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Travel · head to head

Amadeus Selling Platform Connect vs Skyscanner

Amadeus Selling Platform Connect logo

Amadeus Selling Platform Connect

Travel

Browser based agent booking desktop on the Amadeus GDS

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Skyscanner logo

Skyscanner

Travel

Flight, hotel and car hire metasearch engine that compares prices across booking sites and earns referral fees rather than selling the ticket itself

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Skyscanner has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Amadeus Selling Platform Connect the desktop is inseparable from the Amadeus GDS agreement, so the software cannot be evaluated or bought on its own merits and switching means changing content supplier, incentive income and consultant training at once.; Skyscanner because Skyscanner is not the merchant of record for most bookings, customer service, cancellations and fare accuracy responsibility sit with whichever partner site the traveller is referred to, not with Skyscanner itself.
  • They diverge on capability: Amadeus Selling Platform Connect covers Graphical PNR management, Skyscanner covers Flight price comparison.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Amadeus Selling Platform Connect and Skyscanner actually diverge.

Attributes where Amadeus Selling Platform Connect and Skyscanner differ
AttributeAmadeus Selling Platform ConnectSkyscanner
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquoteFree for travellers, referral fees from booking partners
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebiOS, Android, Web

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Travel).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Amadeus Selling Platform Connect

  • Graphical PNR management
  • Cryptic command line
  • Air availability and fare display
  • NDC content
  • Hotel and car booking
  • Ticketing and revalidation
  • Queues and office profiles
  • Smart Keys and scripting

Only in Skyscanner

  • Flight price comparison
  • Flexible date and destination search
  • Hotel and car hire comparison
  • Price alerts
  • Direct booking for select flights
  • Multi-city and layover search

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Amadeus Selling Platform Connect

  • A travel management company servicing complex multi sector corporate itineraries that need manual reissue and split ticketingnot Skyscanner
  • A consolidator issuing tickets on behalf of sub agents that needs shared queues and office profilesnot Skyscanner
  • An airline city ticket office selling and reissuing tickets directly to walk in customersnot Skyscanner
  • A leisure agency moving consultants off cryptic entries without losing access to the command line for complex faresnot Skyscanner

Skyscanner

  • A traveller wanting to compare flight prices across many airlines and agents quickly before deciding where to booknot Amadeus Selling Platform Connect
  • Someone with flexible travel dates wanting to browse the cheapest dates or destinations without a fixed itinerarynot Amadeus Selling Platform Connect
  • A traveller wanting hotel or car hire price comparison across multiple sites in one searchnot Amadeus Selling Platform Connect
  • Someone who wants a price alert on a specific route to book when the fare drops, before committingnot Amadeus Selling Platform Connect

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Amadeus Selling Platform Connect

  • The desktop is inseparable from the Amadeus GDS agreement, so the software cannot be evaluated or bought on its own merits and switching means changing content supplier, incentive income and consultant training at once.
  • Segment incentive agreements carry minimum volume commitments, and agencies that shift traffic to direct airline NDC links or a second GDS can trigger shortfall clawbacks that dwarf any software saving.
  • The graphical layer does not cover every function, so experienced agents still drop into cryptic entries for reissues, complex fare builds and queue work, which keeps the training burden high for new hires.
  • NDC content sits alongside legacy EDIFACT content rather than replacing it, so agents face two ways of booking the same airline with different servicing rules, and post booking changes on NDC orders are more limited.
  • It is a per agent desktop with no meaningful self service layer, so corporates cannot let travellers book directly and agencies must staff every transaction, which caps productivity in low value leisure bookings.

Skyscanner

  • Because Skyscanner is not the merchant of record for most bookings, customer service, cancellations and fare accuracy responsibility sit with whichever partner site the traveller is referred to, not with Skyscanner itself.
  • Prices shown in comparison results can occasionally be inaccurate or unavailable by the time the traveller reaches the partner site, since prices are pulled from partner feeds that update on their own schedule.
  • Booking through a smaller, unfamiliar third-party travel agent surfaced in comparison results carries more risk around customer service quality and fare rules than booking directly with an airline or a well-known agency.
  • The referral fee business model can create an incentive to surface partners paying higher commission prominently, and Skyscanner does not publish which listed results are influenced by commission versus pure price ranking.
  • The newer direct booking option covers only some flights, so most bookings still route the traveller through a third-party partner site, meaning the core experience remains a redirect rather than a self-contained transaction.

Pricing, plan by plan

Amadeus Selling Platform Connect

On request
  • Selling Platform Connect$undefined/year
    • Bundled with an Amadeus GDS content and productivity agreement
    • Commercials are segment incentives and minimum annual segment volumes
    • Ticketing authority and IATA or accreditation requirements apply

Skyscanner

Free
  • SkyscannerFree
    • Free to search and compare for travellers, no subscription or comparison fee charged
    • Revenue comes from referral or affiliate fees paid by airlines, agents and hotel sites on completed bookings
    • Skyscanner does not hold the payment or booking relationship for most results, the partner site does

Which should you pick?

Choose Amadeus Selling Platform Connect if

  • You need graphical pnr management.
  • You also want cryptic command line.
Amadeus Selling Platform Connect review

Choose Skyscanner if

  • You need flight price comparison.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on iOS, Android, Web.
  • You also want flexible date and destination search.
Skyscanner review

Questions people ask

Is Amadeus Selling Platform Connect or Skyscanner better?
Neither clearly leads. Amadeus Selling Platform Connect starts at On request and Skyscanner at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Amadeus Selling Platform Connect or Skyscanner?
Skyscanner has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Amadeus Selling Platform Connect and Free for Skyscanner.
Does Amadeus Selling Platform Connect or Skyscanner run on more platforms?
Amadeus Selling Platform Connect runs on Web. Skyscanner runs on iOS, Android, Web.
Can I use Skyscanner for free?
Yes. Skyscanner has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Amadeus Selling Platform Connect starts at On request.
What is Amadeus Selling Platform Connect best used for?
Amadeus Selling Platform Connect is most often used for a travel management company servicing complex multi sector corporate itineraries that need manual reissue and split ticketing, a consolidator issuing tickets on behalf of sub agents that needs shared queues and office profiles, an airline city ticket office selling and reissuing tickets directly to walk in customers, a leisure agency moving consultants off cryptic entries without losing access to the command line for complex fares. Of those, a travel management company servicing complex multi sector corporate itineraries that need manual reissue and split ticketing and a consolidator issuing tickets on behalf of sub agents that needs shared queues and office profiles are not what Skyscanner is typically brought in for.
What can Amadeus Selling Platform Connect do that Skyscanner cannot?
Amadeus Selling Platform Connect covers Graphical PNR management, Cryptic command line, Air availability and fare display, NDC content. Skyscanner covers Flight price comparison, Flexible date and destination search, Hotel and car hire comparison, Price alerts.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Amadeus Selling Platform Connect: Can a corporate buy Selling Platform Connect directly?

Practically no. It is sold to accredited travel agencies and airline ticket offices as part of an Amadeus GDS agreement. Corporates buy a self booking tool such as Cytric or a TMC service instead.

Skyscanner: Does Skyscanner sell the ticket or hotel room?

For most results, no. It compares prices and refers the traveller to the airline, agent or hotel site to complete the actual booking and payment; it has recently added direct booking for some flights only.

Amadeus Selling Platform Connect: Does it cost a per user licence fee?

Not usually. The commercial model is segment incentives paid to the agency against volume commitments, so the negotiation is about incentive rates and minimum segments, not seat price.

Skyscanner: How does Skyscanner make money if it is free to use?

It earns referral or affiliate fees from airlines, travel agents and hotel booking sites when a comparison click leads to a completed booking on their site.

Amadeus Selling Platform Connect: Does it support NDC?

Yes, airline NDC offers are retrieved through Amadeus Travel API and shown alongside EDIFACT content, but servicing rules for NDC orders differ and not every airline exposes the same change and refund functions.

Skyscanner: Is Skyscanner the same kind of company as Booking.com or Expedia?

No. Those are merchants of record that process payment and hold the booking directly, earning commission or package margin. Skyscanner is a metasearch comparison layer that mostly refers travellers elsewhere to book.

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