The UK travel market has its own GDS landscape, shaped by history and which systems UK-based consolidators and host agencies plugged into early on. Here's how Galileo and Amadeus specifically fit into UK agency work.
Why Galileo Has Deep UK Roots
Galileo (now part of Travelport) has a long-standing presence in the UK market, tracing back to its origins as a European GDS consortium that included British Airways among its founding airline partners. That history means many long-established UK agencies and consolidators built their booking workflows and staff training around Galileo, and it remains widely used across UK retail and business travel agencies today.
Amadeus in the UK Market
Amadeus, meanwhile, is the largest GDS globally and has a strong footprint across Europe generally, including in the UK. Many newer UK agencies, or those with ties to European or international booking operations, use Amadeus as their primary system, particularly where content strength across European and Middle Eastern carriers matters.
Choosing Between Them as a UK Agent
| Factor | Favors Galileo | Favors Amadeus |
|---|---|---|
| Legacy agency relationships | Common among established UK consolidators | Growing among newer agencies |
| Airline content depth | Strong UK/European carrier relationships | Broadest global content overall |
| Host agency requirement | Often dictated by which host you join | Often dictated by which host you join |
In practice, most individual UK agents don't get to choose freely — the GDS is usually dictated by which host agency, consortium, or employer they work under. If you do have a choice (for example, setting up an independent agency), the decision usually comes down to which system your preferred host agency or training provider already uses.
Whichever system you end up on, the raw PNR format will look different from what training material or online examples show if they used the other GDS. A converter that reads both formats removes that friction when you're learning or switching.
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