NP-SD-01 · GDS Channel Management · Airlines Process Wiki

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Process Flow Diagram (BPMN)

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L4 Process Steps

Step	Step Name	Role / Swim Lane	System	Input	Output	KPI	Dec?	Exc?
Phase 1 1.1	Negotiate and renew GDS participation agreements	Director of Distribution Strategy	Sabre GDS / Travelport GDS / Amadeus GDS	Annual contract review trigger; GDS segment fee schedule; competitive benchmark data	Signed GDS participation agreement; segment incentive thresholds; preferred agency incentive schedule	Blended GDS cost per segment ≤ $8.50; contract renewal completed ≥ 60 days before expiry	Y	N
1.2	Configure airline inventory and booking classes in GDS	Distribution Systems Analyst	Amadeus GDS / Sabre GDS / Travelport GDS	Signed GDS agreement; booking class structure from Revenue Management; IATA airline code	Live airline profile in each GDS; RBD (reservation booking designator) map configured; availability feed active	GDS profile accuracy 100%; go-live within 5 business days of agreement signing	N	Y
1.3	Validate GDS neutral display compliance	Distribution Systems Analyst	OAG Schedule Analyser / Sabre GDS	Live GDS airline profile; IATA neutral display rules (Resolution 787)	Neutral display compliance report; exception list for escalation	Neutral display compliance 100%; exceptions resolved within 48 hours	Y	N
Phase 2 2.1	File published fares to ATPCO for GDS distribution	Pricing Analyst	ATPCO	Approved fare structures from Pricing team; competitive market fare intelligence	Filed fares in ATPCO database; automated distribution to all subscribed GDSs	Fare filing lead time ≤ 24 hours from approval; filing accuracy rate ≥ 99.5%; fares live in GDS within 6 hours of ATPCO sync	N	Y
2.2	Distribute ancillary content via GDS Rich Content & Branding	Distribution Systems Analyst	Sabre GDS / Travelport GDS / Amadeus GDS (Rich Content & Branding)	Ancillary product catalogue (seat upgrades, checked bags, meals); branded fare family definitions	Branded fare families and ancillary options visible in participating GDS terminals and OTA search displays	Ancillary attachment rate via GDS ≥ 18%; branded content display coverage ≥ 95% of GDS-connected terminals supporting RCB	N	Y
2.3	Validate fare parity across all GDS channels	Revenue Management Analyst	Amadeus Revenue Management (NRM / AltéaRM) / Sabre AirVision Revenue Manager	Filed fares in ATPCO; live GDS availability and fare display data; direct channel pricing	Fare parity compliance report; exception log with root cause and remediation actions	Fare parity compliance ≥ 99%; parity exceptions resolved within 2 hours of detection	Y	Y
Phase 3 3.1	Onboard travel agency and assign GDS PCC	Agency Sales Manager	Sabre GDS / Travelport GDS / Amadeus GDS	Agency IATA accreditation certificate; agency booking tool selection; requested GDS access level	Active GDS pseudo-city code (PCC) for agency; booking access enabled; welcome pack issued	Agency onboarding cycle time ≤ 3 business days; zero unauthorised PCC provisioning incidents per quarter	Y	Y
3.2	Configure corporate account discount in Sabre PRISM	Corporate Sales Manager	Sabre PRISM / Amadeus Agency Insight	Executed corporate contract; negotiated discount tiers; eligible fare classes	Corporate account code active in GDS; automated discount application rules configured; deal tracking enabled	Corporate account setup within 5 business days of contract execution; discount application accuracy 100%	N	Y
3.3	Set up automated booking data feed to TMC back-office	Distribution Systems Analyst	Sabre PRISM / Travelport GDS	TMC back-office system specifications (Concur Travel, Cytric, Serko); booking data feed format requirements	Automated GDS booking data feed to TMC; PNR data mapping confirmed; feed latency within SLA	Data feed latency ≤ 4 hours; booking record completeness ≥ 99.5%; zero PNR data truncation incidents	N	Y
Phase 4 4.1	Monitor GDS channel booking performance and cost	Distribution Analytics Manager	AWS Redshift / Tableau	Daily GDS booking extracts; segment fee invoices; PSS booking data from Amadeus Altéa	Channel performance dashboard; cost-per-booking by GDS; GDS vs. direct channel share trend report	GDS channel share of total bookings ≤ 40%; weekly channel cost variance report delivered every Monday	N	N
4.2	Audit and reconcile monthly GDS segment fee invoice	Finance Analyst	SAP S/4HANA Finance (FI/CO) / Sabre GDS	Monthly GDS segment fee invoice; actual booked segment count from PSS; previous month dispute log	Reconciled invoice posted in SAP FI/CO; dispute claim submitted to GDS for billing errors	Invoice reconciliation accuracy ≥ 99%; GDS billing disputes filed within 30 days of invoice receipt	Y	Y
Phase 5 5.1	Identify and prioritise agencies for NDC migration	Director of Distribution Strategy	Amadeus Agency Insight / AWS Redshift	Agency GDS booking volume; NDC certification registry (IATA); agency technology roadmap data	NDC migration priority tier list; agency communication and incentive plan; migration timeline	NDC-enabled agencies ≥ 30% of total GDS booking volume within 12 months	Y	N
5.2	Onboard certified agency to NDC API Gateway	Distribution Systems Analyst	NDC API Gateway / Amadeus Altéa PSS	IATA NDC-certified agency; API credentials; agreed IATA NDC schema version	Agency live on NDC channel; NDC booking, servicing, and ancillary capability confirmed in UAT	NDC onboarding cycle time ≤ 10 business days; NDC API error rate < 1% at go-live	Y	Y
5.3	Monitor NDC adoption rate and distribution cost savings	Distribution Analytics Manager	AWS Redshift / Amadeus Altéa PSS	NDC booking data; GDS segment fee data; direct channel booking data	NDC share report; distribution cost savings analysis vs. GDS; content gap register for NDC fallback scenarios	NDC booking share ≥ 25% of total distribution within 18 months; NDC cost per booking ≤ $2.50 vs. ≥ $8.50 for GDS	N	N

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Process Attributes

Identification

Process IDNP-SD-01

L1 DomainNetwork Planning & Scheduling

L2 ProcessSales & Distribution

L3 NameGDS Channel Management

L4 Steps14 across 5 phases

Decision Gates7 (all with iteration loops)

Exceptions9 documented

Swim Lanes (Roles)

Director of Distribution Strategy

Distribution Systems Analyst

Pricing Analyst

Revenue Management Analyst

Agency Sales Manager

Corporate Sales Manager

Distribution Analytics Manager

Finance Analyst

Systems & Tools

Sabre GDS / Travelport GDS / Amadeus GDSAmadeus GDS / Sabre GDS / Travelport GDSOAG Schedule Analyser / Sabre GDSATPCOSabre GDS / Travelport GDS / Amadeus GDS (Rich Content & Branding)Amadeus Revenue Management (NRM / AltéaRM) / Sabre AirVision Revenue ManagerSabre PRISM / Amadeus Agency InsightSabre PRISM / Travelport GDSAWS Redshift / TableauSAP S/4HANA Finance (FI/CO) / Sabre GDSAmadeus Agency Insight / AWS RedshiftNDC API Gateway / Amadeus Altéa PSSAWS Redshift / Amadeus Altéa PSS

Key Performance Indicators

Negotiate and renew GDS participation agreementsBlended GDS cost per segment ≤ $8.50; contract renewal completed ≥ 60 days before expiry

Configure airline inventory and booking classes in GDSGDS profile accuracy 100%; go-live within 5 business days of agreement signing

Validate GDS neutral display complianceNeutral display compliance 100%; exceptions resolved within 48 hours

File published fares to ATPCO for GDS distributionFare filing lead time ≤ 24 hours from approval; filing accuracy rate ≥ 99.5%; fares live in GDS within 6 hours of ATPCO sync

Distribute ancillary content via GDS Rich Content & BrandingAncillary attachment rate via GDS ≥ 18%; branded content display coverage ≥ 95% of GDS-connected terminals supporting RCB

Validate fare parity across all GDS channelsFare parity compliance ≥ 99%; parity exceptions resolved within 2 hours of detection

Onboard travel agency and assign GDS PCCAgency onboarding cycle time ≤ 3 business days; zero unauthorised PCC provisioning incidents per quarter

Configure corporate account discount in Sabre PRISMCorporate account setup within 5 business days of contract execution; discount application accuracy 100%

Airline-Specific Risks & Pain Points

GDS segment fees exceed direct booking cost by 3–5x; renegotiation leverage is weak without a credible NDC alternative to threaten channel shift

RBD misalignment between RM inventory buckets and GDS booking class display causes sell-up failures and unintended availability leakage

GDS display algorithm rankings can deprioritise non-alliance carriers; limited contractual recourse under IATA display rules for low-frequency routes

ATPCO distribution windows are time-boxed (4× daily sync cycles); last-minute competitive fare responses are delayed by up to 6 hours, costing revenue on price-sensitive O&Ds

Many TMCs still use legacy green-screen GDS terminals with no RCB rendering capability; ancillary revenue opportunity is entirely lost for these bookings without an NDC fallback

Discrepancies between GDS fare display and website pricing trigger OTA meta-search penalties and TMC complaints; manual reconciliation across three GDSs is resource-intensive

Inputs / Outputs

Primary InputAnnual contract review trigger; GDS segment fee schedule; competitive benchmark data

Primary OutputNDC share report; distribution cost savings analysis vs. GDS; content gap register for NDC fallback scenarios

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