Global Distribution Systems and Airline Companies

Globalization and the development of information systems have brought many changes in economic and social life. Changes in business life have gradually affected the sectors. The basic principle of competitiveness, the importance of which is increasing day by day in the global economy, is that businesses need to get help from information systems in order to make a difference and provide superiority. One of the first sectors to be affected by these changes in the aviation sector. Communication theorist McLuhan defines the development of information technologies and communication networks as “the world is a global village”. The village here is a concept used to describe the world evolving into the electronic culture. This situation has also increased the competition between businesses. The competitive environment and electronic culture have also caused the manual systems used in the travel industry to become electronic by adapting them to the environment. One of the auxiliary information systems used in this sense is Global Distribution Systems. Global Distribution Systems entered our lives in the 1980s. These systems have an important place in travel businesses. For businesses, being involved in global distribution sys¬tems means maintaining the existence of businesses and increasing their profitability. The aim of this study is to determine the status of global distribution systems used in airline companies and to convey the operation of these systems. The research consists of a literature review. In this context, the descriptive analysis method was preferred in the research. In the descriptive analysis, the previously obtained findings are summarized under the headings as they were obtained. The study aims to fill an important gap in order to understand the working principles of GDS systems.