How to Connect Amadeus to Your Travel Website
By Travel White Label · Published 28 October 2026 · Updated 28 October 2026
An Amadeus API integration connects your travel website to Amadeus flight content so customers can search, price and book live fares. In 2026 there are two practical ways for a UK online travel agency to do it: sign your own commercial agreement with Amadeus and connect those credentials to your booking platform, or launch on a platform that already has supplier connections and use its suppliers instead. One shortcut has gone: Amadeus closed its Self-Service developer APIs on 17 July 2026, so the "sign up and get a key in minutes" route that many older tutorials describe no longer works for new projects.
Below: what changed, what a connection must handle, the steps for each route and the trade-offs. Still choosing content sources? Start with GDS vs hotel bedbanks.
In this guide
What changed in 2026: Amadeus Self-Service has closed
What an Amadeus API integration has to handle
Route 1: connect your own Amadeus credentials
Route 2: use our suppliers instead of your own contract
Own credentials vs our suppliers: the trade-offs
Step by step, with an integration checklist
UK rules you still own, key takeaways and FAQs
What changed in 2026: Amadeus Self-Service has closed
Amadeus for Developers ran two offers. Self-Service was for independent developers and start-ups: register, get test keys and a free monthly quota, then move to pay-as-you-go production. Enterprise gave the full API catalogue, an account manager and customised pricing, on request only.
In February 2026 PhocusWire reported that Amadeus had written to Self-Service users to say it would pause new registrations and fully decommission the Self-Service portal on 17 July, with API keys disabled from that date. An Amadeus spokesperson told PhocusWire that only the self-service section was being decommissioned and that the Enterprise portal and Enterprise APIs "remain fully available". Amadeus's own developer guides repository on GitHub is now archived and opens with the notice that "the Amadeus for Developers Self-Service offer has been deprecated".
What this means for a UK agency today:
There is no self-serve key to request. A direct connection now starts with a conversation with Amadeus.
Old tutorials still describe Self-Service. Treat their code samples as a description of the booking flow, not a plan.
Enterprise customers are not affected. If your agency already has an Amadeus agreement, your route is to connect those existing credentials.
What an Amadeus API integration has to handle
A working integration has to complete the whole booking lifecycle, not just show fares. The archived Self-Service documentation still describes the steps clearly, so we use its API names as a map. Enterprise interfaces differ, but the jobs are the same.
Authenticate. The Self-Service APIs used the OAuth 2.0 client credentials grant: your server sent its API key and secret to a token endpoint and received a bearer access token. The authorisation guide shows a token response with expires_in of 1799 seconds, so the application had to refresh tokens before they expired. Credentials belong on your server, never in website code.
Search. Flight Offers Search returned bookable offers for a route, dates and passengers.
Price. According to the archived flights guide, Flight Offers Price "confirms the availability and final price (including taxes and fees)" of an offer from the search. A search result is not a guaranteed price; your site must reprice before taking payment.
Book. Flight Create Orders created the reservation and returned a booking ID and reservation details.
Ticket. Creating a booking is not the same as issuing a ticket. Someone with ticketing authority has to issue it, which is the biggest commercial question in the whole project (more below).
Service. Flight Order Management retrieved and cancelled bookings. Changes after ticketing, refunds and schedule changes need a process too, whether that is in the platform or with your ticketing partner.
The archived Self-Service FAQ also shows how much depends on the commercial arrangement rather than the code. The Self-Service catalogue returned published fares only and did not include American Airlines, Delta, British Airways or low-cost carriers, while Enterprise was described as giving access to the full catalogue. And payment sat outside the API: you collected the customer's money through your own payment gateway and settled with your ticketing partner separately.
Route 1: connect your own Amadeus credentials
Here the Amadeus agreement is in your agency's name and your booking platform talks to Amadeus on your behalf.
1. The commercial agreement
The archived FAQ says Enterprise access is "only granted on a request basis", that it is handled by teams for each business area (for example travel sellers), and that access "requires an implementation fee as well as monthly fees". It adds that requirements depend on your market and the functions you need, and that pricing is shared after you sign a non-disclosure agreement. We cannot quote Amadeus prices or timescales; rely only on a written offer from Amadeus.
2. Office ID and the technical set-up
Amadeus agencies work through an office ID, the identifier for your agency's Amadeus office (similar to what other GDSs call a pseudo city code). For web services access, Amadeus collects set-up details before switching anything on. One Amadeus Web Services checklist published on Amadeus Service Hub asks for, among other things:
whether you are already an Amadeus customer, with your office ID and IATA number if you have them;
your software supplier (the "client application provider") and the product you will use, including its certification reference;
which office IDs need web services access, and the maximum number of simultaneous sessions;
whether you want to use Amadeus ticketing;
which fare search products and options you need, plus estimated booking and transaction volumes;
who operates the server and which IP addresses will connect to Amadeus.
Requirements vary by market, so treat this as an example, not a universal form. The lesson: your platform provider and your Amadeus contact need to talk early.
3. Ticketing authority
The archived FAQ says IATA or ARC accreditation (depending on your market) is mandatory to issue flight tickets, an option that sits in the Enterprise framework. Agencies without their own accreditation have used an airline consolidator, a ticket wholesaler that can act as a host agency and issue tickets for agents who cannot. If you go this way, agree in writing how you pay them (the FAQ notes some ask for a deposit, others bill monthly) and who handles changes, refunds and schedule changes after ticketing; the FAQ warns that not all consolidators provide post-ticketing services.
4. What you gain
Your own relationship with Amadeus, and any negotiated or private fares agreed for your office.
Bookings in your own set-up, useful if consultants also work in Amadeus directly.
Portability: the agreement is yours if you change booking platform.
Route 2: use our suppliers instead of your own contract
If you do not yet have an Amadeus agreement, you do not need one to launch. On TravelWhiteLabel you can use our suppliers at no extra cost, and those suppliers are ATOL and ABTA protected. The contracts and connections already exist, so the work is configuring your site, markups and payments. TravelWhiteLabel does not hold an ATOL itself.
This route suits a new agency testing demand before taking on a GDS contract. You can connect your own Amadeus credentials later, once volumes justify it. Because billing only starts at go-live, you can build and check the site on a free beta before paying anything.
Our travel API integration page lists the connections we support: Amadeus, Sabre, Travelport and Galileo for flights, and TBO, Stuba, Ratehawk, HotelBeds and DOTW for hotels. Ask us which flight content our suppliers cover on the routes you sell.
Own credentials vs our suppliers: the trade-offs
Neither route wins in every case. Compare them on margin, workload and risk:
Getting started. Own credentials: an Amadeus agreement, set-up and ticketing arrangement before you can sell. Our suppliers: no GDS contract needed; start on a free beta site.
Cost. Own credentials: Amadeus charges under your contract, which are not included in our fees, plus any consolidator or IATA costs. Our suppliers: no extra cost on top of your plan.
Fares. Own credentials: any negotiated or private fares agreed for your office. Our suppliers: the content and rates available through those suppliers.
Ticketing and servicing. Own credentials: you, your IATA accreditation or your consolidator issue and service tickets. Our suppliers: ask us who issues tickets and how changes and refunds are handled.
Protection. Own credentials: you must sort out the ATOL position for the flights you sell. Our suppliers: those suppliers are ATOL and ABTA protected.
Control and portability. Own credentials: the relationship and data are yours. Our suppliers: simpler, but tied to the platform's supplier agreements.
Rule of thumb: if you already sell Amadeus flights with negotiated fares, connect your own credentials. If you are new to selling flights online, start with our suppliers and revisit later.
Step by step: connecting Amadeus to your travel website
These are the typical steps for Route 1. Route 2 skips steps 2 to 4.
Write down what you sell. Markets, routes, one-way or return, cabin classes, passenger types, and whether you will combine flights with hotels. This scope drives everything that follows.
Talk to Amadeus. Contact the travel seller team for your market and ask what access, products and fees apply to an online agency of your size. Get the answer in writing.
Settle ticketing. Decide between your own IATA accreditation and a consolidator, and agree payment, cut-off times and post-ticketing support.
Share the set-up details. Give your platform provider your office ID and whatever Amadeus confirms is needed for the connection, through a secure channel. Never email passwords or secret keys in plain text.
Test in a non-live environment. Run the full flow: search, reprice, book, cancel. The archived Self-Service FAQ noted that its test environment used limited data collections, so do not judge content or prices on test results alone.
Test the awkward cases. A fare that changes at repricing, a sold-out flight, a failed payment, an invalid passenger name and a timeout where you do not know if the booking succeeded.
Set your pricing rules. Markups, booking fees and the total price shown. Our guide to travel booking engine features covers what to check.
Go live in stages. Make a few real bookings, reconcile each one, then open the channel fully.
Worked example (illustrative)
Imagine a small agency that already sells flights by phone through its own Amadeus office and has negotiated fares on its key routes. Connecting its existing credentials makes sense: those fares are why customers choose it. With the agreement and ticketing already in place, it follows steps 1 and 4 to 8.
Now imagine a new start-up selling city breaks with no GDS contract. Signing Amadeus and consolidator agreements before its first sale adds cost before it knows what will sell. Using our suppliers, it builds on a free beta site, pays nothing until go-live, and revisits Amadeus once it has booking data.
Amadeus integration checklist
Scope agreed: markets, routes, cabins, passenger types and products.
Route chosen: own Amadeus credentials, our suppliers, or both.
Amadeus access, products and fees confirmed in writing (Route 1).
Office ID and connection details shared securely with your platform (Route 1).
Ticketing authority in place: IATA accreditation or consolidator agreement (Route 1).
Full flow tested: search, reprice, book, ticket, cancel, refund.
Error cases tested: price change, sold out, payment failure, timeout.
Markups, fees and total-price display set and checked.
ATOL position confirmed for every flight-inclusive product you sell.
Payment gateway and PCI DSS responsibilities agreed.
First live bookings reconciled before full launch.
UK rules you still own
Connecting Amadeus does not change your legal duties as a UK seller of travel.
ATOL. If you sell flights or flight-inclusive holidays, check whose ATOL covers each booking and how ATOL Certificates are issued. The CAA's guidance on ATOL Certificates sets out when they must be supplied, and you can check a licence with the CAA's ATOL holder search. An API connection, ours or Amadeus's, is not an ATOL.
Package travel. If customers can combine Amadeus flights with hotels on your site, you may be creating packages or linked travel arrangements. The government's package travel guidance for businesses explains the information and protection duties that follow.
Card payments. Under the Amadeus model described above, you take the customer's payment yourself. The PCI Security Standards Council's FAQ on outsourced payment processing makes clear that a merchant remains responsible for PCI DSS even when a third party processes the cards. Charges from your own payment gateway are not included in our fees.
This is general guidance, not legal advice.
Key takeaways
An Amadeus API integration must cover the full lifecycle: authenticate, search, reprice, book, ticket and service.
Amadeus Self-Service closed on 17 July 2026; new direct connections now go through Amadeus Enterprise, on request.
Your own credentials give you your own fares and relationship, but add a contract, fees, set-up and a ticketing arrangement.
Using our suppliers costs nothing extra, needs no GDS contract, and those suppliers are ATOL and ABTA protected.
Whichever route you pick, ATOL, package travel and PCI DSS duties stay with your business.
FAQs
Can I still get a free Amadeus API key?
Not through Self-Service. Amadeus decommissioned the Self-Service portal on 17 July 2026 and disabled its keys. Direct access is now through Amadeus Enterprise, on request.
Do I need an IATA licence to sell Amadeus flights?
To issue tickets yourself, yes: Amadeus's own FAQ says IATA or ARC accreditation is mandatory for ticketing. Without one, agencies have issued tickets through an airline consolidator. You can also sell without your own GDS contract by using a platform's suppliers.
Can I connect my existing Amadeus agreement to TravelWhiteLabel?
Yes, Amadeus is one of the integrations we support. Tell us what your agreement covers and we will review the technical requirements with you; Amadeus must confirm what your agreement permits. Charges from your own GDS are not included in our fees.
How much does TravelWhiteLabel cost?
There is no setup fee. Plans are Growth £179, Scale £599 and Elite £999 per month, and API access is £999 per month. You start on a free beta site and billing only starts at go-live; pay 12 months upfront and get 2 months free. See plans and pricing.
Sell flights online, with or without your own Amadeus contract
Bring your own Amadeus credentials or start with our suppliers at no extra cost; those suppliers are ATOL and ABTA protected. There is no setup fee, you start on a free beta site, and billing only starts at go-live. We also connect to Sabre, Travelport, Galileo, TBO, Stuba, Ratehawk, HotelBeds and DOTW, and to meta search sites Skyscanner, Kayak, Jetcost and Dealchecker. Compare plans and pricing, start on a free beta site, or call our East Ham, London team on 020 3432 6375 (Mon-Fri 9:00-18:00) or email [email protected].