Originally Posted by
ainge666
Thanks for that. This does clear things up.
Another question, does ITA Matrix and Expert Flyer mimic a GDS?
Like for example I found a fare with Qantas/SWISS for $1454 (AUD) from Brisbane to Budapest (on skyscanner). But the best I can find on ITA Matrix/Google flights is $1516 (AUD) with Thai/Lufthansa.
Failing this, would I then be able to find the $1454 fare on a GDS such as amadeus?
Expertflyer is a limited version of a GDS, they can't do any pricing etc.
But you can look up basefares and availability.
When you search on a GDS you usually get the public price. OTAs like Expedia group sell you that public price. OTAs like travelgenio, travel2be, budgetair, seat24,... all lose money when they sell a ticket without any extras. Basicially they take the public price and apply a discount. Cause they make their winning by the extras you can add during the shopping process. And rebooking fees etc..
When you book with the airline directly, you only get the public price without any OTA discounts.
Also when you book something online, 99% of the time all flights are on 1 ticket, nevertheless what others say. Only OTAs like kiwi (former skypicker), gatwick connect and some clones do split ticketing.