Founded in 1987 by four major European airline carriers (Air France, Lufthansa, Iberia, and SAS), Amadeus became the world’s second global distribution system operator, or GDS, after Sabre’s development in the 1960s and 1970s. Today, among the top three GDS operators that control nearly 100% of industry revenue, Amadeus' 40%-plus market share ranks as the largest. Overall, Amadeus’ GDS segment represented 56% of total prepandemic sales in 2019. Additionally, the company has a growing IT solutions division (44% of 2019 revenue) that addresses the airline, airport, rail, hotel, and travel agency markets. Transaction fees, which are tied to volume and not price, account for the bulk of consolidated sales and profits.
