What are distribution platforms in corporate travel?

They are the technology systems and standards that connect travel suppliers with agencies and booking tools. This includes traditional GDSs, like Amadeus and Sabre; modern NDC airline APIs; hotel CRS connections; and other aggregators. Together, they deliver the content your travelers will see in tools like Navan.

How is NDC different from a GDS?

NDC is a modern standard for airline APIs that allows airlines to send richer, more flexible offers directly to booking tools. A GDS is a central hub that aggregates content from many suppliers in a more traditional, standardized format. Many programs now use both: a GDS for broad coverage and NDC for richer offers from key airlines.

Why do my travelers sometimes see different prices on airline sites vs. in our tool?

This can occur when certain fares or bundles are only distributed via NDC or direct APIs and your current setup only uses a GDS for that airline. It can also be due to misconfigured corporate discounts. Working with a platform like Navan that supports both GDS and NDC connections can help close this gap.

Do I need to manage distribution platforms myself?

Usually, no. Your TMC or platform provider will handle the technical connections. Your role is to clarify which airlines, hotels, and rates matter most; ensure your corporate rates are properly loaded and distributed; and choose a platform that supports the right mix of GDS, NDC, and direct feeds.

How do distribution platforms affect our negotiated rates?

Your corporate negotiated rates must be loaded into the supplier systems and then made available through the distribution platforms your tool uses. If they are not, your travelers will not see them. That is why rate loading and testing are critical after negotiations.

Can distribution platforms impact our duty of care?

Can Distribution Platforms Impact Our Duty of Care? Yes. If your travelers book outside your primary booking platform because some content is missing, those trips may not be visible in your traveler-tracking and risk systems. Using robust distribution connections within a central tool like Navan can keep more of your bookings in one place, which can improve your duty of care.

Navan - Business Travel Solutions & Expense Management

Distribution Platforms

Distribution platforms are technology systems and standards, like global distribution systems (GDS) and New Distribution Capability (NDC), that connect travel suppliers with agencies and booking tools to sell and manage travel services.

March 13, 2024•

8 minute read

What Are Distribution Platforms?

Distribution platforms are the technology systems and industry standards that move travel content from suppliers—like airlines, hotels, and rail and car rental companies—to sellers, such as TMCs, online booking tools, OTAs, and corporate platforms, so trips can be searched for, priced, booked, and changed.

This matters because almost every flight, hotel, and rail option your employees see in a booking tool flows through one or more distribution platforms. For example, a flight you book in Navan might come from a traditional global distribution system (GDS), like Amadeus, or from an airline’s New Distribution Capability (NDC) API.

In business travel and expense management, distribution platforms decide what content you will see, what fares and rates you can access, how rich the offer is (e.g., bags, seats, and bundles), and how smoothly your bookings and changes will work behind the scenes.

Understanding Distribution Platforms in Detail

Key types of distribution platforms:

Global Distribution Systems (GDSs)
Examples include Amadeus, Sabre, and Travelport. These are central hubs that aggregate content from many airlines, hotels, and car rental companies and have long been the backbone of corporate travel distribution.

New Distribution Capability (NDC)
An IATA standard that lets airlines sell through modern APIs. It provides richer, more flexible offers, like branded fares, bundles, and personalization, and is often used as a “direct connect” alternative to GDS-only distribution.

Hotel CRS and Direct APIs
Central reservation systems (CRSs) and APIs from hotel chains and independents that feed room types, rates, and availability straight into platforms.

Rail and Ground Transport APIs
Direct links to rail operators or aggregators that provide schedules, fares, and seat reservations.

Marketplace/OTA-Style Aggregators
Additional feeds, which are often hotel-heavy, that can supplement GDS and direct sources and can help fill content gaps, especially for independent or long-tail properties.

What Distribution Platforms Actually Do

At a high level, they handle:

Content distribution: Schedules, availability, fares, rate plans, and ancillaries, as well as rules for changes, refunds, baggage, and more.
Shopping and pricing: Respond to search requests with valid options and prices and apply fare rules, taxes, fees, and corporate discounts.
Booking and ticketing: Accept booking requests from sellers, create and manage reservations (PNRs and hotel confirmations), and issue tickets, vouchers, and updates.
Servicing and changes: Support modifications, cancellations, and reissues and pass schedule changes and disruptions back to sellers.
Settlement and reporting: Support back-office processes, billing, and performance statistics.

GDS vs. NDC in Simple Terms

GDS (Global Distribution System)	NDC (New Distribution Capability)
Think of it as a “travel content hub” that many airlines and hotels publish into. It provides standardized, broad coverage and is very mature, but it sometimes lacks the richest airline offers or ancillaries.	Think of it as a “direct, modern pipe” from an airline to a booking tool. It can show bundles, promotions, seat offers, and personalized content, but it is still maturing, and its coverage and capabilities can vary by airline.

Most modern platforms, including Navan, blend GDS, NDC, hotel-direct, and marketplace content to create one unified experience.

Why Distribution Platforms Matter

The biggest impact of distribution platforms is on content, cost, and control. Companies that understand and leverage them well typically see:

Better Content and Pricing

You will get access to more airlines, including low-cost carriers, and richer airline products; more complete hotel coverage, including independent properties; and access to your corporate negotiated rates and consortia content in one place.

Higher Adoption of Your Approved Tool

When your booking platform has “all the options,” your travelers will be less tempted to shop elsewhere. Cross-platform search that is powered by multiple distribution sources can help keep your bookings in-policy and in-channel.

Stronger Supplier Negotiations

Knowing which channels you use (GDS vs. NDC vs. direct) can help you align your contracts and volume commitments. You can ensure your corporate deals are visible and bookable where your travelers actually search.

More Reliable Servicing and Data

Mature distribution platforms provide robust change and cancellation flows and clean data, which can feed into Navan Expense, your ERP systems, and your analytics with fewer errors.

Actionable benefits include:

A lower average ticket and room cost by combining content sources and surfacing the best in-policy offers
Fewer “I could not find it in our tool” complaints because your distribution setup is complete
Cleaner reporting that covers all relevant bookings, not just a subset

How Distribution Platforms Work in Practice

1. An Air Booking Example: GDS and NDC

A traveler searches for a flight in Navan:

Navan queries multiple distribution platforms, like the GDS, for standard airline content and airline NDC APIs, for richer, direct offers from select carriers.
The platforms respond with their offers. The GDS will list flights, basic fares, and standard ancillaries, while the NDC may add branded fares (e.g., Light, Classic, and Flex), seat bundles, or special promotions.
Navan normalizes and merges the results, removing duplicates, comparing fares and inclusions, and applying your corporate discounts and policies.
The traveler sees one results page with in-policy choices and clear details. They do not know, or need to know, which offer came from a GDS vs. an NDC.
Navan sends a booking request back through the right platform (the GDS or NDC), and the airline’s underlying reservation system (CRS) creates the booking.

2. A Hotel Booking Example: GDS, Hotel CRS, and Marketplace

For hotels, a similar process occurs:

When a traveler searches for hotels in a city, Navan will hit multiple sources, like GDS hotel content, direct hotel CRS and chain APIs, and consortia and Navan-negotiated hotel feeds.
The same property might appear from multiple platforms. Navan will pick the best available combination of the rate, inclusions, and conditions.
Your corporate negotiated rates and consortia deals are applied. Distribution platforms carry these as special codes and rate plans.
The booking is made through the appropriate platform back into the hotel’s CRS, and the data flows into your reporting and expense system.

3. Small vs. Enterprise Use of Distribution Platforms

Small Business	Mid-Size/Enterprise
Usually relies on a platform like Navan to make all the right connections. It can benefit from shared content, pre-negotiated rates, and multiple feeds without having to manage any contracts.	Is more involved in which GDS, NDC routes, hotel programs, and marketplaces are used. These companies need to ensure their own corporate negotiated rates are correctly distributed and are visible in their tools.

Common Challenges in Working With Distribution Platforms and Their Solutions

Challenge 1: Missing or Inconsistent Content
Travelers may complain, “Our tool does not show airline X or hotel Y,” or “The prices are different from on public sites.” This occurs when not all suppliers are connected via your current GDS, NDC, or hotel feeds or when corporate rates are misloaded. Solution: Audit your key routes and markets. Work with your TMC or the Navan team to add the required distribution connections (NDC, hotel direct, and marketplaces). Verify your corporate and consortia rate loading in the supplier systems.

Challenge 1: Missing or Inconsistent Content

Travelers may complain, “Our tool does not show airline X or hotel Y,” or “The prices are different from on public sites.” This occurs when not all suppliers are connected via your current GDS, NDC, or hotel feeds or when corporate rates are misloaded.

Solution: Audit your key routes and markets. Work with your TMC or the Navan team to add the required distribution connections (NDC, hotel direct, and marketplaces). Verify your corporate and consortia rate loading in the supplier systems.

Challenge 2: NDC Complexity
NDC content can behave differently than GDS content in its rules, servicing, and exchanges. Solution: Use a platform that has invested heavily in NDC integration and servicing flows, like Navan. Start with a subset of airlines or markets and expand once their performance is stable. Align with the airlines on their service expectations and support.

Challenge 2: NDC Complexity

NDC content can behave differently than GDS content in its rules, servicing, and exchanges.

Solution: Use a platform that has invested heavily in NDC integration and servicing flows, like Navan. Start with a subset of airlines or markets and expand once their performance is stable. Align with the airlines on their service expectations and support.

Challenge 3: Servicing and Change Issues
Bookings from some channels may be harder to change or cancel, especially via agents. Solution: Standardize on a platform that can handle changes consistently across GDS and NDC. Ask which distribution paths support full servicing before rolling them out widely. Document when direct contact with airlines and hotels is needed vs. when the platform or TMC will handle it.

Challenge 3: Servicing and Change Issues

Bookings from some channels may be harder to change or cancel, especially via agents.

Solution: Standardize on a platform that can handle changes consistently across GDS and NDC. Ask which distribution paths support full servicing before rolling them out widely. Document when direct contact with airlines and hotels is needed vs. when the platform or TMC will handle it.

Challenge 4: Fragmented Data Across Channels
Bookings that are made via different distribution paths may land in different systems. Solution: Centralize your bookings through one platform, like Navan, even when the content comes from multiple distribution sources. Ensure all sources feed into the same reporting and expense streams.

Challenge 4: Fragmented Data Across Channels

Bookings that are made via different distribution paths may land in different systems.

Solution: Centralize your bookings through one platform, like Navan, even when the content comes from multiple distribution sources. Ensure all sources feed into the same reporting and expense streams.

Challenge 5: Contract Misalignment
Your airline or hotel contracts may assume GDS volume, but more of your traffic is moving to NDC or direct. Solution: Discuss your distribution strategy with your suppliers during negotiations. Ensure that any bookings that are made through NDC or direct APIs will still count toward your corporate targets, where possible. Track your bookings by their distribution source to support these negotiations.

Challenge 5: Contract Misalignment

Your airline or hotel contracts may assume GDS volume, but more of your traffic is moving to NDC or direct.

Solution: Discuss your distribution strategy with your suppliers during negotiations. Ensure that any bookings that are made through NDC or direct APIs will still count toward your corporate targets, where possible. Track your bookings by their distribution source to support these negotiations.

Aspect	Distribution Platforms	CRS (Central Reservation System)	Booking Tool/OBT
What It Is	Systems and standards that move content from suppliers to sellers	A supplier’s own system of record for its inventory and reservations	The user interface where travelers search for and book travel
Owner	GDS providers, airlines (for NDC), hotel tech, and aggregators	Airlines, hotels, and rail operators	A corporate platform, like Navan; a TMC; or an OTA
Main Role	To distribute and price offers and support bookings and changes	To control the inventory, fares, and bookings for that supplier	To present options, apply policy, and create a good user experience
Who Interacts With It Directly	TMCs, booking tools, and suppliers	Suppliers and distribution platforms	End users (travelers, arrangers, and admins)

You can think of it this way:

CRS = The supplier’s brain
Distribution platforms = The content pipes
Booking tool (Navan) = The traveler’s window into everything

Global distribution system (GDS): A core distribution platform that aggregates travel content from many suppliers and distributes it to agencies and tools.
New distribution capability (NDC): An IATA standard for airline APIs that supports rich, modern offers and direct distribution to tools like Navan.
Direct connect: Any direct API integration between a supplier and a booking tool or a TMC that is outside the traditional GDS path.
Content: The actual flights, hotels, cars, rates, and ancillaries that come through distribution platforms and appear in search results.
Cross-platform search: The process of querying multiple distribution platforms at once and merging the results into one unified display for the user.
Corporate negotiated rate (CNR): A special rate that your company negotiates. It must be correctly loaded and distributed through these platforms to show up in your tool.
Consortia rate: A hotel rate that is negotiated by an agency network or a consortium and is also distributed via a GDS or direct hotel platforms.

They are the technology systems and standards that connect travel suppliers with agencies and booking tools. This includes traditional GDSs, like Amadeus and Sabre; modern NDC airline APIs; hotel CRS connections; and other aggregators. Together, they deliver the content your travelers will see in tools like Navan.
NDC is a modern standard for airline APIs that allows airlines to send richer, more flexible offers directly to booking tools. A GDS is a central hub that aggregates content from many suppliers in a more traditional, standardized format. Many programs now use both: a GDS for broad coverage and NDC for richer offers from key airlines.
This can occur when certain fares or bundles are only distributed via NDC or direct APIs and your current setup only uses a GDS for that airline. It can also be due to misconfigured corporate discounts. Working with a platform like Navan that supports both GDS and NDC connections can help close this gap.
Usually, no. Your TMC or platform provider will handle the technical connections. Your role is to clarify which airlines, hotels, and rates matter most; ensure your corporate rates are properly loaded and distributed; and choose a platform that supports the right mix of GDS, NDC, and direct feeds.
Your corporate negotiated rates must be loaded into the supplier systems and then made available through the distribution platforms your tool uses. If they are not, your travelers will not see them. That is why rate loading and testing are critical after negotiations.
Can Distribution Platforms Impact Our Duty of Care? Yes. If your travelers book outside your primary booking platform because some content is missing, those trips may not be visible in your traveler-tracking and risk systems. Using robust distribution connections within a central tool like Navan can keep more of your bookings in one place, which can improve your duty of care.