Galileo and Travelport API integration
Galileo API integration on the Travelport platform
Galileo is the GDS a large share of Indian agencies grew up on, and today it lives inside the Travelport platform alongside the Apollo and Worldspan heritage systems. We integrate Travelport APIs, from the established Universal API to the newer JSON interfaces, into websites, booking engines and B2B portals: search, pricing, PNR and ticketing on the access you hold through Travelport or its distributors.
Request a quote for Galileo / Travelport integration
Galileo, Apollo, Worldspan: one Travelport platform
Travelport is one of the three major global distribution systems. It was formed around three well-known reservation systems, Galileo, Apollo and Worldspan, and has been consolidating them into a single modern platform. When an agency says "Galileo GDS" today, it is talking about content and workflows that now sit on Travelport; the terminal habits survive, but the APIs are Travelport APIs.
In India this matters more than anywhere. Galileo has long been distributed here through Travelport's distributor network, and generations of agency staff trained on Galileo terminals. Many Indian agencies therefore hold Travelport-side agreements and want their first website or portal to run on the system they already know, rather than starting a new GDS relationship. That is the situation this service is built for. If you are still comparing systems, our GDS integration overview and the broader flight API integration page set out the alternatives.
The Travelport APIs we integrate
- Travelport JSON APIs: the current generation of REST/JSON interfaces for air search, offers, booking and servicing on the modern Travelport platform
- Travelport Universal API: the long-established XML/SOAP interface that aggregates the Galileo, Apollo and Worldspan heritage systems behind one connection, still widely used in production
Which family your project uses depends on the access your agreement provides and the functions you need; migrations from Universal API to the JSON APIs are also a common project in their own right. Either way your website talks to one connector we build and maintain, so a later interface change is a connector upgrade rather than a rebuild.
What we build on that access
- Low fare search: one-way, return and multi-city shopping, normalised, cached and filtered in your own interface
- Pricing and rules: itinerary re-pricing before payment with honest fare rule and baggage display
- Booking: PNR creation with passenger, contact and document data written correctly for ticketing
- Ticketing: issuance through your consolidator or under your own IATA accreditation and ticketing authority
- Servicing: retrieval, cancellation and queue workflows surfaced in an admin panel instead of a terminal
The same connector can power a consumer site, a flight booking engine, or a B2B travel portal where your sub-agents book on the fares your Travelport access provides.
Getting access in India: distributors and consolidators
Travelport content in India is typically reached through its official distribution channel; InterGlobe Technology Quotient (ITQ) has long been the distributor associated with Galileo in India, and IATA-accredited agencies contract for terminal and API access through that channel. Agencies without their own accreditation usually work through a Travelport-connected consolidator instead, booking through the consolidator's access while tickets are issued under the consolidator's plate.
We are independent of all of these parties. We do not arrange or resell access, and distributor arrangements can change, so treat the current channel as something to confirm directly. What we do is practical: once you tell us what agreement you have or are being offered, we confirm whether it exposes the APIs and functions your website needs before any development money is spent.
What you need before we start
- A Travelport-side agreement (via the distributor channel) or a consolidator relationship that includes API access
- API credentials for the test and production environments your agreement provides
- Ticketing capability: your own IATA accreditation or a consolidator who issues for you
- A payment gateway and the business identity pages any serious travel site needs
- Your target markets, since point of sale affects the content you see
Common Galileo and Travelport projects we take on
Most of the work in this area falls into three shapes. The first is the terminal-first agency going online: your staff book on Galileo screens today, and you want a website or portal where customers and sub-agents book on the same content without an agent re-keying anything. The second is the migration: an existing site built years ago on the Universal API that needs moving to the JSON APIs, or rescuing from a departed developer, without losing bookings in the process. The third is the consolidator-based startup: no accreditation yet, but a consolidator on Travelport content willing to provide API access and ticketing, and a brand that needs a booking site around it.
Each shape gets a different scope, but the same discipline: we confirm what the access really provides before quoting, we build one connector your site depends on, and we leave you with documentation and admin tools rather than a black box.
Process and timeline factors
Access review and scope
We map your Travelport or consolidator access to the flows you want, then issue a written scope and fixed quote.
Build against test credentials
Search, pricing, booking and ticketing developed and exercised in the test environment, with caching and error handling from the start.
Review and certification support
We prepare whatever flow evidence Travelport, the distributor or your consolidator requires before production keys.
Launch and maintain
Production cut-over, monitoring, and optional maintenance covering API version changes.
As with every GDS project, the engineering is the predictable part; credential lead times and review queues in the access channel set the calendar. We quote realistic ranges at scoping rather than advertising delivery promises we do not control.
Independence and trademarks
Travelport, Galileo, Apollo and Worldspan are trademarks of their owners, and other names mentioned on this page belong to theirs. Globitude Travels & Tech is an independent software integrator: not affiliated with, endorsed by or partnered with Travelport or any distributor, not a reseller of their content, and not a ticket issuer. Access always runs on your own commercial agreements.
Frequently asked questions
Is Galileo the same thing as Travelport?
Galileo is one of the heritage reservation systems that, together with Apollo and Worldspan, now sits on the Travelport platform. Agencies still say "Galileo GDS" from habit, and the content relationships carry over, but integrations today are built against Travelport APIs.
Which API will my project use: Universal API or the JSON APIs?
It depends on what your agreement provides and which functions you need. The Universal API is the established XML interface aggregating the heritage systems; the Travelport JSON APIs are the current generation. We confirm with your access provider at scoping and build a connector that can be upgraded later without rebuilding your site.
Can I integrate Galileo without IATA accreditation?
Not directly under your own name: GDS agreements and ticket issuance require accreditation. Non-IATA agencies typically integrate through a Travelport-connected consolidator, booking on the consolidator's access while tickets are issued under their accreditation. We build against either model.
How do Indian agencies get Travelport API access?
Typically through Travelport's official distribution channel in India, which has long been associated with InterGlobe Technology Quotient (ITQ) for Galileo, or through consolidators who already hold access. Channels and terms change, so confirm current arrangements with the distributor; we then verify the offered access covers your intended flows.
Can you migrate an existing Universal API integration to the JSON APIs?
Yes. Because we wrap GDS calls in a single connector, a migration touches the connector and its mappings rather than your booking front end. We scope migrations the same way as new builds: review access, map functions, quote fixed.
Related pages
Bring your Galileo content to the web
Tell us about your Travelport access, your consolidator and your market. You will get a written scope and fixed quote with no partnership claims and no surprises.