The GDS industry has come a long way since the 60s; while Sabre is still a major player, several GDS companies operate today.
The major global distribution systems for travel reservations include:
Amadeus is the world’s largest GDS, accounting for about 40% of GDS transactions, and it’s especially popular in Europe. Though many of these reservations are for airfare, it’s still a powerful tool for hotels, with over 600,000 hotels connected.
Sabre is the second-largest GDS, accounting for about 35% of travel agency bookings. Around 175,000 hotels are connected to Sabre, but its portfolio in North America is larger than its competitors.
Travelport GDS owns systems called Galileo, Worldspan, and Apollo.
Travelsky is a state-run GDS in China.