Galileo is one of the established global distribution systems and is part of Travelport. Many travel agencies, especially in India and South Asia, have used Galileo terminals for years, and many travel portals connect to it through Travelport's APIs. This article explains the booking workflow a portal follows when it books a flight through Galileo, in plain language.
1. Availability and fare search
The workflow starts with a search request that includes origin, destination, dates, passengers and cabin. The GDS returns flight options with available booking classes and fares. A portal usually asks for priced itineraries, often called a low fare search, so it receives ready-to-display prices rather than raw availability.
2. Fare rules and baggage
When the traveller selects an option, the portal can request the fare rules: change and cancellation penalties, minimum or maximum stay and other conditions. Baggage allowance is also returned with the priced itinerary. Showing these clearly before booking reduces disputes later.
3. Price confirmation
Because fares change quickly, the portal re-prices the selected itinerary just before booking. If the price has changed, the traveller is told and can accept or choose again.
4. Creating the PNR
The booking step creates a PNR (passenger name record) in the GDS. A PNR typically contains:
- The flight segments and booking class.
- Passenger names, as they appear in travel documents.
- Contact details for the agency and traveller.
- Special service requests, such as meals or wheelchair assistance.
- A stored fare and a ticketing time limit.
The GDS returns a record locator, which is the booking reference.
5. Payment and ticketing
After payment is confirmed on the portal, the system issues the ticket through the GDS using the agency's ticketing authority. The e-ticket number is stored in the PNR and in the portal's database, and the e-ticket is sent to the traveller. If ticketing fails, the portal should alert the operations team immediately because the ticketing time limit may be close.
6. Queues and schedule changes
GDSs use queues to notify agencies about events such as schedule changes or ticketing deadlines. A well-integrated portal reads these queues automatically and flags affected bookings so the team can contact travellers in time.
7. Changes, cancellations and refunds
After ticketing, changes follow the fare rules. Voids may be possible within a short window, depending on the agreement, while later cancellations follow refund rules. Reissues for date changes may involve a fare difference and a penalty. Automating these calculations saves time, though many agencies keep a manual review step for complex cases.
What a portal needs to integrate Galileo
- Agreement and credentials from Travelport for API access.
- Ticketing authority, such as IATA accreditation or ticketing through a partner.
- Development and certification of the booking flows.
- Monitoring for errors, timeouts and queue events.
In practice: a booking through a portal
A traveller on an agency's website searches Mumbai to Singapore. The portal sends a low fare search to the GDS along with requests to other suppliers. The traveller picks a Galileo-sourced option and opens the fare rules. At checkout, the portal re-prices the itinerary, confirms the fare and creates the PNR with the passenger's passport name and contact details. Payment succeeds, the portal issues the ticket, stores the e-ticket number and emails the itinerary. A week later, the airline changes the departure time; the GDS places the PNR on a queue, the portal reads it and alerts the operations team, who inform the traveller.
Frequently asked questions
Is Galileo different from Travelport?
Galileo is one of the systems operated by Travelport. Modern integrations generally use Travelport's APIs, which give access to Galileo content and related services.
Can a portal use Galileo with other suppliers?
Yes. Most booking engines combine a GDS with low-cost carrier APIs and aggregators to cover more fares.
Key takeaways
- The Galileo workflow runs from search and pricing to PNR, payment and ticketing.
- Re-pricing before booking and monitoring ticketing time limits are critical.
- Queue handling keeps travellers informed about schedule changes.
Need Galileo connected to your portal? See our Galileo API integration service.
