Amadeus vs Sabre vs Galileo: A Practical GDS Comparison

Amadeus vs Sabre vs Galileo: A Practical GDS Comparison

Three systems route most of the world's agency flight bookings, and for a travel agency choosing between them, the differences are real but narrower than the marketing suggests. Amadeus alone processed 484.5 million air bookings in its 2025 financial year (Amadeus, FY 2025 results, February 2026). Sabre and Travelport (whose Galileo is one of its systems) sit behind it.

This guide compares the three on the things that actually matter to an agency: geographic strength, scale, agent tools, NDC readiness, and cost of access. Then it asks the question the GDSs would rather you didn't: in 2026, do you even need a direct subscription?

Key Takeaways

• Amadeus (Madrid) is the largest of the three, historically strongest in Europe; Sabre (Texas) is second and strongest in North America; Travelport/Galileo is third and privately owned.

• Scale gap is real: Amadeus posted €6.5bn revenue in FY2025; Sabre about $2.8bn; Travelport, being private, doesn't publish audited figures.

• All three now carry NDC content: Travelport was first to IATA NDC Level 3 (2017); Sabre reached 42 NDC connections by end-2025.

• For many agencies the practical answer isn't which GDS, but whether an online booking tool that already aggregates GDS and NDC content beats a direct subscription's overhead.

What are Amadeus, Sabre, and Galileo?

They're the three major Global Distribution Systems, the technology that aggregates airline (and hotel and car) content and distributes it to travel agencies. Amadeus and Sabre are publicly listed pure-play GDS and travel-technology companies; Galileo is not a company but one of the GDS platforms owned by Travelport, alongside Apollo and Worldspan.

That last point trips people up. "Galileo vs Amadeus" is really "Travelport vs Amadeus": Galileo is the brand, Travelport is the owner. Travelport has been migrating its Apollo and Worldspan customers onto its modern Travelport+ platform, with Galileo as the main framework.

So the honest comparison is Amadeus versus Sabre versus Travelport, with Galileo as Travelport's front door.

Amadeus: what's its strength?

Amadeus is the largest of the three by scale, and historically strongest across Europe and the broader global market. Its 2025 results tell the story: 484.5 million air bookings, 2.25 billion passengers boarded, and total revenue of €6,517 million with net profit of €1,335.6 million (Amadeus, February 2026). No other GDS operates at that booking volume.

For agencies, the front door is Amadeus Selling Platform Connect (a cloud-based agent workspace) sitting within the wider Amadeus Travel Platform, which is where its NDC content is surfaced. The pitch is breadth: if your client base spans Europe and long-haul international, Amadeus's content depth is hard to match.

If your agency lives in European and global long-haul content, Amadeus is the default for a reason.

Sabre: what's its strength?

Sabre is the second-largest and historically the strongest in North America. Its 2025 financial year showed total revenue of about $2.8 billion, net income of $525 million (a sharp turnaround from a $279 million loss the year before), and adjusted EBITDA of $500 million (Sabre, Full Year 2025 Results, February 2026). The lower revenue versus 2024's $3.03 billion reflects a strategic decision, not a decline, Sabre sold its Hospitality Solutions business to TPG for $1.1 billion in mid-2025 to focus on air distribution and pay down debt.

Its agent workspace, Sabre Red 360, combines GDS and NDC content, APIs, and carbon data in one interface, and Sabre is leaning into NDC hard: it added 15 NDC connections in 2025 to reach 42, and launched its SabreMosaic retailing platform. For a North America-centric agency, Sabre's content and tooling are purpose-built.

Sabre is the natural fit if your bookings skew North American and you want an aggressive NDC roadmap.

Travelport (Galileo): what's its strength?

Travelport is the third of the big three, privately owned, and it competes on modern tooling rather than raw scale. It was taken private in 2019 by Siris Capital and Evergreen Coast Capital (an affiliate of Elliott Management) for $4.4 billion, and because it's private, it doesn't publish audited revenue figures, so any number you see quoted for it is an estimate, not a reported fact.

Where Travelport punches above its size is retailing technology. It was the first GDS to earn IATA NDC Level 3 certification, back in 2017, and the first to manage live NDC bookings, and its Travelport+ platform, with the Smartpoint Cloud agent interface, is pitched as a more modern, merchandising-friendly experience. Galileo, historically strong in hotel content, is the main framework customers migrate onto.

If you value a modern retailing interface over sheer scale, Travelport is the contrarian pick.

How do the three GDSs compare?

The clearest split is scale versus geography versus tooling: Amadeus wins on volume, Sabre on North American depth, Travelport on modern retailing. Here's the side-by-side on the dimensions an agency actually weighs:

The ranking is stable, but for most agencies the day-to-day experience turns on which region's content and which agent desktop fits how you already work.

How do you choose, and do you even need a direct GDS?

Start with geography and content, not brand loyalty. If your bookings skew European or long-haul global, Amadeus's depth leads; if North American, Sabre; if you want the most modern retailing interface, Travelport. But there's a prior question worth asking before you sign anything: a direct GDS subscription means a participation contract, an agent desktop to learn, booking-fee economics, and responsibility for servicing: including the newer, less uniform servicing that NDC content brings.

For a smaller or growing agency, that overhead is where an online booking tool changes the maths. Rather than subscribe directly, agencies use Accomy's OBT to book flights and hotels for their clients on aggregated GDS and NDC content, with white-label options, the reach of the distribution systems without building and maintaining the plumbing. It's the same convergence reshaping the whole market: by December 2025, NDC already made up 21.2% of US agency air transactions (ARC, 2026), and an agency that can offer both standards without a direct subscription competes on service, not on infrastructure.

Pick the GDS that fits your content, or pick a tool that means you don't have to pick at all.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between Amadeus, Sabre, and Galileo?

Amadeus and Sabre are the two largest Global Distribution Systems, Amadeus (Madrid) is strongest in Europe and largest overall with 484.5 million air bookings in FY2025 (Amadeus, 2026); Sabre (Texas) is strongest in North America. Galileo isn't a separate company. It's one of the GDS platforms owned by Travelport, the third major player.

Which GDS is the largest?

Amadeus is the largest of the three by scale, with €6.5 billion in revenue and 484.5 million air bookings in its 2025 financial year (Amadeus, 2026). Sabre is second at around $2.8 billion revenue (Sabre, 2026). Travelport is third and privately owned, so it doesn't publish audited revenue, reliable percentage market-share splits aren't available from primary sources.

Is Galileo the same as Travelport?

Galileo is a GDS platform owned by Travelport, not a separate company. Travelport also owns Apollo and Worldspan, and has been migrating customers onto its modern Travelport+ platform, with Galileo as the main framework. So "Amadeus vs Galileo" really means "Amadeus vs Travelport."

Which GDS is best for a travel agency?

It depends on your content and region. Amadeus suits agencies with European or long-haul global bookings; Sabre suits North American-focused agencies and has an aggressive NDC roadmap (42 connections by end-2025); Travelport suits agencies that value a modern retailing interface and was first to IATA NDC Level 3 (2017). There's no universal winner, match the GDS to your client base.

Do travel agencies still need a direct GDS subscription?

Not always. A direct subscription brings contracts, agent desktops, booking-fee economics, and servicing responsibility. Many agencies instead use an online booking tool that already aggregates GDS and NDC content, reaching the same inventory without the overhead. With NDC at 21.2% of US agency transactions by December 2025 (ARC, 2026), the ability to book both standards matters more than which GDS badge you hold.

Quick Takeaways

• Amadeus leads on scale (€6.5bn, 484.5M bookings), Sabre on North America (~$2.8bn, aggressive NDC), Travelport on modern retailing (first to NDC Level 3).

• Galileo is a Travelport platform, not a separate company: compare Travelport, not "Galileo."

• Exact GDS market shares aren't available from primary sources; the reliable ranking is Amadeus > Sabre > Travelport.

• Choose by region and content, or use an OBT that carries both GDS and NDC content so you don't subscribe directly.

• NDC is now 21.2% of US agency air transactions, so both-standard access matters more than the GDS badge (ARC, 2026).

Accomy gives travel agencies an online booking tool with GDS and NDC content in one place (book flights and hotels for your clients, white-label, without standing up a direct GDS subscription.

See the OBT built for travel agencies: book a demo

Related reading:

• GDS vs NDC) what's the difference (the distribution-standards explainer)

• How does Accomy work? (the Accomy product explainer)

Sources (retrieved 2026-07-13)

• Amadeus, Amadeus FY 2025 results, February 2026 — https://amadeus.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/amadeus-fy-2025-results-revenue-growth

• Sabre Corporation, Sabre Reports Full Year 2025 Results, February 2026 — https://investors.sabre.com/static-files/354222eb-fa30-4167-80a7-1ef86b586643

• Sabre Corporation, Sabre to sell Hospitality Solutions to TPG, 2025 — https://investors.sabre.com/news-releases/news-release-details/sabre-enters-definitive-agreement-sell-its-hospitality-solutions

• ARC, Annual U.S. Travel Agency Air Ticket Sales Surpass $100 Billion (December 2025 NDC settlement data), January 2026 — https://www2.arccorp.com/about-us/newsroom/2026-news-releases/december-2025-air-ticket-sales/

• Travelport corporate history and ownership (Siris/Elliott 2019 acquisition; IATA NDC Level 3, 2017) — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Travelport

• Skift, Inside Travelport's Tech Revamp, 2022 — https://skift.com/2022/01/06/inside-travelports-tech-revamp/