Best Flight API for Agencies: Duffel vs PKFARE vs TBO vs GDS

For an agency with no IATA number, Duffel or PKFARE is usually the practical first flight API. Duffel suits you if you want published fees and a test environment before talking to anyone. PKFARE suits you if you want net fares paid from a prepaid deposit and a wide list of low-cost carriers.

TBO makes sense if you already trade with it, and a direct GDS connection makes sense when you have accreditation, volume and developers. This guide compares all four and then covers flight quotation, because that is where many agencies lose time before an API even matters.

The four options compared

Figures are from each vendor's site, read on 1 November 2026, and they are counted in different ways.

	Duffel	PKFARE	TBO	Direct GDS
What it is	Flight API with pay-as-you-go pricing	B2B air ticket aggregator	Travel distribution platform, listed on India's NSE and BSE	Amadeus, Sabre or Travelport under your own contract
Airlines stated	300+	600+, with 400+ full service and 200+ low cost	Not stated on the pages we read	Depends on provider and country
Channels stated	NDC, GDS and LCC	GDS, LCC and NDC	Not stated on the pages we read	The provider's own content
Published pricing	Yes, see below	No, net fares under your account	Depends on your account	Contract
Who holds ticketing authority	Duffel's accreditations on Managed Content, or your own on Enterprise	Handled through your PKFARE buyer account	Depends on your TBO account	Usually your own accreditation, or per contract
How you pay	Duffel balance	Prepaid deposit	TBO wallet	BSP or ARC, or per contract
Getting credentials	Test token in your dashboard	Partner ID and key from your business manager	API access issued separately from the portal login	Contract, then certification
On Travora Hub today	Live	Live, on its own page	On request, after testing	Not available

Duffel: published fees and a clear start

Duffel's main advantage for a small agency is that you can price it before you speak to anyone. Its pricing page lists these fees at the time of writing:

• $3.00 per confirmed order.
• 1% of order value on Managed Content, which uses Duffel's accreditations so that you don't need your own.
• $2.00 per paid extra, such as a bag or seat.
• $0.005 per search above a ratio of 1,500 searches per order.
• 2% on the exchange rate when a conversion is needed.

A $500 ticket with one paid bag therefore costs $3 + $5 + $2, or $10, before your payment gateway's fee. Your markup has to cover both and still leave a margin. Very low markups on cheap short-haul fares can vanish quickly, so run this sum on your typical ticket and not on a long-haul example.

Search volume also matters. If your site attracts a lot of searches and few sales, for example from paid traffic that doesn't convert, the excess search fee can apply.

Agencies with their own IATA accreditation can discuss using it on Duffel's Enterprise plan, and volume discounts are agreed with sales.

PKFARE: a consolidator route with a deposit

PKFARE describes itself as a B2B company that sources, aggregates and delivers air tickets and hotels. It lists 600+ bookable airlines across 100+ countries and regions, and 2,000+ active clients. You sign up as a buyer, and your PKFARE business manager issues your Partner ID and key for API use.

The working model is different from Duffel's. You hold a prepaid deposit, and the net fare is taken from it when a ticket is issued. If the deposit runs low, ticketing stops until it is topped up, so it needs someone watching it. The booking also runs in a strict sequence: precise pricing, booking, a pre-payment order check, then ticketing, with 30-minute limits on the key steps. Ticket numbers then arrive by webhook. Fee and credit terms aren't on its public pages, so ask about them when you apply. Our PKFARE guide for agencies explains the account setup.

TBO: useful if you already trade with it

TBO states 159K+ travel buyers across 100+ countries, with hotels, air and other products in one business. If your staff already book on the TBO portal, an API may seem like a small step, but it needs separate credentials. A portal login usually won't work on the API, and access depends on the modules TBO opens for your account. Ask its API support team what your account can use, and ask for the commercial terms, as we couldn't verify current API fees from its public pages.

Direct GDS: for agencies with accreditation and volume

A direct connection to Amadeus, Sabre or Travelport means a contract with that provider, then certification and ongoing development. Requirements vary by provider, country and agency, so only the provider can tell you what applies to you. Many agencies also need IATA accreditation for ticketing authority and BSP settlement, and IATA publishes checklists by country.

The easy route into Amadeus has also narrowed. Amadeus's self-service API portal was reported as closed on 17 July 2026, with its Enterprise APIs available on request. Older articles that tell agencies to start there are now out of date.

A GDS can still be the right answer. It may suit you if your agents already work in a terminal, your corporate clients need negotiated fares loaded there, or you handle complex group and multi-city work every day. A small agency selling mostly point-to-point leisure fares rarely recovers that cost and effort early on.

Flight quotation: where the API meets your sales process

Flight quotation software takes a live fare, applies your markup and sends it to a customer in a tidy format, often with several options. A few rules hold whatever tool you use:

1. A quote is a snapshot. Fares and seats change. Show when you took the price and say it isn't held unless it actually is.
2. Re-price before you take money. Duffel's guidance is to fetch an accurate price immediately before payment. On PKFARE, precise pricing is a required step before booking.
3. Don't promise a hold by default. Duffel says holding an order and paying later isn't available on all airlines, and the airline releases the space if it isn't paid by the deadline.
4. Show bags and refund rules next to the price. The cheapest fare is often cheapest because it has neither.
5. Price every passenger type. Quote the total for adults, children and infants, not just the adult fare.

Be clear about what a tool does before you buy it. A PDF quote builder and a booking engine solve different problems. If your customers need a signed-off, multi-option document, such as for a corporate account or a group, look for a dedicated quoting tool. If they mostly want to see a real price and book, a live booking link may do the job better than any PDF.

Flights on Travora Hub

We make Travora Hub, so read this with that in mind. It is independent and not affiliated with any flight supplier, and every connection runs on your own account.

The Duffel connection powers your /flights page, with seats and bags where the airline offers them. The PKFARE connection runs on a separate page of your site called Air Tickets, so PKFARE fares are not merged into the Duffel results. TBO flights are on request, and they join the Duffel search once your credentials have passed testing. There is no Amadeus, Sabre or Travelport connection. If you need a GDS, choose a platform that has one.

Professional includes one flight supplier at $120 a month, and Basic has no flights. On Demand can run more than one provider. There is no PDF quote builder today. Customers see live prices on your site, you can send them a link, the separate WhatsApp CRM can quote live prices in chat, and you can issue a branded ticket by hand for flights booked elsewhere. More on the flight booking software page.

Which to choose

• New agency, no IATA number, want to test this month: Duffel. You can price it from its website and start with test tokens.
• Selling many low-cost and regional routes, comfortable funding a deposit: PKFARE, and compare the fares on your routes first.
• Already on TBO, with credit or volume there: ask for API access and compare it with the other two.
• IATA-accredited, with terminal-based staff or corporate negotiated fares: talk to your GDS provider and keep your current workflow.
• Very low flight volume: you may not need an API at all. A consolidator's portal and a hand-issued ticket can carry you until the volume justifies it.

Frequently asked questions

What is PKFARE?

PKFARE is a B2B travel technology company that aggregates and distributes air tickets and hotels to trade buyers. It lists 600+ airlines at the time of writing and offers a buyer portal and API.

Do I need IATA accreditation to use a flight API?

Not always. Duffel's Managed Content uses Duffel's accreditations. A direct GDS connection or using your own ticketing authority usually needs accreditation, and the rules vary by country.

Is Duffel an NDC API?

Duffel says it searches content from NDC, GDS and LCC channels, so it isn't NDC only.

Can a small agency still get Amadeus API access?

The self-service portal was reported closed in July 2026. Enterprise access is by request, so ask Amadeus directly whether your agency would qualify.

Which flight API is cheapest?

Of these four, only Duffel publishes its fees on the pages we read, so you can't compare them without quotes. Compare the final net cost on your own routes, including payment fees.

What is flight quotation software?

It turns a live fare into a marked-up offer you can send a customer. Look for a clear price timestamp, re-pricing before payment, and a way to turn the quote into a booking.

If you have a Duffel or PKFARE account, or are deciding between them, you can run a flight search in the live demo to see how results and checkout behave.