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Syllabus

GDS & Airline Reservations

Reservation systems as they are actually used: building bookings, pricing them and servicing them afterwards.

Level
Foundation to Advanced
Duration
8–12 weeks
Modules
8
For
Travel consultants, reservations agents and aspiring ticketing professionals.

Not yet enrollable. This is the approved syllabus. It reaches the catalogue once its lessons, materials, trainer and assessments exist. Module outlines are settled; lesson-level detail is written when the programme is scheduled for production.

Each system needs its own curriculum and its own authorised training arrangement. Exercises use simulated data or authorised training accounts, never a live production terminal. Completing this programme is not vendor certification, and Great Times is not affiliated with Amadeus, Travelport or Sabre.

Module 1

Introduction to Global Distribution Systems

Topics

  • What a GDS is and why it exists
  • GDS versus airline direct booking
  • Amadeus, Galileo/Travelport and Sabre
  • Airline reservation workflows
  • Training environments and system access

By the end, a learner can

  • Explain what a GDS does in the distribution chain

Module 2

Reservation Fundamentals

Topics

  • Passenger information requirements
  • Understanding availability
  • Reading flight schedules
  • Itinerary construction
  • Booking status interpretation

By the end, a learner can

  • Interpret availability and schedule information

Module 3

Passenger Name Records

Topics

  • PNR components
  • Passenger and contact details
  • Itinerary segments
  • Received-from and remarks
  • Review and verification

By the end, a learner can

  • Read a PNR and say what it contains

Module 4

Flight Availability and Itinerary Management

Topics

  • Connecting flights
  • Direct and indirect itineraries
  • Journey construction
  • Schedule changes

By the end, a learner can

  • Construct and interpret a multi-sector itinerary

Module 5

Fare Construction and Ticketing Concepts

Topics

  • Fare basis codes
  • Fare rules and conditions
  • Taxes and surcharges
  • Ticketing deadlines
  • Electronic ticket concepts

By the end, a learner can

  • Interpret a fare and the conditions attached to it

Module 6

Ticket Servicing

Topics

  • Ticket status
  • Reissues and exchanges
  • Refund principles
  • Penalties and fare differences
  • Airline servicing policies

By the end, a learner can

  • Work through an exchange and a refund case

Module 7

Advanced Reservations and Servicing

Topics

  • Special service requests
  • Passenger assistance
  • Group bookings
  • Irregular operations
  • Reservation quality control

By the end, a learner can

  • Resolve a complex booking scenario

Module 8

Practical Case Studies

Topics

  • Domestic and international cases
  • Multi-sector interpretation
  • Fare comparison
  • Servicing case studies

By the end, a learner can

  • Complete an integrated booking case end to end

Final practical project

A series of simulated reservation and ticket-servicing scenarios in an authorised training environment.

Marked by a trainer against a published rubric, not auto-graded. The point is whether you could hand it to a client.