The 8 best airline reservation software in 2023

According to travel statistics, over 28% of all travel and tourism revenue comes from corporate travel. For many businesses, corporate travel is an essential part of business growth—whether it’s networking and meeting new clients in their own country, or around the world.

Organizations big and small need to ensure their corporate travel is as efficient as possible. Flying employees across the globe is no small task, and businesses need access to airline reservation systems and solutions as quickly as they’re traveling.

In this article, we’ll run you through everything you need to know about airline reservation software, its benefits, and how to go about finding the right solution for you. We’ll also share with you some of the best software out there for airline reservations in 2023.

What is airline reservation software?

Airline reservation systems are great for those businesses who are looking to utilize this software to help book flights and to find the best deals for the business finances. It can also help better the experience of the employees and any clients that you might be organizing travel for and on behalf of.

The benefits of using airline reservation software

Since 1950, the number of international arrivals per year has increased 56-fold, and business travel spending worldwide is now at $504 billion. The airline industry is booming—and that’s partly thanks to corporate travel.

So, how does airline reservation software make managing these flights easier for everyone involved? Let’s take a look.

It’s quick and easy 

As a business, time is money, and when it comes to booking and managing corporate travel, there can often be a lot of back and forth. 

Airline reservation software can make booking travel and managing flight schedules much easier. It’s quicker to manage all of your business travel needs, and you’re never far from support if needs be.

For both small and big businesses, any time and resources saved is a good thing!

Helps find the best deals

Shopping around for deals on travel is a hassle most travel managers and travelers would prefer to avoid. Some may charge more during certain times of the day, year, or even the weather from your browsing location! Others may be limited in what’s available. 

An airline reservation software can help you and your team to hone in on the best deals that are available as and when you need them. It benefits the business by helping cut the cost of travel—allowing for better revenue management. 

Often, these airline reservation systems have all of the relevant airline providers and flights scheduled in real-time, so you’re getting accurate results. Plus, some solutions offer negotiated rates to ensure you won’t find a better deal elsewhere.

Enhances user experience

Airline reservation systems are available 24/7—users aren’t limited as to when and where they book. Giving an unlimited availability of booking can help enhance the user’s experience. 

Ease of use when booking flights or any type of travel is important. Having a UI that’s too complex or that requires the user to go back and forth with customer support can be frustrating. With these online reservation systems, everything is in one place, and easily accessible.

What to look for in airline reservation software

When it comes to booking corporate travel, what should you be looking for in an airline reservation system? There are a number of features you should consider before making your decision.

API Integrated

Making airline bookings is a lot smoother when the software has comprehensive API integration options. These make it possible for different programs you use for business operations to talk to one another throughout the booking process. 

Large travel inventory

Airline reservation systems can offer a wider inventory when booking travel. It’s a good idea to seek out those softwares that boast a large inventory—you get more options and better deals.

The more options the better—these businesses often spend time building partnerships with key players in the airline industry. They can then offer you top deals for no added cost.

Frequent flyer or loyalty programs

Some airline reservation systems allow you to gain points and rewards when booking with them. These points can then be used toward miles or upgrades, further saving you money.

Having everything in one place is made even better when you don’t have to miss out on loyalty and rewards programs. Consider how important this is to you when making your decision.

Integration of payment gateways and various options

As travel technology changes and evolves so too do your payment options. Never before would you have paid for travel from your phone, but now that’s happening more and more. 

You want to ensure your chosen solution offers a variety of payment gateways. Look out for the big ones, such as credit and debit cards, but also other options, like eWallets and the likes. 

Easy-to-use interface

As with any software or tool, it’s essential that everyone has a good understanding of how to use it. Make sure that the software doesn’t require hours of training to use and master—you want a user-friendly tool, with easy onboarding.

Some software companies will offer demos of their software so that you can get a feel for how you use it and to identify any pinch points you may have when using the software initially. This is a great time to figure out if this tool is something you could see your team using in the future.

Pricing 

There are multiple different pricing models that these softwares follow—make sure you’re happy with how it fits into your budget. Sometimes you pay per user, other times you pay per trip. Consider which tariff option is better for you and decide accordingly.

With a growing number of airline reservation systems out there, how do you choose which one is best for your clients? 

Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Here are eight of the best airline reservation software tools to use in 2023.

1. TravelPerk

TravelPerk is an all-in-one travel solution that enables organizations to quickly and easily find the best travel options available to them. TravelPerk’s airline reservation solution improves your corporate travel with:

• An industry-leading airline inventory: of corporate flights that you’ll find on the market, as well as integrations with global distribution systems (GDS—-like Amadeus and NDC—as well as low-cost carriers.
• Simple interface: TravelPerk’s dashboard and booking engine is easy to understand and get to grips with, regardless of your proficiency with technology.
• 24/7 support in 15 seconds or less: get quick responses from TravelPerk’s in-house customer travel agents and support team—around the clock.
• FlexiPerk: enables you to get at least 80% of your flight refunded when canceling up to two hours in advance.

You can search, book, and manage your flights all from one easy-to-use platform. 

Alongside airfares, this travel management company (TMC) also enables corporate travelers to book accommodation, car rental, and rail travel. 

Plus, TravelPerk airline partnerships and negotiated corporate rates ensure you’re getting the best deal for your business travelers—all you have to do is download your e-ticket, check-in, and buckle up.

Note: If you’re an airline that’s looking for a potential partnership, be sure to get in touch to discuss!

2. CWT 

CWT is a travel management company that offers its own web-based flight booking platform: myCWT.

CWT has over 150 years of experience in travel and advanced knowledge of what travelers need and want from a computer reservation system. It’s a traditional travel company that offers everything you’d expect from your standard corporate travel solutions.

• Book travel and accommodation through any of the booking channels whether it’s email, web, mobile, or telephone.
• 24/7 messaging service for customers.
• Choice of mobile app and website to use the tool.

Online booking and passenger reservations for air travel is a process that myCWT has made more efficient and accessible for all its users.

3. SAP Concur

SAP Concur is a popular software for many travel managers and those booking corporate travel for other employees. It helps to manage spending by finding the best deals and to make your money go further with the budget you have.

This software helps to get the same premium-level results that many travel agencies would likely provide. For the travel industry, SAP Concur has plenty of benefits when it comes to using the tool in comparison to others.

• Use their online booking tool to help book travel services like planes, trains, hotels, and taxis.
• Get all of your travel data in one centralized space with SAP Concur’s travel dashboard.
• Help protect employees from risk with passenger service.

SAP Concur offers a valid solution when it comes to airline reservations and more.

4. Spendesk

Spendesk helps simplify business travel, making it easier for those that are responsible for booking it within the company. The platform does everything required to help book, amend, and manage travel of all kinds. Not only that but it can also help track employee expenses and automate reports.

For booking flights, Spendesk works with some of the best vendors to help ensure you get the best deal for your peers and their budget spend available. Some great benefits of Spendesk include:

• Set approval and spending policies to ensure travel bookings are made with the alignment of the company’s budget.
• Integrate Spendesk’s travel spending solution with your preferred vendors, including Airbnb, Skyscanner, and Uber.
• Use the platform’s unique virtual cards to pay for flights and other travel costs.

Spendesk is a scalable tool that can help streamline your travel booking process.

5. AMEX GBT

AMEX GBT is a strong platform for helping organize travel and manage the various challenges that come with travel disruptions. It also provides expense management services for invoicing and processing expenses for all the employees that need it.

AMEX GBT simplifies your manager role as a travel booker and helps control everything from one place. Whether that’s booking flights, amending travel preferences, or analyzing recent reports—it’s all done in a centralized hub. Some perks of the software are:

• Risk alerts: help keep your traveling employees in the loop with on-the-go updates.
• Large travel inventory: that offers pre-negotiated rates on your travel.
• Mobile app: for managing trip details, like flight cancelations and health and safety info.

AMEX GBT can help businesses save on their travel, making it a reliable tool for a travel manager or travel booker for the business. However, it’s important to consider that AMEX offer a lot more than corporate travel—you’re not getting the same dedicated service for business travel as you would with a travel management company.

6. Flightslogic

As an end-to-end travel solution, Flightslogic is a great fit for travel managers wanting to help customize their business travel and enhance employee experience.

Everything is brought together under one platform and helps enable managers to regulate and organize all travel activities across the company’s workforce.

Using Flightslogic opens up a wealth of features that include:

• Large inventory: of airline companies, vehicle rentals, and hotels.
• Travel schedule management systems: that are easy to operate.
• Simplifies booking: makes flight and hotel reservations easier to book.

Flightslogic can help travel managers make faster bookings—speeding up the entire travel management process.

7. SalesTrip

SalesTrip offers a variety of tools and services that help make corporate flights simple and easy.

Automated trip searches can help you find the perfect travel options for your business. Using Salesforce data can provide both domestic and international travel options. With flights, trains, car hire, and hotel bookings available in seconds, it’s a quick way to book travel. 

A few benefits include:

• Salesforce data: helps you plan better and more cost-effective trips.
• Measure ROI and profitability: for every business trip that employees go on.
• Real-time travel insights: for fewer mistakes and issues.

SalesTrip offers a demo that you can book in advance to try out the software before investing – well worth trying before you buy.

8. CTM

CTM is a business travel booking system that helps take care of all your business needs. It’s an example of where tech and travel come together to provide a seamless system that works wonders.

From one single dashboard, a travel manager can help track and store travelers’ preferences in order to personalize each one of their experiences. 

It’s the future of travel management and it’s worthing noting a few of its features:

• Custom options: gives managers the ability to offer custom travel needs for employees.
• Corporate deals: helps save money with discounts and deals exclusive to the platform.
• Dedicated travel consultants: for 24/7 support.

CTM is a long-standing travel solution for businesses worldwide, and a strong option for an online travel tool and reservation management platform.

Give TravelPerk’s airline booking services a try

Reservation systems have come a long way since the first automation system made by American Airlines came about in 1946! These service systems are likely to continue popping up or otherwise improving and advancing.

There are lots of great online flight reservation system providers out there. Picking the right one is tough, but you want to look out for flexibility, ease-of-use, and support options.

TravelPerk offers that and more—it’s more than just your typical airline reservation system. Our travel management tool makes travel managers’ jobs easier with 360 travel services. 

Get in touch today to find out more about how TravelPerk can simplify your airline reservation process and beyond.