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前陣子看到新聞提到，因為全球訂票系統發生當機，導致長榮、華航、國泰等多家航空公司的航班延誤。我心裡想，到底是什麼樣的系統，影響力竟然大到可以讓多個航班一起出問題？實際查了一下，這背後就是阿瑪迪斯（Amadeus）系統。
我們平常在機票網站或透過旅行社訂票時，畫面上看到的只是搜尋結果和價格，但在背後，其實有一套資訊系統，負責讓全球航空公司與旅行社彼此連線，完成查票、訂位、出票，甚至是航班與座位的管理。阿瑪迪斯就是這類系統中市占率最高的一個。
阿瑪迪斯是一家來自歐洲的旅遊科技公司，成立於 1987 年，總部設在西班牙馬德里。它主要提供的服務就是協助航空公司、旅行社、飯店以及各種交通業者，把座位和票價等資訊整合起來，讓世界各地的旅客都能順利查詢與訂位。
阿瑪迪斯最知名的產品是全球分銷系統（Global Distribution System, GDS）。當我們在旅行社的網站輸入出發地、目的地和日期時，系統會在短時間內幫我們搜尋出所有可用的航班選項，而這個搜尋動作，很多時候就是由 GDS 在背後完成。
在全球 GDS 市場中，阿瑪迪斯具有領導地位。以市占率來看，阿瑪迪斯約占全球三到四成的市場，是同類型系統中的龍頭。它的主要競爭對手包括 Sabre 和 Travelport，其中 Sabre 在北美市場特別強勢，而 Travelport 則整合了 Galileo 和 Worldspan 等多個品牌。
航空公司之所以會選擇使用 GDS 這樣的 IT 系統，其實原因相當實際。透過 GDS，航空公司的座位與票價可以被全球旅行社看到，不再只侷限於自家官網，銷售通路自然大幅擴展。同時，GDS 提供的是標準化且全球通用的技術架構，航空公司不需要自己一一對接成千上萬家旅行社，就能快速完成整合。
更重要的是，這類系統不只負責訂票，還深入支援航空公司的日常營運，包括票務處理、座位管理、價格控制，甚至收益管理等複雜功能。這也是為什麼越大型、越國際化的航空公司，越離不開像阿瑪迪斯這樣的系統。
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Introduction to Global Distribution System
Recently, I saw a news report saying that a global airport seat allocation system went down, causing flight delays for several airlines such as EVA Air, China Airlines, and Cathay Pacific. I wondered what kind of system could have such a big impact and cause many flights to be affected at the same time. After looking into it, I found that the system behind this was Amadeus.When we book flights on airline websites or through travel agencies, we usually only see search results and prices on the screen. However, behind the scenes, there is a large technology system that connects airlines and travel agencies around the world. This system handles flight searches, reservations, ticketing, and even seat and flight management. Amadeus is the market leader among these systems.
Amadeus is a technology company from Europe. It was founded in 1987 and is headquartered in Madrid, Spain. Its main role is to help airlines, travel agencies, hotels, and other transportation providers combine seat availability and pricing information, so travelers around the world can easily search and book their trips.
The most well-known product from Amadeus is the Global Distribution System (GDS). When we enter our departure city, destination, and travel dates on a travel agency website, the system quickly searches for all available flight options. In many cases, this search is powered by a GDS behind the scenes.
In the global GDS market, Amadeus holds a leading position. It accounts for around 30–40% of the global market, making it the largest provider in this field. Its main competitors are Sabre and Travelport. Sabre is especially strong in the North American market, while Travelport combines several brands such as Galileo and Worldspan.
Airlines choose to use IT systems like GDS for very practical reasons. Through a GDS, an airline’s seats and prices can be seen by travel agencies all over the world, not just on the airline’s own website. This greatly expands sales channels. At the same time, GDS offers a standardized and global technical structure, so airlines do not need to connect individually with thousands of travel agencies.
More importantly, these systems do much more than just ticket booking. They also support daily airline operations, including ticket processing, seat management, price control, and even revenue management. This is why larger and more international airlines rely heavily on systems like Amadeus.
