access to the masses.

While a GDS could only be accessed by travel agencies that signed expensive contracts with a distributor, the IDS comprised travel agencies that now went online (becoming OTAs), travel portals, meta-search engines, travel aggregators, and hotel consolidators, among others.

End-users with Personal Computers (PCs) and Internet access could use the IDS to explore and book airline, hotel, car rental services, and create customized travel and tour packages from the comfort of their homes.

Travelocity by Sabre and Expedia by Microsoft became the earliest OTAs to dominate the IDS landscape. While Travelocity could utilize a huge travel inventory courtesy of the Sabre GDS, Expedia entered into a contract with Worldspan GDS, another major GDS player.

Travel aggregators Orbitz, Skyscanner, and Kayak emerged at the turn of the millennium. Interestingly, these IDS players were born out of partnerships between travel suppliers and technology companies to make travel product prices and schedules available to the public. End users could then make direct bookings on the airline website, bypassing OTAs and paying lower fares in the process.

The Computerized Reservation Systems were booking engines owned and operated by individual airlines. Although CRS platforms were initially used exclusively by airline executives to perform bookings requested by travel agents, airline companies later integrated CRS with computers used by travel agents to make direct bookings possible.

The first GDS, Sabre , began as a CRS built for American Airlines by IBM. From there, it gradually transformed into a third-party distribution channel, integrating the inventories of multiple travel suppliers.

Other major GDSs, Amadeus and Worldspan, were created through partnerships between airlines and IT service providers, which gradually expanded through mergers with other airline CRSs and acquisitions of smaller GDSs to take the form they are in today.

• How GDS Works in Travel

GDSs function as middlemen, liaising between travel suppliers and OTAs, TMCs, DMCs, and travel agents to make comprehensive inventories available for booking.

Airlines, hotels, and car rental services make their inventories accessible to a GDS, which showcases the same to OTAs and other resellers. It is essential to note that a GDS itself doesn’t hold the inventory; instead, it is a channel to locate travel products from multiple providers, perform bookings, and update the inventory listing once a booking is made.

Travel suppliers enter a paid, contractual agreement with a GDS to make their travel schedules, pricing, and availability universally accessible to travel agents globally. In addition to license and service fees, airlines shell out a 2-4% booking fee on the ticket price for each ticket sold. This figure shoots up to 20% for hotel bookings facilitated via a GDS.

On the other side of the GDS spectrum, OTAs and smaller travel agents also pay a GDS to get access to travel inventories from across the globe. Charges are calculated based on a ratio of the number of times a travel agent looks up an inventory to the actual number of bookings made, also called the Look to Book ratio. Besides this, OTAs and travel resellers need to pay a portion of their earnings made through commissions to a GDS.

In return for facilitating access to a massive worldwide travel inventory, a GDS reaps profits from both sides of the distribution channel. However, with the emergence of the IDS and the direct access end users now have to travel suppliers online, the hegemony of GDSs has dimmed somewhat.

• Popular GDS platforms

Let’s consider a few dominant players in the GDS ecosystem and how they came to be.

The first Global Distribution System to come into existence is the Sabre GDS. It evolved from the CRS created for American Airlines by IBM in 1959. A year later, American Airlines and IBM made Sabre available as a reservation system to other airlines, although it would be a while before it would witness widespread adoption.

By 1986, the system had been installed and was being widely used by over 10,000 travel agents.

Subsequently, Sabre became a separate entity owned by AMR Corporation, which was the parent company of American Airlines.

At present, Sabre Holdings is a publicly listed company, with a majority of its shares owned by Silver Lake Group LLC, a global equity firm. Today, Sabre GDS serves more than 425,000 travel agencies, 400 airlines, and 175,000 hotel establishments the world over, besides car rentals, cruise liners, and tour operators.

Amadeus GDS

While Sabre remained the dominant GDS platform in the U.S., European carriers developed their own distribution system. Thus, Amadeus was formed in 1987 through a partnership between Lufthansa, Iberia, SAS, Air France, and the technology service provider, Amadeus Germany.

Amadeus is currently the largest GDS service provider by market share in the air travel segment, with over 40% as of 2022. The company serves 440+ airlines, over 1 million hotel properties, and 230+ tour operators, and has facilitated over 200 million bookings via travel agencies in 2021.

Since 2004, Amadeus has diversified its offering, acquiring several travel tech companies and developing technology solutions in addition to its role as a major distributor.

Travelport GDS

The third largest distribution system, Travelport, is a relatively new entrant in the GDS industry. Formed in 2001, Travelport later took over Galileo International, another distribution system that originated in 1987 in Europe, followed by a merger with Worldspan GDS. Travelport GDS serves over 400 airlines, more than 650,000 hotel establishments, and several car rental providers, cruise liners, and rail transport providers.

Today, Travelport, along with Sabre and Amadeus, capture the lion’s share of the GDS industry, with a nearly 99.9% market share.

In 2018, Travelport introduced New Distribution Capability (NDC) standards on its distribution channel, becoming the first GDS to do so.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) introduced NDC in 2015 as a means for airlines to extend ancillary benefits to their customers through direct selling to OTAs and other travel resellers, as well as receive valuable customer data that was not available when the distribution was channelled via a GDS.

NDC integration is increasingly seen as a means to subvert travel distribution away from GDSs and help airlines improve revenue streams.

Besides its major role as a distributor, Travelport also develops IT solutions for airlines.

Galileo GDS

Galileo was created as a joint initiative by British Airways, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Aer Lingus and several other European carriers.

Soon after it was formed, Galileo grew to become one of the largest distribution systems in Europe. In 1993, Galileo went global, joining forces with the US-based GDS, Apollo Systems and transitioning into Galileo International.

Galileo GDS was acquired by Travelport in 2006.

The Abacus GDS was the leading distribution channel in the Asia Pacific region that came into being in 1988 through a joint agreement between 11 airlines from the region to develop a local distribution system.

It served over 100,000 travel agents across the region, as in 2015 when it was acquired by Sabre Corporation to further Sabre’s strategic interest in expanding to the Asia Pacific region.

In 1971, U.S.-based United Airlines introduced Apollo as an internal CRS to streamline reservations on their systems.

Following the installation of the Sabre CRS in a travel agency for the first time in 1976, United Airlines launched the Apollo Travel Services division to promote the Apollo CRS among travel agencies across North America and Japan.

In 1986, Apollo was renamed Covia and marketed as an independent affiliate of United Airlines. The European GDS Galileo would later absorb Apollo into its existing reservation system to become Galileo International, the first GDS touted to create a global and neutral system that countered flight listing bias.

United Airlines continued to use the Apollo GDS till 2012 when it moved to deploy the SHARES system.

Galileo International, which was later acquired by Travelport, continues to use the Apollo system.

Pegasus GDS

Pegasus was launched in 1989 to develop technology solutions for hotel establishments to integrate their booking systems with GDSs, develop additional sales and marketing channels, and maximize revenue.

Pegasus Systems developed the switching technology that enabled hotel reservation systems to connect with GDSs accessed by travel agents. Hotels that were members of The Hotel Industry Switch Company (THISCO) could utilize this technology to improve their reach across travel agencies worldwide and enable bookings in a manner similar to how airlines received bookings through a GDS.

Under the Pegasus umbrella, the Hotel Clearing Company (HCC) and Travel Web were also launched. Introduced in 1992, the HCC served travel agents by consolidating their earnings through commissions from hotel bookings in a single check in return for a small fee.

In 1994, the Travel Web became the first website to offer hotel bookings in real-time, a service that received widespread acceptance.

More recently, in January 2022, Pegasus Solutions (renamed in the year 2000 from Pegasus Systems) completed its merger with Cendyn, a leading provider of a cloud-based suite of software solutions for hotels across the Sales & Marketing and Revenue Strategy verticals.

• How Much Does a GDS Cost?

A GDS imposes two-way charges across both sides of the distribution pipeline; both the travel supplier (airlines, hotels, railways, car rentals) and OTAs and travel resellers, are required to pay for utilizing GDS services.

While travel suppliers make recurring contract-based payments, in addition to a levy of 2-4% of the ticket price for airlines and up to 20% of the booking price for hotels, OTAs are charged based on the targeted market and the quality of the inventory they receive access to.

Another significant factor that can add up costs is the number of Application Programming Interface (API) calls made from travel agent terminals to look up inventories as opposed to the actual number of bookings made, also called the Look to Book ratio. The higher the ratio, the higher the costs incurred.

With the introduction of NDC opening up an alternate distribution route between travel suppliers and OTAs, both parties seem keen on taking the GDS-free approach. Airlines especially stand to benefit from NDC, as they can significantly improve revenues by offering ancillary services like seat selection, excess baggage booking or other in-flight services.

Following the opening up of NDC standards for implementation, several airlines began to impose a surcharge on bookings made through a GDS. In 2015, the Lufthansa Group announced it would levy a €16 ‘Distribution Cost Charge’ per GDS booking to compensate for the mounting GDS costs that would typically approach three-digit million euros a year. British Airways, Air France KLM and several other carriers have also followed suit with a GDS surcharge.

• Benefits of Using a GDS

Notwithstanding the substantial costs of using a GDS, travel suppliers and OTAs continue to renew their contractual agreements year after year, a strong indication that the benefits of using a GDS outweigh the disadvantages. Let’s consider some of these benefits.

For Travel Suppliers

• A GDS gives travel suppliers visibility across a global marketplace, putting independent providers on par with household names. Thus, the revenue generated via GDS bookings is far higher than what is achieved through direct bookings.
• Travel agents from any part of the world can access a provider’s inventory listing via a GDS and even make bookings, with API integration being offered separately by the GDS and third party providers.
• GDSs are the preferred mode of booking for corporate travel, a lucrative segment for travel providers. Since corporates made bulk bookings to take advantage of wholesale prices, travel providers using a GDS can channel this revenue stream into their coffers.
• Bookings made via a GDS are automatically updated across all channels, preventing double bookings and streamlining the process flow.

For Online Travel Agents

• Travel resellers using a GDS gain access to a worldwide inventory of airlines, railways, car rentals and hotel establishments, enabling them to serve bigger markets.
• A GDS makes end-to-end bookings possible, enabling OTAs to sell complete travel packages to travelers.
• OTAs can make bookings at any time of the day, regardless of the time zone, given the 24/7 accessibility of a GDS.
• Tips for Using a GDS

Signing up with a GDS is a big decision and could bring major changes to your business structure. Here are some tips to keep in mind before taking the plunge.

• Consider the market a GDS is active in. While Sabre is the dominant GDS across North America and Asia, Amadeus is the market leader in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA region). Travelport has the smallest market share of the top three and is perhaps the most well-rounded in terms of coverage, serving the American, Asia Pacific, and EMEA markets.
• It is also important to ensure your existing software and systems will seamlessly work with the GDS you choose. A GDS employs APIs to transfer data. Some travel providers choose to purchase API integration directly from the GDS, while others use third-party systems that enable integration with multiple GDSs.
• Not all Low-Cost Carriers (LCCs) are accessible across all GDSs. OTAs that would like to offer bookings on LCCs must carefully check if their GDS of choice has ongoing contracts with those LCCs.
• If the costs of using a GDS are prohibitive, you could consider a viable alternative to using one - affiliating with OTAs or wholesalers or using online booking portals directly from travel providers.

Global Distribution Systems have come a long way from their initial form, adapting to the evolving landscape of travel technology, diversifying their product offerings and adopting new standards to stay relevant.

Despite numerous predictions to the contrary, these distribution channel behemoths are in for the long haul and will continue to transform the travel industry in the years to come.

If you are considering utilizing the immense benefits and features of a GDS and are unsure of the best way to proceed, Voyage Labs will walk you through the process, developing custom APIs suitable for your business requirements.

Samuel Corso

Samuel Corso is a software engineer and entrepeneur with deep expertise in systems integrations and reverse-engineering APIs, dating back to his time building commercial ecommerce bots. He's the author of the number one open source project of this kind on GitHub. He also bears unique knowledge of the software infrastructure behind the travel industry. He founded Voyage Labs to help companies unlock cutting-edge software solutions to meet the needs of their customers.

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Travel Agency Software: Everything You Need to Know

Table of contents.

• Request a Demo
• Signup Free

• Travel Portals
• B2B Travel Booking Portal
• B2C Travel Booking Portal
• Airline Reservation System
• Cruise Booking System
• Hotel Extranet
• Travel Agency Software
• Arabic Travel Booking System
• Flight Reservation System
• Hotel Reservation System
• Car Rental Reservation System
• Cruise Reservation System
• Travel APIs
• Hotel + Flight API
• Excursion Management
• Financial Accounting
• Fleet Management
• Mice Solutions
• Online Reservation System
• Travel Booking Engine
• Flight Booking Engine
• Hotel Booking Engine
• Trade Shows
• Central Reservation System
• Amadeus GDS
• Galileo GDS

Apollo Software

Apollo software solutions is dedicated to bringing you the best development for mobile and standalone platforms., clients and partners.

Trusted by 1000+ companies around the world

At Travelopro, we believe that Latest technology strengthens all successful, modern travel agencies. Traditional approach of people resources and quality does not work any longer. Travelopro is here to Digitally Transform your Business. Travel Agencies now increasingly expect technology to be the agent of change and expect us to devise strategies that are driven by ideas. Every one of our customer’s portal is built on a strong, dynamic and innovative technology stack ensuring that our clients receive excellent service around the clock.

TRUST IS EARNED

The First & Only Company to offer Worldwide Flight, Hotels, Car, Transfers, Tours APIs on a Single Platform. Don’t settle for the same thing everyone else is doing.

We’ll help you bring more vibrant Travel Products and colorful digital marketing. Hire Travelopro to Transform your Business to make Digital Real for your Customers .

Awarded #1 Travel Software for the Online Travel Industry

Our service never stops with the sales of our softwares or API Solutions. It goes on in the form of after-sales service since we understand that our products are designed to satisfy your requirements for many years to come.We’ve an established and efficient system in place to deal with all of your after sale support needs.

Exceptional Commitment to Customer Success

Every project we take on starts with the aim of being our 'best yet', so you can be assured that our attention to detail and high quality work is present in every job we craft. We want our customers to be as excited and proud of the end product as we are, and we strive towards that goal every day.

Cloud based Technology fueling for High Performance

Let us put the #1 managed cloud based travel technology solution work for you.

Whatever your Business requirement, Travelopro offers completely managed best fit travel technology solution.

Generate more bookings & delight travelers through a powerful mobile engagement platform

With travelopro’s online platform you can grow your revenues, streamline your operations and extend your digital reach.

• Configure credit limit and deposits
• Multilingual travel websites
• Add offline travel bookings
• Distribute white labels
• Dynamic fare caching
• Commissions and markup control
• Advanced Reports
• Manage multiple branches
• Sub Agents can create and manage multiple branches and users
• Optional cross selling platform
• SMS gateway
• Multi currency transactions for agents and suppliers
• Business intelligence reports
• Online travel booking engine
• Multiple sales channels - B2B, B2B2B, B2B2C
• Centralised mid-office
• Ability to connect multiple GDS, LCC, and third party APIs
• Complete Reservation Management
• Travel Agent Management
• Transactional Accounting
• Accounting System Integration
• Comprehensive system to manage rates, discounts and allocation
• Payment Gateway Integration
• Multiple Supplier APIs
• Add direct contracts
• Redistribution API

Apollo Software - Generate More Bookings With Travelopro Apollo Software

Travelopro is an award winning travel technology company , delivering b2b / b2c travel software, travel crm, accounting software, car rental software and mobility solutions to global travel & hospitality companies..

What Is Apollo Software ?

Travelopro is a leading travel technology company which provides integration of Apollo software which is specialized in providing the travel distributions, technologies, and services for thousands of travel companies around the globe which includes travel agencies, corporates, travel suppliers and travel web sites.

We are building travel applications by integrating the Apollo GDS with feature-rich tools and software to manage all your bookings.

Our system provides users with all the schedules, availability, fares, policies and rules, as well as our reservation and ticketing capability for travel suppliers. We offer Apollo GDS system which is integrated with Apollo GDS for real-time inventory and booking.

It is easy to use and navigate. As a dominant global distribution system (GDS), Our Apollo software provides travel distribution, technologies, and services for thousands of travel companies around the globe, including travel agencies, corporations, travel suppliers and travel Web sites.

With the advancement of the internet, many suppliers such as tour and package companies offer their own web-based booking engines.

The main difference between the CRS and the web-based booking engines are the techniques in utilizing the systems. The Computer Reservation Systems are completely keyboard-driven and you must learn the formats in order to operate it efficiently. The web-based booking engines are operated in the point and click environment.

The current trend in travel agencies about computerization is the use of the Computer Reservation Systems (CRS) also called the Global Distribution Systems (GDS).

Our Apollo software is one such GDS that is widely used by travel companies all around the world for your travel bookings. Whether you want to book airline tickets or do hotel bookings, Apollo software will do that for you.

You can store and retrieve information’s and conduct transactions related to air travel, hotels, car rental or other tasks.

If you have a travel company and are looking for companies that can develop Apollo software for your business then Travelopro is the best solution you are looking for. Apollo GDS software providers started selling the inventories through the mode of XMLs /APIs.

Using the airline XML, Hotel XML, and Car XML – travel companies could connect to GDS systems to check online availability and do the bookings.

It also helped the travel agents to combine the XMLs (GDS system) on their own website in the form of API’s to get the airline booking system /hotel booking system usable for the B2C users.

How To Get Apollo Software ?

Integrating Apollo software allows the recondition of inventory information (availability/pricing) automatically. All the agents and B2C users get the same seamless data.

As the travel industry is changing to the online mode from the offline mode, travel agents have started asking for white label software / white label solution from the hotel suppliers and Apollo software system providers to sell the hotels and airline/ flight tickets with their own brands, logo and contact data.

All the customers, clients and corporates across the globe can view and book a hotel, flight, tours, and transfers on 24 X 7 basis. Our Apollo software is extensively used to widen the market reach. A single global distribution system is connected through many B2B, B2C, B2E, and B2B2C websites .

Apollo software is an online integrated project and contact management software. Our Apollo software allows users to prioritize tasks, organize projects, and keep the team on the same page with only a browser and an Internet connection.

Our Apollo GDS is a project based on cloud and communication management solution which is developed by Applicom that helps clients manage personal and professional plans by reminding them of appointments and deadlines.

It links up the management of personal tasks, calendars, contacts, and projects. Key features which are included are whiteboards, milestones, iCal integration, interactive timers, interactive calendars, cases, and deals. Users can divide a task into subtasks with a priority status, due date, and attachments.

They can also set up task dependencies that disallow the user to start or complete a task until precursor dependency is met.

Our Apollo software provides a separate profile for each contact that covers conversation history, dates, and tasks assigned and contact data.

Users can notify projects through the solution’s favorites menu and arrange projects in different sections to help organize workflow.

Our Apollo software provides backup data of all the project files. The solution caters to businesses of multiple sizes. Pricing is per month. Support is offered via knowledge base and email.  It is easy to use and navigate.

With a rich set of tools and many other features and improvements being developed day after day, thousands of people all over the world are using the software to manage their everyday tasks.  Some features, benefits, product strengths of Apollo GDS is as follows:

Tasks, Milestones, and Project Management

Apollo software is a web-based application with a desktop feel. Our Apollo software gives relevant task information at a glance, but which is also immediately editable. Users can set the status of their task and let the rest of the team know what they are busy with. They can prioritize visibly their tasks and set deadlines.

It can also assign multiple persons and subdivide tasks into smaller subtasks three nested levels deep. It also has recurring tasks, notifications, grouping and sorting, and many more.

It also has a milestone view that shows when is the next deadline, a status progress bar which shows current status, and quick links to related tasks and messages. Users can easily make a project, set optional due dates, and give access to the team or clients. Other features include starting favorite projects, categorizing, using Gantt charts, project merge, and more. 

Messaging, Contacts and Image Proofing

The integrated productivity software which has contact management tools that can enable users to create and organize their own contacts. Each contact has its own page with its own contact details, conversation history, co-worker notes, important dates, events, and next tasks assigned.

They can track conversations, set reminders, browse, search, tag, and see what the latest activity on each contact is. It has a very simplified data entry, import and export functions, and archive email sent to the contacts.

Messages have more features than regular emails that can have comments and file attachments but can also be sent as an email. Image proofing tool allows its users to annotate images and PDFs with familiar tools. Annotations are also linked to discussions who can reply for a consensus.

Time Tracking, Billing, File Management, write board, and more

Apollo software also has interactive and smart timers for time tracking. All users can configure if a project is usable or not. It has got a file management tool which allows for easy uploading and categorizing.

It has got thumbnails and quick preview for images and PDFs, approvals, and integration with cloud storage. Whiteboards allow users to create documents online and keep revision history.

The software also comes with a calendar, email integration, user administration and permission, Zapier integration, webhooks, CSV data interchange, and restful API. 

Travelopro offers fully-automated inventory distribution and travel management solution for travel agencies. We are specialized in B2B and B2C travel solutions for Web and Mobile platforms with advanced API integrations from leading GDS or OTAs providers around the world.

We have built a wide range of proven, ready-to-deploy solutions that fit most business models, helping you to minimize the overall development time and get your products out into the global market place.

We focus on developing products that are intuitive and reliable, and continuously improve their effectiveness and efficiency. The GDS travel system integration platform for Travelopro acts as the centric point for travel providers travel agencies, corporate and developers to get connected.

This acts as the medium for increasing profitability and helping the online booking system and other sources to achieve commercial success in the B2B (business-to-business) travel network.

Travelopro offers Global Distribution System which is centralized. We provide the GDS Software connectivity for a simple low commission on successful booking only. You will be able to save money each and every month, as well as directly impact your GDS revenue.

Our Integration Service will help your travel company book thousands of airlines, hotel room a holiday online. Global Distribution System (GDS) is a computerized reservation network used as a single platform of access for accommodating airline seats, hotel rooms, rental cars , and other travel related things by online booking sites, large corporations and travel agents.

We offer global distribution systems are Amadeus , Galileo, Sabre, and World span. They are owned and operated as joint ventures by major airlines, car rental companies, and hotel groups also called automated reservation system (ARS) or computerized reservation system (CRS).

Specialties of GDS Integrations are huge inventory of flight, hotel, cars and buses, Best fares and commissions, Good connectivity with single interface, extended network with travel agents, Reliable for new connections, 4 Seat selection preference and other options like check-in, all round support to travel entrepreneurs, Suitable platform for B2B and B2C.

The GDS system is owned or operated by a company that permits transactions between the travel industry service providers, mainly airlines, hotels, car rental companies, and travel agencies . The GDS mainly uses real-time inventory (like the number of hotel rooms which is available, number of flight seats available, or number of cars available) to its customers.

Travel agencies traditionally relied on Apollo GDS for services, products and rates in order to provide travel-related services to the end consumers. Thus, an Apollo GDS can link services, rates and bookings consolidating products and services across all three travel sectors: i.e., airline reservations, hotel reservations, car rentals.

Primary customers of Apollo GDS are travel agents (both online and office-based) to make reservation on various reservation systems run by the vendors.

GDS has got no inventory; the inventory is held on the vendor's reservation system itself. Our Apollo GDS system will have real-time link to the vendor's database. When a travel agency wants a booking on the service provided by a particular airline company, the Apollo GDS system will send the request to the appropriate airline's computer reservations system.

The prototype of GDS in the travel sector can be seen in the 1950s as the traditional legacy business model which inter-operated between the airline vendors. Computer reservation systems (CRS), at the starting stage was used by the airline companies as an automated booking system, but later, travel agents were given access.

Around 1980, Connection to different travel providers in a single platform, CRS helps us doing that, CRS enabled travel agents to connect to different travel providers in a single system.

At this point, in addition to flights, hotels and car rentals were also included. CRS claimed much strength by late 80s being so helpful to both suppliers and distributors.

In the 90s, the airline computerized reservation systems were transformed to global distribution systems (GDS). GDS has enhanced a lot from airline alliances and has become independent business units with product internationalization and introduction of new products, mainly hotel rooms. 

Main features of GDS:

• Report availability and prices of travel products

• Reserve user requests.

• Sale and ticketing

• Track sales (change of flights, extend accommodation)

• Facilitates control management for travel agencies)

Next Generation capability was built by the GDS to permit compatible systems to input the data straight into the GDS´s. There are several such systems in place.

This means that a hotel might use an online form to enter their rates and data and this goes straight into the GDS. It substantially decreases the time to get to market and eliminates some errors when re-keying data.

GDS sold this option to vendors who it turn incorporated it into their hotel solutions. Some setup shop as GDS agents to provide this service. Next Generation offers GDS users with real-time prices and availability that is 100% identical to the information used by a hotel’s own reservation staff.

The information is available much faster and more accurate resulting in increased confidence and usability by agents. With next generation Seamless, agents are more inclined to sell more using the GDS rather than book via telephone to assure their clients the lowest rates.

Galileo inside Shopper, Worldspan Integrated Hotel Source, Sabre Direct Connect Shop, the respective GDS' Next Generation Seamless products, were implemented by 2004. The technology to update a mainframe is not trivial.

It contains robotics that interface online system with GDS mainframe computers. Mainframes are not internet savvy computers and cannot be entered directly to change and import new data. The data is sent via packets relayed on telecommunications network. The packet relay is interpreted by the mainframe.

As these mainframes are all different systems, protocols and standards were developed. Mainframes also have very specific rules on what characters are allowed.

Charters and in some cases, words act as tigers to set off process in a mainframe, so the information sent to a mainframe must be accurate and comply with their rules.

Even after years of implementation the GDS-load process was finding errors in data integrity. A simple quotation mark can trigger a failure with disastrous results.

Travelopro has utilized the rising demand of the travel industry to redefine the distribution system involving all the core elements of airlines and the ancillary products.  We are very well known for paving the path for the growing need for travel commerce which includes hotel, tour operators, and car rental.

With the vision of remodifying the travel global system integration with every passing day, we have maintained our domain expertise in the travel industry, which has helped us to remain the top GDS system integration in the travel domain all around the world.

One of the most important examples of the effort made by Travelopro to remain as the leader of global distribution system integration is the initiative taken to design the B2B payment method, which was one of its kind in the history of travel domain.

The B2B payment solution was the answer to all awaiting demands of the travel intermediaries to accomplish the travel transaction securely and safely.

What makes Travelopro dominant among the GDS providers is the efficiency with which it accomplished its additional services like advertising solutions, data services for business intelligence, services for subscription and providing analogical marketing tools for all travel agencies, travel data users and travel providers.

Galileo GDS traces its way back to 1971 when United Airlines created its first computerized central reservation system under the name Apollo. During the time in the 1980s and early 1990s, a large proportion of airline tickets were sold by travel agents.

Flights by the airline owning the reservation system had a special display on the computer monitor. Because of the high merchandise actions of the GDS systems, which is owned by American Airlines and United Airlines, respectively, Worldspan and Galileo were created by other airline groups in an attempt to get market share in the computer reservation system market, by inference, and the commercial airline market.

Galileo GDS was created during the year 1987 by 9 European countries. In response and to prevent possible government intervention, United Airlines spun off its Apollo software reservation system, which was then controlled by Covia.

Galileo International was born when Covia gained Europe's Galileo and merged it with the Apollo systems in 1992. The Apollo software GDS was used by United Airlines until March 3, 2012, when it switched to SHARES, a system used by its former Continental Airlines subsidiary.

Apollo software is still used by Galileo International travel agency customers in different countries like the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Japan.

Travelopro provides a flexible, reliable and secure software platform for our global clients to develop their own travel booking systems through our pre-integrated Apollo software GDS platforms.

Build your systems on the world’s most complete and robust fare data. We offer customized solutions for travel agencies and travel management companies with seamlessly integrated booking tools, online reservation systems, and multi-GDS services which distribute your inventory and content to the world’s global distribution systems.

We are a leading travel portal development company, offering B2B (agents), B2C (Users) & corporate travel portals with GDS and third-party APIs integration. Galileo GDS system, offered by Travelopro, is one of the most sophisticated global distribution systems used by agents, aggregators & hospitality companies.

Travel software and mobility solutions have helped global travel agencies grow much faster. It has gained the 100% adoption of the OTA model. Travel software is an online travel reservation system, which helps travel agents or end-users search, book and manages travel-related things efficiently and accurately.

In many ways, GDS helps the travel organizations, agents and their clients to access all the travel data by comparing prices, reservation options, access scheduling and inventories (airlines, hotels, car rental, and holidays) along with options of allowing the clients to book tickets online.

There are four main GDS Systems heading in the travel industry. It was revealed that the GDS is and will remain as the most important channel of distribution for airlines, hotels and car rental companies alike.

However, the Internet also allows the GDS companies, label providers and even the traditional travel agents to host websites directly which access to their connections and provide the services previously offered by offline travel agents.

For so many years, Our Apollo software has been providing the travel industry with reliability, security, speed, and accuracy to hospitality, airlines, car rentals and many more.

As per IATA study, the future of Apollo software is very huge and it will create a robust ecommerce platform for the travel industry. If Apollo software GDS keeps continuing the ever-changing needs of airlines and hotel industry then it will rule the travel industry. We offer fully-automated inventory distribution and travel management solution for travel agencies.

We are very much specialized in B2B and B2C travel solutions for Web and Mobile platforms with advanced API integrations from leading GDS or OTAs providers.

We have built a wide range of proven, ready-to-deploy solutions that fit most business models, helping you to minimize the overall development time and get your products out into the global marketplace.

We focus on developing products that are intuitive and reliable, and continuously improve their effectiveness and efficiency.

By partnering with Travelopro, you will get the best fares and content seamlessly with the option to build your own customized search options, bookings, etc. We have a group dedicated team of professionals having many years of combined experience that can help you build the travel portal of your dream. 

Get your travel business online

If there is one thing you do today, get your travel business online. everyone are talking of going online. provide yourself and your agents with their own b2b/b2c booking engine. travelopro platform consist of many components assembled to get your one stop travel software and travel technology, to automate travel business process and configured in many ways to meet your business goals. here's what you'll get (its affordable, easy and profitable)..

Destination

Fetaures of Online Reservation System:

• Fast and Flexible booking engine
• Secure, scalable and robust reservation architecture
• Fully customized booking engine
• Cost-effective solutions
• User friendly interface
• Integrated Payment Gateway
• Multi-language support

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Powered by our Industry Leading Travel Technology – Including complete inventory and Global Fares – Travelopro gives you the highest quality travel technology solution to power your brand.

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What to know about Schengen zone, Europe’s ‘border-free’ travel system

Schengen countries allow international travelers to move freely across borders without additional passport checks.

Europe’s “border-free” Schengen zone has added travel protections for two more countries, making it easier for more people to explore the southeastern region of the continent.

Romania and Bulgaria partially joined the Schengen area on Sunday, which means visitors who arrive by air or sea from other countries in the zone can cross their borders without an ID check. Land borders will remain subject to ID checks because of opposition led by Austria, which has long cited irregular migration as a concern when it comes to welcoming the two Eastern European states into the Schengen agreement. The move comes more than a decade after Romania and Bulgaria joined the European Union.

The European Commission had previously recommended that Bulgaria and Romania be admitted to join the Schengen zone, starting in 2011 and most recently in 2023. A combination of internal problems in the two countries and opposition from other countries citing irregular migration concerns — especially after the so-called “migrant crisis” of 2015 — meant they were caught in “Schengen purgatory” until now, according to Leon Züllig, a researcher and Schengen expert at Germany’s Justus Liebig University Giessen.

Where to go

Our favorite destinations: These 12 destinations are at the top of our wish list for where to go this year, without crowds. In 2023, we explored an Alaskan bear paradise, Brooklyn’s famous pizzerias and a hidden gem in Italy, among other highlights ..

Travel like a local: Residents share their favorite places in our top city guides: New Orleans , Rome , Tokyo and Mexico City .

National parks: This comprehensive guide has details on all 63 U.S. national parks. For a deep dive into five of the most well-known, you can listen to the Field Trip podcast . Then explore tips from locals for visiting Yosemite , Glacier and Everglades .

Tales from the road: Dolly Parton has opened a new resort at her theme park complex in Tennessee, while “Fixer Upper” stars Chip and Joanna Gaines have a new hotel in Waco . Road-trippers may be just as excited to see the cartoon beaver at Buc-ee’s , and bargain-hunters should consider a stop at the Unclaimed Baggage store in Scottsboro, Ala.

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The Moscow Metro Museum of Art: 10 Must-See Stations

There are few times one can claim having been on the subway all afternoon and loving it, but the Moscow Metro provides just that opportunity.  While many cities boast famous public transport systems—New York’s subway, London’s underground, San Salvador’s chicken buses—few warrant hours of exploration.  Moscow is different: Take one ride on the Metro, and you’ll find out that this network of railways can be so much more than point A to B drudgery.

The Metro began operating in 1935 with just thirteen stations, covering less than seven miles, but it has since grown into the world’s third busiest transit system ( Tokyo is first ), spanning about 200 miles and offering over 180 stops along the way.  The construction of the Metro began under Joseph Stalin’s command, and being one of the USSR’s most ambitious building projects, the iron-fisted leader instructed designers to create a place full of svet (radiance) and svetloe budushchee (a radiant future), a palace for the people and a tribute to the Mother nation.

Consequently, the Metro is among the most memorable attractions in Moscow.  The stations provide a unique collection of public art, comparable to anything the city’s galleries have to offer and providing a sense of the Soviet era, which is absent from the State National History Museum.  Even better, touring the Metro delivers palpable, experiential moments, which many of us don’t get standing in front of painting or a case of coins.

Though tours are available , discovering the Moscow Metro on your own provides a much more comprehensive, truer experience, something much less sterile than following a guide.  What better place is there to see the “real” Moscow than on mass transit: A few hours will expose you to characters and caricatures you’ll be hard-pressed to find dining near the Bolshoi Theater.  You become part of the attraction, hear it in the screech of the train, feel it as hurried commuters brush by: The Metro sucks you beneath the city and churns you into the mix.

With the recommendations of our born-and-bred Muscovite students, my wife Emma and I have just taken a self-guided tour of what some locals consider the top ten stations of the Moscow Metro. What most satisfied me about our Metro tour was the sense of adventure .  I loved following our route on the maps of the wagon walls as we circled the city, plotting out the course to the subsequent stops; having the weird sensation of being underground for nearly four hours; and discovering the next cavern of treasures, playing Indiana Jones for the afternoon, piecing together fragments of Russia’s mysterious history.  It’s the ultimate interactive museum.

Top Ten Stations (In order of appearance)

Kievskaya station.

Kievskaya Station went public in March of 1937, the rails between it and Park Kultury Station being the first to cross the Moscow River.  Kievskaya is full of mosaics depicting aristocratic scenes of Russian life, with great cameo appearances by Lenin, Trotsky, and Stalin.  Each work has a Cyrillic title/explanation etched in the marble beneath it; however, if your Russian is rusty, you can just appreciate seeing familiar revolutionary dates like 1905 ( the Russian Revolution ) and 1917 ( the October Revolution ).

Mayakovskaya Station

Mayakovskaya Station ranks in my top three most notable Metro stations. Mayakovskaya just feels right, done Art Deco but no sense of gaudiness or pretention.  The arches are adorned with rounded chrome piping and create feeling of being in a jukebox, but the roof’s expansive mosaics of the sky are the real showstopper.  Subjects cleverly range from looking up at a high jumper, workers atop a building, spires of Orthodox cathedrals, to nimble aircraft humming by, a fleet of prop planes spelling out CCCP in the bluest of skies.

Novoslobodskaya Station

Novoslobodskaya is the Metro’s unique stained glass station.  Each column has its own distinctive panels of colorful glass, most of them with a floral theme, some of them capturing the odd sailor, musician, artist, gardener, or stenographer in action.  The glass is framed in Art Deco metalwork, and there is the lovely aspect of discovering panels in the less frequented haunches of the hall (on the trackside, between the incoming staircases).  Novosblod is, I’ve been told, the favorite amongst out-of-town visitors.

Komsomolskaya Station

Komsomolskaya Station is one of palatial grandeur.  It seems both magnificent and obligatory, like the presidential palace of a colonial city.  The yellow ceiling has leafy, white concrete garland and a series of golden military mosaics accenting the tile mosaics of glorified Russian life.  Switching lines here, the hallway has an Alice-in-Wonderland feel, impossibly long with decorative tile walls, culminating in a very old station left in a remarkable state of disrepair, offering a really tangible glimpse behind the palace walls.

Dostoevskaya Station

Dostoevskaya is a tribute to the late, great hero of Russian literature .  The station at first glance seems bare and unimpressive, a stark marble platform without a whiff of reassembled chips of tile.  However, two columns have eerie stone inlay collages of scenes from Dostoevsky’s work, including The Idiot , The Brothers Karamazov , and Crime and Punishment.   Then, standing at the center of the platform, the marble creates a kaleidoscope of reflections.  At the entrance, there is a large, inlay portrait of the author.

Chkalovskaya Station

Chkalovskaya does space Art Deco style (yet again).  Chrome borders all.  Passageways with curvy overhangs create the illusion of walking through the belly of a chic, new-age spacecraft.  There are two (kos)mosaics, one at each end, with planetary subjects.  Transferring here brings you above ground, where some rather elaborate metalwork is on display.  By name similarity only, I’d expected Komsolskaya Station to deliver some kosmonaut décor; instead, it was Chkalovskaya that took us up to the space station.

Elektrozavodskaya Station

Elektrozavodskaya is full of marble reliefs of workers, men and women, laboring through the different stages of industry.  The superhuman figures are round with muscles, Hollywood fit, and seemingly undeterred by each Herculean task they respectively perform.  The station is chocked with brass, from hammer and sickle light fixtures to beautiful, angular framework up the innards of the columns.  The station’s art pieces are less clever or extravagant than others, but identifying the different stages of industry is entertaining.

Baumanskaya Statio

Baumanskaya Station is the only stop that wasn’t suggested by the students.  Pulling in, the network of statues was just too enticing: Out of half-circle depressions in the platform’s columns, the USSR’s proud and powerful labor force again flaunts its success.  Pilots, blacksmiths, politicians, and artists have all congregated, posing amongst more Art Deco framing.  At the far end, a massive Soviet flag dons the face of Lenin and banners for ’05, ’17, and ‘45.  Standing in front of the flag, you can play with the echoing roof.

Ploshchad Revolutsii Station

Novokuznetskaya Station

Novokuznetskaya Station finishes off this tour, more or less, where it started: beautiful mosaics.  This station recalls the skyward-facing pieces from Mayakovskaya (Station #2), only with a little larger pictures in a more cramped, very trafficked area.  Due to a line of street lamps in the center of the platform, it has the atmosphere of a bustling market.  The more inventive sky scenes include a man on a ladder, women picking fruit, and a tank-dozer being craned in.  The station’s also has a handsome black-and-white stone mural.

Here is a map and a brief description of our route:

Start at (1)Kievskaya on the “ring line” (look for the squares at the bottom of the platform signs to help you navigate—the ring line is #5, brown line) and go north to Belorusskaya, make a quick switch to the Dark Green/#2 line, and go south one stop to (2)Mayakovskaya.  Backtrack to the ring line—Brown/#5—and continue north, getting off at (3)Novosblodskaya and (4)Komsolskaya.  At Komsolskaya Station, transfer to the Red/#1 line, go south for two stops to Chistye Prudy, and get on the Light Green/#10 line going north.  Take a look at (5)Dostoevskaya Station on the northern segment of Light Green/#10 line then change directions and head south to (6)Chkalovskaya, which offers a transfer to the Dark Blue/#3 line, going west, away from the city center.  Have a look (7)Elektroskaya Station before backtracking into the center of Moscow, stopping off at (8)Baumskaya, getting off the Dark Blue/#3 line at (9)Ploschad Revolyutsii.  Change to the Dark Green/#2 line and go south one stop to see (10)Novokuznetskaya Station.

Check out our new Moscow Indie Travel Guide , book a flight to Moscow and read 10 Bars with Views Worth Blowing the Budget For

Jonathon Engels, formerly a patron saint of misadventure, has been stumbling his way across cultural borders since 2005 and is currently volunteering in the mountains outside of Antigua, Guatemala.  For more of his work, visit his website and blog .

Photo credits:   SergeyRod , all others courtesy of the author and may not be used without permission

Claudia Looi

Touring the Top 10 Moscow Metro Stations

By Claudia Looi 2 Comments

Komsomolskaya metro station looks like a museum. It has vaulted ceilings and baroque decor.

Hidden underground, in the heart of Moscow, are historical and architectural treasures of Russia. These are Soviet-era creations – the metro stations of Moscow.

Our guide Maria introduced these elaborate metro stations as “the palaces for the people.” Built between 1937 and 1955, each station holds its own history and stories. Stalin had the idea of building beautiful underground spaces that the masses could enjoy. They would look like museums, art centers, concert halls, palaces and churches. Each would have a different theme. None would be alike.

The two-hour private tour was with a former Intourist tour guide named Maria. Maria lived in Moscow all her life and through the communist era of 60s to 90s. She has been a tour guide for more than 30 years. Being in her 60s, she moved rather quickly for her age. We traveled and crammed with Maria and other Muscovites on the metro to visit 10 different metro stations.

Arrow showing the direction of metro line 1 and 2

Moscow subways are very clean

To Maria, every street, metro and building told a story. I couldn’t keep up with her stories. I don’t remember most of what she said because I was just thrilled being in Moscow.   Added to that, she spilled out so many Russian words and names, which to one who can’t read Cyrillic, sounded so foreign and could be easily forgotten.

The metro tour was the first part of our all day tour of Moscow with Maria. Here are the stations we visited:

1. Komsomolskaya Metro Station  is the most beautiful of them all. Painted yellow and decorated with chandeliers, gold leaves and semi precious stones, the station looks like a stately museum. And possibly decorated like a palace. I saw Komsomolskaya first, before the rest of the stations upon arrival in Moscow by train from St. Petersburg.

2. Revolution Square Metro Station (Ploshchad Revolyutsii) has marble arches and 72 bronze sculptures designed by Alexey Dushkin. The marble arches are flanked by the bronze sculptures. If you look closely you will see passersby touching the bronze dog's nose. Legend has it that good luck comes to those who touch the dog's nose.

Touch the dog's nose for good luck. At the Revolution Square station

Revolution Square Metro Station

3. Arbatskaya Metro Station served as a shelter during the Soviet-era. It is one of the largest and the deepest metro stations in Moscow.

Arbatskaya Metro Station

4. Biblioteka Imeni Lenina Metro Station was built in 1935 and named after the Russian State Library. It is located near the library and has a big mosaic portrait of Lenin and yellow ceramic tiles on the track walls.

Lenin's portrait at the Biblioteka Imeni Lenina Metro Station

5. Kievskaya Metro Station was one of the first to be completed in Moscow. Named after the capital city of Ukraine by Kiev-born, Nikita Khruschev, Stalin's successor.

Kievskaya Metro Station

6. Novoslobodskaya Metro Station  was built in 1952. It has 32 stained glass murals with brass borders.

Novoslobodskaya metro station

7. Kurskaya Metro Station was one of the first few to be built in Moscow in 1938. It has ceiling panels and artwork showing Soviet leadership, Soviet lifestyle and political power. It has a dome with patriotic slogans decorated with red stars representing the Soviet's World War II Hall of Fame. Kurskaya Metro Station is a must-visit station in Moscow.

Ceiling panel and artworks at Kurskaya Metro Station

8. Mayakovskaya Metro Station built in 1938. It was named after Russian poet Vladmir Mayakovsky. This is one of the most beautiful metro stations in the world with 34 mosaics painted by Alexander Deyneka.

Mayakovskaya station

One of the over 30 ceiling mosaics in Mayakovskaya metro station

9. Belorusskaya Metro Station is named after the people of Belarus. In the picture below, there are statues of 3 members of the Partisan Resistance in Belarus during World War II. The statues were sculpted by Sergei Orlov, S. Rabinovich and I. Slonim.

10. Teatralnaya Metro Station (Theatre Metro Station) is located near the Bolshoi Theatre.

Teatralnaya Metro Station decorated with porcelain figures .

Taking the metro's escalator at the end of the tour with Maria the tour guide.

Have you visited the Moscow Metro? Leave your comment below.

January 15, 2017 at 8:17 am

An excellent read! Thanks for much for sharing the Russian metro system with us. We're heading to Moscow in April and exploring the metro stations were on our list and after reading your post, I'm even more excited to go visit them. Thanks again 🙂

December 6, 2017 at 10:45 pm

Hi, do you remember which tour company you contacted for this tour?

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Watch CBS News

Earthquake snarls air and train travel in the New York City area

By Megan Cerullo

Edited By Aimee Picchi

Updated on: April 5, 2024 / 4:36 PM EDT / CBS News

An  earthquake  centered in New Jersey and felt across the New York City region on Friday disrupted air and rail travel, with ground stoppages at airports in the New York City area and delays in train service. 

Travel operations were momentarily halted Friday morning with ground stoppages at John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens and at Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, New Jersey, with crews working to resume normal air traffic operations. By early afternoon, the ground stoppage at JFK had been lifted. 

Arriving and departing flights in Newark also resumed in the afternoon, but delays averaged roughly two hours,  according  to the Federal Aviation Administration. 

The earthquake, which occurred roughly 10:20 a.m. Eastern time, had either a 4.7 or 4.8 magnitude and was centered near Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, 40 miles west of New York City,  according to the United States Geological Survey.

Newark airport is experiencing average departure delays of 43 minutes, according to flight tracking website FlightAware. Inbound aircraft that are already airborne are delayed by about an hour. Inbound flights that have not yet taken off are being held until 12:30 p.m., according to the site.  

Flights in and out of LaGuardia airport in Queens were also delayed, likely in order for airport staff to check for damage to the airport and runways and clear away any debris. 

The ground stoppages and delays are not expected to last long. 

Additionally, New Jersey Transit said it's experiencing up to 20-minute delays across its entire rail service system, in both directions. NJ Transit said it's inspecting a bridge for damage to ensure train travel is safe. 

—CBS News' Kris Van Cleave contributed reporting.

Megan Cerullo is a New York-based reporter for CBS MoneyWatch covering small business, workplace, health care, consumer spending and personal finance topics. She regularly appears on CBS News Streaming to discuss her reporting.

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Russian IADS Redux Part-7: The Effectors

In the next part of our series on Russia’s strategic integrated air defence system, we look at the kinetic ground-based air defence systems it deploys.

In part-6 of our series on Russia’s strategic Integrated Air Defence System (IADS) we examined the command and control architecture it depends upon. The IADS’ role is ultimately to provide a response to air threats approaching or entering Russian airspace. In Russian air defence doctrine this response is provided using kinetic and/or electronic effects.

The kinetic side of the IADS depends on the Russian Aerospace Force’s (RASF’s) fighters and Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) systems. Sources have shared with Armada that both the fighter and SAM force would be deployed in wartime to protect key Russian strategic targets. Typically, these could include politico-military targets like the Kremlin, the seat of the Russian government in Moscow. Other potential strategic targets include hardened facilities believed to be earmarked for use by the Russian leadership in wartime. One of these facilities is thought to be located at Mount Yamantau, southwest Russia. A back-up facility may exist at Mount Kosvinsky Kaman, western Russia. Russia’s industrial city of Elektrostal, on the eastern outskirts of Moscow, was one of the first locations where the RASF deployed its S-400 (NATO reporting name SA-21 Growler) high-altitude, long-range SAM systems in 2010.

The SAM Systems

Moscow itself is ring-fenced by the RASF’s 53T6 (ABM-3 Gazelle) anti-ballistic missile system. The 53T6 employs SAMs equipped with a ten kiloton (one kiloton is equal to 1,000 tonnes of conventional explosive) nuclear warhead. These missiles would detonate at altitude in proximity to incoming salvos of ballistic missile warheads or formations of hostile aircraft. The logic is that this ‘shotgun’ approach will vaporise, or at least badly damage, these targets.

The S-400 is the mainstay of the RASF SAM force. A typical S-400 battalion includes two batteries. A battery comprises between eight and twelve individual launch vehicles, each equipped with four missile tubes. Thus, an S-400 regiment could have between 56 and 84 individual missiles ready to launch if fully loaded.  Each battery has a command post, a 91N6 (Big Bird) S-band (2.3 gigahertz/GHz to 2.5GHz/2.7GHz to 3.7GHz) 324 nautical mile/nm (600 kilometre/km) range surveillance and tracking radar. The 91N6 is joined by a 96L6E (Cheese Board) C-band (5.25GHz to 5.925GHz) early warning and target acquisition radar. This radar has a range of up to 162nm (300km). A plethora of SAMs can be launched by the S-400 with an array of engagement ranges from 21.6nm (40km) using the active radar homing 9M96E missile. Engagement ranges can reach up to 216nm (400km) using the 40N6E missile which has a reported engagement altitude of 98,425 feet/ft (30,000 metres/m).

Legacy systems used by the RASF include the S-300PS (SA-10B Grumble-B) and S-300PM (SA-10D/E Grumble) which have subtle differences. An S-300PS battery has three Maz-543 launch vehicles each with four launch tubes. The battery is also equipped with a single 5N63S (Flap Lid-B) X-band (8.5GHz to 10.68GHz) fire control radar. An S-300PM battery has a single 36N6E (Flap Lid) X-band/Ku-band (13.4GHz to 14GHz/15.7GHz to 17.7GHz) fire control radar with a 162nm (300km) range. Joining the 36N6E is a 76N6 (Clam Shell) X-band (8.5GHz to 10.68GHz) search and track radar with a 70nm (120km) range. The rest of the battery is comprised of up to eight Kraz-260 launch vehicles each with four tubes. Both the S-300PS/PM are thought to deploy 48N6/E SAMs which have a reported 81nm (150km) range. The S-300PS/PM’s 5V55R missile has an engagement range of up to 48.6nm (90km).

Sources have shared with Armada that RASF SAM batteries are not routinely deployed but may deploy from time-to-time to support exercises or training. The batteries would only be deployed in anger to protect key strategic targets like those discussed above. The sources continued that the task of the SAM units is to provide a protective ‘bubble’ above these targets. Air defence coverage up to 54 nautical miles/nm (100 kilometres/km) altitude and a range radius of 189nm (350km) around the target would be provided. The SAM units would work to attrit any incoming air attack as much as possible. Russian air defence doctrine focuses on safeguarding as many strategic targets as possible in anticipation of an eventual counterattack.

One crucial part of the RASF’s SAM force is its 96K6 Pantsir-S1 (SA-22 Greyhound) combined medium-range SAM and anti-aircraft artillery systems. 96K6 units would deploy with S-300 and S-400 batteries. Their role would be to destroy air-launched weapons like anti-radiation missiles or attack helicopters engaging the batteries Armada’s sources added.

Over the longer term, the RASF is looking to introduce new SAM systems to enhance the strategic IADS in the form of the S-350E and S-500 Prometey long-range, high-altitude SAM systems. The S-350E is mooted as a replacement for the RASF’s S-300PS/PM batteries. Open sources state that a S-350E battery has one 50N6A X-band ground-based air surveillance radar with a range of 215nm (400km). The 50N6A is joined by a single 50K6A mobile command post and up to eight 50P6 launch vehicles. Each launch vehicle can fire 9M96/E or 9M100 SAMs with engagement ranges and altitudes of up to 65nm (120km) and 98,000ft (30,000m) respectively. It was reported in January 2020 that the first S-350E battery had entered service, although a developmental system may have been deployed to support Russia’s military presence in Syria. The VKS could receive twelve S-350E batteries by 2027.

The S-500 is mooted to have a longer engagement range than the S-350E. The S-500 ensemble includes a 91N6A(M) air surveillance and battle management radar. This radar is an enhanced version of the 91N6A radar accompanying the S-400. The S-500’s 96L6TSP target acquisition radar is an enhanced variant of the S-400’s 96L6E. These two systems are accompanied by the 76T6 multimode fire control radar, itself thought to be a derivative of the 92N6. Also forming part of the S-500 ensemble is the 77T6 anti-ballistic missile engagement radar the capabilities of which remain largely unknown in the public domain.

Open sources say that missiles equipping the S-500 could hit targets at ranges of up to 270nm (500km). Russian sources have claimed that the S-500 could engage targets at up to 656,168ft (200,000m) altitude. Russian media, seldom the most reliable source, claim that the first S-500 regiment went on combat duty in October 2021.

The long-term prognosis for the S-500 and S-350E systems remains uncertain. As documented by the Royal United Services Institute, a London-based thinktank, the Russian defence industry is dependent on clandestinely-sourced Western microelectronics for sophisticated weapons systems. Will Western efforts to clamp down on Russia’s access to such technology have an impact on the fortunes of the S-350E and S-500?

Stay tuned for more analysis on Russia’s strategic air defence capabilities in the next instalment of our Russian IADS Redux series.

by Dr. Thomas Withington

Read our other Russian IADS Redux   articles:

• Russian IADS Redux Part-1: Resonating with Resonance
• Russian IADS Redux Part-2: Hilltop View
• Russian IADS Redux Part-3: Strategic Skywatchers
• Russian IADS Redux Part-4: Missing Link
• Russian IADS Redux Part-5: Reset Password?
• Russian IADS Redux Part-6: Fundament-alists

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Florida’s Juvenile Justice computer systems offline after ‘security concern’

• Justin Garcia Times staff

Several of the computer systems for Florida’s Department of Juvenile Justice have been offline since last Friday over what the agency described as a “security concern.”

A spokesperson for the department did not confirm a news report that said the department was hacked and ransom was being demanded. The spokesperson said the department pulled several systems offline in an “abundance of caution” and didn’t answer other follow-up questions.

“We are still assessing the situation at this time. Protecting the integrity of our systems is our top priority,” communications director Amanda Slama wrote in an email.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is required to be notified if the juvenile justice system becomes the victim of criminal activity, but on Thursday a spokesperson said that the agency had not confirmed a hack. The Florida Cybersecurity Operations Center is also required to be notified, but did not respond to a request for comment.

Mike Moore, the public information officer for the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit in Hillsborough County, said that he had heard of problems with the information system at the Department of Juvenile Justice. He said Hillsborough courts are not currently impacted by the problems.

The Juvenile Justice Information System manages cases statewide and allows staff and contractors to access the previous criminal history of juveniles. It also monitors staffing, hiring and contracts with companies that provide services to the department.

Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office did not respond to several emailed questions Friday afternoon about the issue.

Times/Herald Tallahassee Bureau reporter Romy Ellenbogen contributed to this story.

Justin Garcia is the state and local accountability reporter, with a focus on law enforcement and the judicial system. Reach him at [email protected].

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Microsoft and Quantinuum say they’ve ushered in the next era of quantum computing

Microsoft and Quantinuum today announced a major breakthrough in quantum error correction. Using Quantinuum’s ion-trap hardware and Microsoft’s new qubit-virtualization system, the team was able to run more than 14,000 experiments without a single error. This new system also allowed the team to check the logical qubits and correct any errors it encountered without destroying the logical qubits.

This, the two companies say, has now moved the state-of-the-art of quantum computing out of what has typically been dubbed the era of noisy intermediate scale quantum (NISQ) computers. “Noisy” because even the smallest changes in the environment can lead a quantum system to essentially become random (or “decohere”), and “intermediate scale” because the current generation of quantum computers is still limited to just over a thousand qubits at best. A qubit is the fundamental unit of computing in quantum systems, analogous to a bit in a classic computer, but each qubit can be in multiple states at the same time and doesn’t fall into a specific position until measured, which underlies the potential of quantum to deliver a huge leap in computing power.

It doesn’t matter how many qubits you have, though, if you barely have time to run a basic algorithm before the system becomes too noisy to get a useful result — or any result at all.

Combining several different techniques, the team was able to run thousands of experiments with virtually no errors. That involved quite a bit of preparation and pre-selecting systems that already looked to be in good shape for a successful run, but still, that’s a massive improvement from where the industry was just a short while ago.

It’s a step in the right direction for quantum computing. There are still plenty of problems to be solved (and these results need to be replicated, too, of course), but theoretically, a computer with 100 of these logical qubits could already be useful for solving some problems, while a machine with 1,000 qubits could, Microsoft says, “unlock commercial advantage.”

The discrepancies (errors) between entangled qubits. Discrepancies are revealed by comparing the images from each qubit in a pair, and any differences that exist appear as dots in the central image between each pair. Image Credits: Microsoft

The team used Quantinuum’s H2 trapped-ion processor and was able to combine 30 physical qubits into four highly reliable logical qubits. Encoding multiple physical qubits into a single logical qubit helps protect the system from errors. The physical qubits are entangled together so that it becomes possible to detect an error in a physical qubit and fix it.

It’s this error correction that has long vexed the industry: The lower the noise and the higher the quality of the physical qubits, the better, of course, but without sophisticated error correction, there is no way out of the NISQ era because these systems will all decohere sooner rather than later.

“Merely increasing the number of physical qubits with a high error rate — without improving that error rate — is futile because doing so would result in a large quantum computer that is not any more powerful than before,” Dennis Tom, the general manager for Azure Quantum, and Krysta Svore, the VP of Advanced Quantum Development at Microsoft, wrote in today’s announcement. “In contrast, when physical qubits with sufficient quality of operation are used with a specialized orchestration-and-diagnostics system to enable virtual qubits, only then does increasing the number of physical qubits result in powerful, fault-tolerant quantum computers able to perform longer, more complex computation.”

It was only a couple of years ago that logical qubits started outperforming physical qubits. Now, Microsoft and Quantinuum argue that their new hardware/software system demonstrates the largest gap between physical and logical error rates, improving on using only physical qubits by up to 800x.

Image Credits: Microsoft

The researchers note that to move beyond NISQ, a large separation between logical and physical qubit error rates is necessary, as is the ability to correct individual circuit errors and to generate entanglement between at least two logical qubits. If these results hold up, then the team achieved all three and we have indeed entered a stable era the era of resilient quantum computing.

As it turns out, the most important result here may actually be the team’s ability to perform “active syndrome extraction” — that is, the ability to diagnose an error and correct it, without destroying the logical qubit in the process.

“This achievement marks the first step in being able to correct errors while not destroying the logical qubits and showcases a fundamental milestone in quantum error correction,”  Tom and Svore explain. “We demonstrated this critical component of reliable quantum computing with our qubit-virtualization system, which resulted in a low logical error rate over multiple rounds of syndrome extraction.”

It’ll now be up to the rest of the quantum community to replicate these results and implement similar error correction systems. That’s likely just a matter of time, though.

“Today’s results mark a historic achievement and are a wonderful reflection of how this collaboration continues to push the boundaries for the quantum ecosystem,” said Ilyas Khan, founder and chief product officer of Quantinuum. “With Microsoft’s state-of-the-art error correction aligned with the world’s most powerful quantum computer and a fully integrated approach, we are so excited for the next evolution in quantum applications and can’t wait to see how our customers and partners will benefit from our solutions especially as we move towards quantum processors at scale.”

For more details, you can find the technical paper here .

Florida Department of Juvenile Justice computer network hacked

GAINESVILLE – Hackers broke into the computer network of the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice in Tallahassee, which runs the state's juvenile detention centers and programs to steer troubled kids away from crime. It led to a continuing shutdown of the digital backbone the agency uses to manage cases statewide.

The department took offline some of its computer systems as early as March 29 due to what spokeswoman Amanda Slama described as an unspecified security concern, she confirmed in a statement Thursday afternoon, two days after a reporter’s initial inquiries about the matter.

Slama said the affected systems include the Juvenile Justice Information System, the backbone for the entire agency. "We are still assessing the situation," Slama said in a statement. "Protecting the integrity of our systems is our top priority."

A department employee, speaking on condition of anonymity, said hackers were seeking a ransom to restore the agency’s systems. The break in happened last week when an employee opened an infected email, this person said. The employee was not authorized to talk publicly about the incident.

State and local government agencies in Florida are prohibited under a 2022 state law that Gov. Ron DeSantis signed from paying ransoms to hackers.

Some email accounts for employees were bouncing messages as undeliverable and indicating that internet routing for large parts of the entire department – fldjj.gov – was offline. The public website for the agency appeared to be unaffected.

Some employees across Florida were told to go home from their offices and write information about ongoing juvenile cases in offline Microsoft Word documents so they could enter the material into the system whenever it came back online.

Slama declined to answer any further questions, including about the report of a ransom demand or which law enforcement agencies were investigating.

The outage’s effects included preventing employees from uploading records needed by judges in upcoming court hearings. It also was causing employees to lose access to records about juvenile criminal cases, including phone numbers and home addresses of young offenders who officials must contact regularly for check-ins as part of their probation requirements. 

Under state law, any serious ransom demands by hackers or computer break ins must be reported to the Florida Cybersecurity Operations Center and the Cybercrime Office of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement within 48 hours after a break in, or no more than 12 hours after a ransom demand.

Those cases also must be reported to House Speaker Paul Renner and Senate President Kathleen Passidomo . Passidomo’s spokeswoman declined Thursday to discuss the computer intrusion. The governor’s press office, the House speaker’s spokesman, Florida Department of Law Enforcement and office of the state’s chief information officer did not immediately respond to questions about what was happening. 

The juvenile justice department is run by Eric S. Hall , appointed by DeSantis as secretary in November 2021. Hall previously served in the education department under the DeSantis administration.

This story was produced by Fresh Take Florida, a news service of the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications. The reporter can be reached at [email protected] .

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40 facts about elektrostal.

Written by Lanette Mayes

Modified & Updated: 02 Mar 2024

Reviewed by Jessica Corbett

Elektrostal is a vibrant city located in the Moscow Oblast region of Russia. With a rich history, stunning architecture, and a thriving community, Elektrostal is a city that has much to offer. Whether you are a history buff, nature enthusiast, or simply curious about different cultures, Elektrostal is sure to captivate you.

This article will provide you with 40 fascinating facts about Elektrostal, giving you a better understanding of why this city is worth exploring. From its origins as an industrial hub to its modern-day charm, we will delve into the various aspects that make Elektrostal a unique and must-visit destination.

So, join us as we uncover the hidden treasures of Elektrostal and discover what makes this city a true gem in the heart of Russia.

Key Takeaways:

• Elektrostal, known as the “Motor City of Russia,” is a vibrant and growing city with a rich industrial history, offering diverse cultural experiences and a strong commitment to environmental sustainability.
• With its convenient location near Moscow, Elektrostal provides a picturesque landscape, vibrant nightlife, and a range of recreational activities, making it an ideal destination for residents and visitors alike.

Known as the “Motor City of Russia.”

Elektrostal, a city located in the Moscow Oblast region of Russia, earned the nickname “Motor City” due to its significant involvement in the automotive industry.

Home to the Elektrostal Metallurgical Plant.

Elektrostal is renowned for its metallurgical plant, which has been producing high-quality steel and alloys since its establishment in 1916.

Boasts a rich industrial heritage.

Elektrostal has a long history of industrial development, contributing to the growth and progress of the region.

Founded in 1916.

The city of Elektrostal was founded in 1916 as a result of the construction of the Elektrostal Metallurgical Plant.

Located approximately 50 kilometers east of Moscow.

Elektrostal is situated in close proximity to the Russian capital, making it easily accessible for both residents and visitors.

Known for its vibrant cultural scene.

Elektrostal is home to several cultural institutions, including museums, theaters, and art galleries that showcase the city’s rich artistic heritage.

A popular destination for nature lovers.

Surrounded by picturesque landscapes and forests, Elektrostal offers ample opportunities for outdoor activities such as hiking, camping, and birdwatching.

Hosts the annual Elektrostal City Day celebrations.

Every year, Elektrostal organizes festive events and activities to celebrate its founding, bringing together residents and visitors in a spirit of unity and joy.

Has a population of approximately 160,000 people.

Elektrostal is home to a diverse and vibrant community of around 160,000 residents, contributing to its dynamic atmosphere.

Boasts excellent education facilities.

The city is known for its well-established educational institutions, providing quality education to students of all ages.

A center for scientific research and innovation.

Elektrostal serves as an important hub for scientific research, particularly in the fields of metallurgy, materials science, and engineering.

Surrounded by picturesque lakes.

The city is blessed with numerous beautiful lakes, offering scenic views and recreational opportunities for locals and visitors alike.

Well-connected transportation system.

Elektrostal benefits from an efficient transportation network, including highways, railways, and public transportation options, ensuring convenient travel within and beyond the city.

Famous for its traditional Russian cuisine.

Food enthusiasts can indulge in authentic Russian dishes at numerous restaurants and cafes scattered throughout Elektrostal.

Home to notable architectural landmarks.

Elektrostal boasts impressive architecture, including the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord and the Elektrostal Palace of Culture.

Offers a wide range of recreational facilities.

Residents and visitors can enjoy various recreational activities, such as sports complexes, swimming pools, and fitness centers, enhancing the overall quality of life.

Provides a high standard of healthcare.

Elektrostal is equipped with modern medical facilities, ensuring residents have access to quality healthcare services.

Home to the Elektrostal History Museum.

The Elektrostal History Museum showcases the city’s fascinating past through exhibitions and displays.

A hub for sports enthusiasts.

Elektrostal is passionate about sports, with numerous stadiums, arenas, and sports clubs offering opportunities for athletes and spectators.

Celebrates diverse cultural festivals.

Throughout the year, Elektrostal hosts a variety of cultural festivals, celebrating different ethnicities, traditions, and art forms.

Electric power played a significant role in its early development.

Elektrostal owes its name and initial growth to the establishment of electric power stations and the utilization of electricity in the industrial sector.

Boasts a thriving economy.

The city’s strong industrial base, coupled with its strategic location near Moscow, has contributed to Elektrostal’s prosperous economic status.

Houses the Elektrostal Drama Theater.

The Elektrostal Drama Theater is a cultural centerpiece, attracting theater enthusiasts from far and wide.

Popular destination for winter sports.

Elektrostal’s proximity to ski resorts and winter sport facilities makes it a favorite destination for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter activities.

Promotes environmental sustainability.

Elektrostal prioritizes environmental protection and sustainability, implementing initiatives to reduce pollution and preserve natural resources.

Home to renowned educational institutions.

Elektrostal is known for its prestigious schools and universities, offering a wide range of academic programs to students.

Committed to cultural preservation.

The city values its cultural heritage and takes active steps to preserve and promote traditional customs, crafts, and arts.

Hosts an annual International Film Festival.

The Elektrostal International Film Festival attracts filmmakers and cinema enthusiasts from around the world, showcasing a diverse range of films.

Encourages entrepreneurship and innovation.

Elektrostal supports aspiring entrepreneurs and fosters a culture of innovation, providing opportunities for startups and business development.

Offers a range of housing options.

Elektrostal provides diverse housing options, including apartments, houses, and residential complexes, catering to different lifestyles and budgets.

Home to notable sports teams.

Elektrostal is proud of its sports legacy, with several successful sports teams competing at regional and national levels.

Boasts a vibrant nightlife scene.

Residents and visitors can enjoy a lively nightlife in Elektrostal, with numerous bars, clubs, and entertainment venues.

Promotes cultural exchange and international relations.

Elektrostal actively engages in international partnerships, cultural exchanges, and diplomatic collaborations to foster global connections.

Surrounded by beautiful nature reserves.

Nearby nature reserves, such as the Barybino Forest and Luchinskoye Lake, offer opportunities for nature enthusiasts to explore and appreciate the region’s biodiversity.

Commemorates historical events.

The city pays tribute to significant historical events through memorials, monuments, and exhibitions, ensuring the preservation of collective memory.

Promotes sports and youth development.

Elektrostal invests in sports infrastructure and programs to encourage youth participation, health, and physical fitness.

Hosts annual cultural and artistic festivals.

Throughout the year, Elektrostal celebrates its cultural diversity through festivals dedicated to music, dance, art, and theater.

Provides a picturesque landscape for photography enthusiasts.

The city’s scenic beauty, architectural landmarks, and natural surroundings make it a paradise for photographers.

Connects to Moscow via a direct train line.

The convenient train connection between Elektrostal and Moscow makes commuting between the two cities effortless.

A city with a bright future.

Elektrostal continues to grow and develop, aiming to become a model city in terms of infrastructure, sustainability, and quality of life for its residents.

In conclusion, Elektrostal is a fascinating city with a rich history and a vibrant present. From its origins as a center of steel production to its modern-day status as a hub for education and industry, Elektrostal has plenty to offer both residents and visitors. With its beautiful parks, cultural attractions, and proximity to Moscow, there is no shortage of things to see and do in this dynamic city. Whether you’re interested in exploring its historical landmarks, enjoying outdoor activities, or immersing yourself in the local culture, Elektrostal has something for everyone. So, next time you find yourself in the Moscow region, don’t miss the opportunity to discover the hidden gems of Elektrostal.

Q: What is the population of Elektrostal?

A: As of the latest data, the population of Elektrostal is approximately XXXX.

Q: How far is Elektrostal from Moscow?

A: Elektrostal is located approximately XX kilometers away from Moscow.

Q: Are there any famous landmarks in Elektrostal?

A: Yes, Elektrostal is home to several notable landmarks, including XXXX and XXXX.

Q: What industries are prominent in Elektrostal?

A: Elektrostal is known for its steel production industry and is also a center for engineering and manufacturing.

Q: Are there any universities or educational institutions in Elektrostal?

A: Yes, Elektrostal is home to XXXX University and several other educational institutions.

Q: What are some popular outdoor activities in Elektrostal?

A: Elektrostal offers several outdoor activities, such as hiking, cycling, and picnicking in its beautiful parks.

Q: Is Elektrostal well-connected in terms of transportation?

A: Yes, Elektrostal has good transportation links, including trains and buses, making it easily accessible from nearby cities.

Q: Are there any annual events or festivals in Elektrostal?

A: Yes, Elektrostal hosts various events and festivals throughout the year, including XXXX and XXXX.

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