In-depth Analysis

The Market for Airline Distribution 2026
This is the eighth edition of T2RL's report on the airline distribution market taking into account the channels through which airlines' seats are sold. This edition, published in November 2026 is based on 2025 passengers boarded as the industry finds itself in the early stages of the shift towards adopting OOSD. Executive Summary Volatility and resilience are two words that come to mind when describing 2025.

Airlines operated in a landscape defined by heightened geopolitical tensions, trade-policy uncertainty and subdued economic growth, while persistent supply-chain constraints added further pressure. Despite these factors, passenger demand remained rather resilient. T2RL's research estimates a record 5 billion passengers boarded in 2025 - a new industry milestone. However, despite the record-breaking absolute number, the growth rate in 2025 is estimated at 4% - down from 8% in 2024.
03/11/2026

The Current State of Dynamic Pricing for Airlines 2026
T2RL research reveals that 116 airlines have adopted at least one form of dynamic availability or pricing, collectively covering 2.82 billion passenger boardings (PBs). Despite this progress, the industry remains in the early stages of adoption, with significant technological and operational challenges to overcome before dynamic pricing becomes widespread and mature. As airlines transition to OOSD, RBDs and existing fare structures will remain essential for interoperability. Dynamic pricing offers revenue growth potential, with vendors claiming a 3-5% uplift, though these estimates remain unaudited. Key areas covered in this edition include the role of Revenue Management Systems (RMS) and dynamic pricing engines, the growing contribution of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML), and the evolving landscape of interline partnerships. Follow the link below to access the full 54 page report and explore T2RL's latest insights into the changing landscape.
19/10/2026

The Market for Airline Retailing and Delivery Systems 2026
Following the sixteenth annual edition of the T2RL market report on Passenger Services Systems (PSS) in 2023, this is the third publication of a new report: The Market for Airline Retailing and Delivery Systems. It reflects the need to change the way that we describe the market due to the widespread acknowledgement that the traditional PSS is being replaced by systems that enable modern, flexible retailing.

We are in the early days of this transformation and for the vast majority of airlines little has yet changed in practice, so this report describes the market positioning of traditional PSS vendors and systems. However, it goes one step further by identifying the technology shift described under the Offer-Order-Settle-Deliver (OOSD) framework. We expect future editions will show a gradual movement of airlines from PSS reliance towards OOSD.

Market share information for PSS is based on 2025 annual passenger volumes adjusted to include current migrations and implementations as of 28th August 2026. Market share information for OOSD is currently too limited for useful trends to be observed. That will change over the coming years.

Download the full 68 page report.
21/09/2026

Everything Is Connected -T2RL's Airline Industry Outlook
This is an assessment of the external pressures operating on the airline industry as we gather in London for the T2RL Engage conference 2026.

While T2RL is not a strategic airline consultancy there is no doubt that the overall state of the industry influences the challenges around technology and distribution that are our main interests. In previous years we have made our assessment at the end of the year but in 2026 we offer it in conjunction with our annual conference.
09/09/2026

Domestic and International Passenger Traffic in 2025
Download this infographic highlighting the changes in the share of domestic and international passenger traffic from 2019 to 2025 split by region. Plus listing the top airlines for total traffic and for domestic and international growth.
26/08/2026

Offer Order Settle Deliver Status Report - July 2026
This report continues T2RL's ongoing series tracking the modernisation of airline retailing technology. It covers the key industry developments and announcements from May to July 2026, highlighting the trends shaping airline strategy, technology investment, and transformation priorities.

This reporting period was defined by major developments in airline distribution rather than new-generation airline IT. Notable milestones included British Airways' decision to migrate from its proprietary NDC implementation to the Amadeus Altea NDC platform and Lufthansa Group reporting that 50% of its indirect bookings now flow through NDC channels. A growing number of AI initiatives across airlines, technology providers, and travel sellers points to AI becoming an innovation focus, even if many projects are still in their early stages.

Download the full 18 page PDF below.
23/07/2026

Airline Operations Systems Market Report 2026
T2RL's last report on the Market for Airline Operations Systems was published in April 2024. At that time, the airline industry had largely emerged from the shadow of the Covid-19 pandemic, with traffic returning to or slightly exceeding 2019 levels. Vendors and airlines alike were beginning to re-invest in operations technology after several years of survival-mode austerity. Enthusiasm for artificial intelligence and machine learning in the operations center was beginning to emerge, but there were no AI solutions in the market at that time. The fundamental challenges identified in that report, fragmented data across aircraft, crew, and passenger domains; the loss of experienced operations personnel; and the chronic difficulty of managing Irregular Operations (IROPS), remained substantially unresolved.
14/07/2026

The Market For Airline Delivery Systems 2026
The Departure Control System (DCS) has long been the means by which airlines have managed the processes involved in getting passengers and their bags onto flights. Over the last five decades DCSs have been developed to include more functions including a critical role in the passing of security and border control information to governments.

Most airlines use the DCS provided as part of a comprehensive PSS but a small number have implemented a standalone DCS supplied by another vendor.

As the move towards modern retailing or OOSD gathers pace, it is widely expected that systems will become more modular. The "D" of OOSD will interact with the Offer and Order Management Systems following standards like ONE Order which was originally described in 2015.

Download the full 14 page report here.
09/07/2026

The Market for Airline Revenue Management Systems 2026
T2RL presents the seventh edition of The Market for Airline Revenue Management Systems report. Published in June 2026 and spanning 35 pages, the market share data is based on 2025 annual passenger volumes, adjusted to reflect current migrations and implementations as of 15 May 2026.

In addition to current market share data, the report offers a concise overview of key revenue management concepts, historical context, and the industry's shift toward modern airline retailing through the Offer-Order-Settle-Deliver (OOSD) architecture.
28/06/2026

Global Passenger Volumes Analysis 2025 Infographic
This infographic presents T2RL's 10th edition of its global passenger volumes analysis. The report analyses full-year traffic data for 2025 and compares growth trends with previous years. The new format seeks to highlight these trends in a more impactful way. The 9th edition was published in June 2025.

One of the most significant developments in 2025 compared with previous years was the achievement of a new industry milestone: 5 billion passengers boarded. The data also suggests that the industry has entered a period of stabilisation following a volatile post-pandemic recovery, largely driven by tourism, leisure travel, and continued industry expansion.

As this report is based on 2025 traffic figures, it does not reflect the subsequent escalation of military conflict in the Middle East and its knock-on effects on fuel prices and demand. These developments are expected to create additional pressure on airlines through both higher operating costs and weaker consumer demand.

While modest growth across most regions largely defined 2025, notable outliers emerged in the data. South Korea surged ahead of its peers, while the United States was the only major market to experience a decline in passengers boarded.

Concentration remains high, with the top 50 airlines accounting for 58% of passenger volumes.
23/06/2026

Offer Order Settle Deliver Status Report May 2026
This report continues T2RL's series tracking the modernisation of airline retailing technology. It summarises the key industry developments and announcements from March 2026 to May 2026, highlighting what they mean for airline strategy, technology, and transformation priorities.

The period from March to May 2026 shows continued incremental progress towards OOSD, with one major development indicating potential scale effects. The partnership between Amadeus and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) introduces delivery capacity that could support concurrent migrations to Nevio and Navitaire's Stratos platforms. Given Amadeus' installed base, this could enable multiple parallel transformation programmes and represents a potential acceleration point for OOSD adoption.

Download to read the 19 page report.
12/05/2026

The Market for Online Direct Passengers 2025
This is the sixth edition of T2RL's report on the market for online direct passengers, specifically those sold via an airline internet booking engine (IBE). This edition, published in April 2026, describes the state of the market using current contract data together with passenger volume information for 2024 and projected figures for the full year 2025.

T2RL estimates that in 2025, as a proportion of all airline sales, approximately 50% of passengers were sold via online B2C channels. This share has remained largely stable since 2022, when it stood at 51%, with only minor variations in 2023 (50%) and 2024 (51%). Download to read the full 50 page report.
28/04/2026

Offer Order Settle Deliver Status Report March 2026
This report continues T2RL's series tracking the modernisation of airline retailing technology. It summarises the key industry developments and announcements from November 2025 to February 2026, highlighting what they mean for airline strategy, technology, and transformation priorities.

Between November 2025 and February 2026, airlines continued to move toward modern retailing, built around the Offer-Order-Settle-Deliver (OOSD) model, with a noticeable shift toward contracted commitment.

Download the 19 page PDF document.
23/03/2026

Loyalty in the New World - The Market for Airlines Loyalty Management Systems 2026
The Market for Loyalty Systems 2026 report assesses the main providers in the market for airline loyalty, highlighting major shifts and underlying trends.

Market share information is based on annual projected 2025 passenger and loyalty member data and takes into account current migrations and implementations as at 10th February 2026.
Download to read this 53 page in-depth analysis.
09/03/2026

Arrivals and Departures Report 2025
This is T2RL's ninth edition of the Airline Arrivals and Departures Report which examines the comings and goings in the aviation industry, highlighting how the market has stabilised since the Covid-19 pandemic and examining how trends in 2025 will shape the years ahead. In 2025, the aviation industry saw both airline entrants and exits. While many new airlines sought to establish themselves, some unsuccessful carriers were forced to cease operations. During the year, 31 airlines commenced operations, whereas 29 airlines permanently discontinued services. Download the 18 page report.
23/02/2026

The Role of Systems Integrators in Airline Commercial Transformation
As the airline industry embraces the biggest commercial change for a generation it's going to need some help. T2RL has worked with a group of Systems Integrators to examine what help may be available and how best to apply it to the challenge of moving to OOSD.
09/02/2026

The Future Of Type B Messaging
Long regarded as legacy technology, Type B Messaging is highly interconnected with all endpoints and touchpoints in the aviation network. As long as it is necessary to support Type B Messaging in its current form, the scope for modernisation is limited.

In May 2025, IATA published a white paper that reflects an industry-wide view of Type B Messaging and its challenges, including the limitations inherent in the IATA Type B standard. While a useful contribution to industry thinking, the paper appears to raise more questions than it provides answers with respect to navigating a way forward.

In this report, 'The Future of Type B Messaging', T2RL presents a detailed commentary on the issues raised by IATA.
27/01/2026

The Hidden Costs of Airline Disruption
A Stealth Threat to Operational Improvement and Profitability. In partnership with Seabury Airline Strategy Group. The impact of flight disruption can extend long after passengers have reached their destination. Some costs are clear but others are less obvious. Airlines need a joined-up approach to understanding and managing those costs. This whitepaper highlights the hidden costs of airline disruptions. These are costs not immediately visible in financial statements, yet are significant in their long-term impact on profitability, operational efficiency, and customer loyalty. Hidden costs do not have any effect on the quarterly or annual accounting of the airline's financial performance; consequently, few airlines pay much attention to them directly.
Read the full 34 page report
13/01/2026

Living in Interesting Times - T2RL's Airline Industry Outlook
This is T2RL's annual assessment of the outlook for the airline industry with particular emphasis on information technology. The establishment of this report was a response to the crisis brought on by the Covid 19 pandemic but it remains clear that there are many other strategic challenges that impact airlines' business plans and the technology they adopt.

When asked what most often blows governments off course, British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan is said to have replied "Events, dear boy, events" The history of the airline industry is replete with occasions when external events have forced substantial changes of approach. 2025 certainly had its share of events and 2026 will probably be the same.
05/01/2026

The Travel Distribution Aggregator Market Report 2025
For decades, the GDS acted as airlines primary gateway to travel sellers. That model has been replaced by a complex distribution landscape, characterised by a growing mix of channels, APIs, and content fragmentation. Within this context, non-GDS aggregators are gaining relevance. For some airlines, the newer aggregators provide a practical way to accelerate NDC adoption, diversify indirect channel options, and reach new markets. The Travel Distribution Aggregator Market Report 2025 takes a close look at this shift. It explores how the aggregator market is developing, what airlines need to consider when shaping partnership strategies, and which technology providers are shaping the future of indirect distribution today.
18/12/2025