Top 10 Flight Wholesalers to Develop B2C B2B Travel Portal and Mobile Apps (2024)
Online travel agencies (OTAs) have experienced remarkable growth over the past decades, revolutionizing the travel industry. With the advent of the internet, OTAs capitalized on the convenience and accessibility it offered to travelers worldwide. By aggregating vast databases of flights, accommodations, transfers and activities, OTAs provided one-stop platforms for planning and booking trips.
The proliferation of smartphones further propelled OTA growth.
Flight wholesalers
play a larger role in digital transformation from a conventional agency to full scale OTA model (online travel agency).
Flight booking APIs are key tools that allow travel agencies, DMCs, distribution platforms and extranets to provide great value to customers. Customers can search the flight prices & deals globally and book it online.
‘All-in-one-place’ online travel portal platforms have improved the user experiences to another level. According to
Statista, OTA revenue is expected to show an annual growth rate of 15.8% over the next five years. As per a
recent market research, the online travel agent market had grown significantly, reaching nearly $460.9 billion in 2020. Post covid, it has bounced back and is growing at a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 16.2%, reaching US$ 972 billion by 2025. The online travel market is expected to grow, reaching
US$ 1260 billion by 2030.
Definition of A Flight Wholesaler
A flight wholesaler is a company or entity that aggregates the airline data (inventory/rates) globally. These are typically acquired through negotiated agreements or contracts with airlines, allowing wholesalers to secure lower prices than those available to individual travelers or traditional travel agencies. Flight wholesalers then sell these tickets to travel agencies,
tour operators, or other resellers at a markup, enabling them to earn a profit while still offering competitive prices to their customers. Wholesalers often specialize in specific markets, routes, or regions, leveraging their purchasing power and expertise to secure the best deals from airlines.
Is your travel agency API ready?
Flight APIs
(which stands for Application Programming Interfaces) are interfaces which communicate with other technologies / platforms / environments and which effectively allow content and data to be pulled from one system to another. For travel agents and aggregators,
travel APIs can give them global access of the inventory / deals including airlines, hotels, car-rental, transfers, sightseeing and holiday packages.
List of the Best Flight Wholesalers for IATA and Non IATA Agencies.
Amadeus APIs
Amadeus is one of the most preferred
flight wholesalers for travel agents
. Global travel management companies are using Amadeus gds to access online travel contents including airline, hotels, transfers, sightseeing, cars and other ancillary services through
Amadeus travel APIs / web services. Amadeus processes the highest number of transactions on a day to day basis. In the last 25+ years, Amadeus has become the largest gds system and the biggest travel content aggregator around the world.
PROVAB APIs
Provab Technosoft is a leading
travel API company and along with its IATA accredited fully owned subsidiary, it helps you to maximise your need of travel inventory through a single unified
flight booking API
connection while providing rich flight contents aggregated through several IATA and Non IATA consolidators. Provab’s open travel API XML suite includes flight API, hotel API, car API, transfer API and sightseeing API.
Travelport UAPIs
Galileo GDS system - offered by TravelPort, is one of the
best flight wholesalers
globally. Galileo GDS provides global distribution services for the travel industry with advanced computer reservation software, top of the line travel system and web services APIs. B2B and B2C booking software with Travelport universal APIs are surging in India, United States, Mexico, Europe, South Africa and Malaysia. In the last 22+ years,
Galileo software has become one of the largest gds systems.
Sabre APIs
Sabre GDS system is a leading wholesaler of airline tickets. Sabre GDS is supported (in terms of flight inventory) by more than 400 flight carriers, 200,000 hotels, global tour operators and several car and cruise providers. Sabre system is connected to more than 400,000 travel agents worldwide, who are serving to end clients.
Sabre GDS system processes more than a million travel booking transactions per minute during the high season. B2B and B2C travel portals with Sabre
software are surging in United States, Europe, UAE, India, Africa (Nigeria, Egypt) and Indonesia.
TBO APIs
TBO Holidays is one of the leading
travel wholesalers
, connected with 70,000 travel agencies across 100+ countries while using TBO’s award winning platform to book global
travel contents online. TBO offers flights, accommodations, cruise, cars, transfers and sightseeing.
PKFare APIs
PKFARE is a
leading flight wholesalers, aggregates real time big data from over
600 airlines, 400,000 properties and 20 DMCs, covering over 100 countries and regions. PKFARE is an innovative global travel trade
marketplace offering air tickets, hospitality and destination products. Empowered by its global resources, machine learning technology, big data and dynamic hedging and payment model, PKFARE provides global travel players with smart integrated solutions including real time inventory data, best buy rate, seamless multilingual customer service and diversified product portfolios.
Hotelbeds APIs
Hotelbeds is one of the largest hotel wholesalers with 1,80,000 hotels in around 185 destinations worldwide.
Hotelbeds Apitude enables any hotel booking system or distribution platform to provide their agents and B2C clients, best hotels and activities at lowest wholesale rates. Simply using Hotelbeds API integration solution is enough to gain access to vast inventory from multiple sources with competitive prices. Hotelbeds booking API additionally provides you access to additional services such as sightseeing, transfers and even car rentals.
Skyscanner APIs
Skyscanner was established in 2003 with the unique objective of showing all flight options in one place. Today it has gone from a
flight search engine to a global leader in travel. More than 100 million people across the world (that's quite a few!) rely on its app and website each month to help them with their travel plans. It also provides skyscanner APIs to distribute the contents on global OTA platforms.
Booking.com APIs
If you are an OTA or a destination website, want to have top of the hotel inventory on your booking platform, integrate
Booking.com API. It offers solutions for OTAs, hotel channel managers, property owners and affiliates like travel bloggers and media outlets. The online accommodation platform currently offers over 29,420,861 properties, 12,500 affiliates, and well-architected framework features in 41 languages, 23 countries with payment card supports Visa, American, Express, MasterCard. The Booking.com APIs support both XML and JSON formats using HTTP basic authentication.
Expedia API
Expedia Affiliate Network (EAN) APIs robust structure brings quick responses and retrieves data from multiple sources instantly to give real-time updates on rates and availability on your booking platform. The EAN APIs are used to book hotels, flights and cars. Expedia's well designed framework enables 200+ travel booking sites across 75 countries and 150+ mobile websites.
Expedia API Integration connects any online booking system to 140,000 hotels spread across 245 countries. Expedia has a great user base in the United States, Canada, Mexico, India and UAE.
Flight Wholesaler Integration Workflow
At PROVAB, ourflight wholesaler integrationteam and framework experts provide extensive support during APIs integration and live certification. They let you leverage the ready codes and libraries to complete the integration sooner than expected. You are assured of full scale OTA or mobile application to build rapid growth in travel booking vertical.
Sandbox Access
Post API contract signoff, agency code is created. Same time, sandbox and test credentials are sent to client’s developers.
Web Services Integration
Developers get the integration kit and they can start integrating PROVAB’s travel APIs on their platform in a seamless way.
Test Cases Evaluation
Post flight APIs web services integration, test cases are sent to client’s developers to validate the logic of application or mobile app.
Live Credentials
On approval of all test cases, followed by few airline bookings in test environment, live credentials are granted to set the application live.
How to find a flight wholesaler : A quick guide in 6 Steps
Finding a flight wholesalerinvolves a strategic approach to identify reputable companies that offer competitive deals. In this section, we will go through the six steps to help you in selecting the top flight wholesalers:
Step 1 : Research and Networking
Start by researching online and networking within the travel industry. Look for trade associations, forums, and online communities where travel professionals share insights and recommendations about flight wholesalers.
Step 2 : Industry Events and Trade Shows
Attend travel industry events, conferences, and trade shows where flight wholesalers often exhibit their services. These events provide opportunities to meet wholesalers in person, discuss partnerships, and negotiate deals.
Step 3 : Online Directories and Platforms
Utilize online directories and platforms that specialize in connecting travel sellers with flight wholesalers. These platforms often provide detailed information about wholesalers, including their services, pricing, and contact details.
Step 4 : Referrals and Recommendations
Seek referrals and recommendations from colleagues, peers, and other travel professionals who have experience working with flight wholesalers. Personal recommendations can help you identify trustworthy wholesalers with a proven track record.
Step 5 : Due Diligence
Conduct thorough due diligence on potential flight wholesalers before engaging in any business transactions. Verify their credentials, reputation, and financial stability. Check for reviews, testimonials, and references from previous clients to ensure reliability and professionalism.
Step 6: Negotiation and Partnership
Once you've identified a few prospective flight wholesalers, initiate contact and start negotiations. Discuss your specific needs, including pricing, inventory, and support services. Negotiate terms that align with your business objectives and establish a mutually beneficial partnership.
Importance of Flight Wholesalers to Travel Industry
Flight wholesalers play a crucial role in market expansion and reach, particularly in niche or underserved markets. Their specialization and expertise allow them to reach customers who may not have direct access to airline booking platforms or traditional travel agencies, thus increasing airlines' market penetration.
Furthermore, wholesalers offer efficient distribution channels, simplifying the booking process for travel sellers and consumers alike. They provide flexibility and customization options, such as group bookings and flexible air ticketing, catering to diverse customer needs.
List of things to consider before hiring a flight API integration company?
Now that you are well aware of flight APIs and why to integrate flight APIs, you must find the best flight API provider and API integration company. While plenty of flight technology companies are available, the question is how to find the best API company. Let me help you in preparing a questionnaire that fits your requirements.
- What are the major API integration services you offer?
- Please provide 7-8 benefits you offer to flight agents?
- Do you make custom web design or use the theme?
- Can you provide the portfolio?
- Do you provide case studies to showcase the results of your web design?
- What is the policy for building websites in comparison with the competitors?
- How do I get the timely work progress of the project?
- What are the types of flight technologies you are specialized in?
- Do you give round the clock support and also handling the updates of the applications?
