The fare is only part of what a traveller buys. Seats, extra bags and the rest are sold separately, documented separately, and — this is the part that catches agencies out — handled differently on each supplier. Here is what works where.
What an EMD is
An EMD, or Electronic Miscellaneous Document, is a ticket for something that is not a flight. When you sell a paid seat or an extra bag through a GDS, the airline does not amend the flight ticket; it issues a separate document against the passenger, with its own number, its own value and its own rules. Treat it as a second ticket, because that is exactly what it is.
Seats
Seat maps are available on all three suppliers in the platform, and paid seats issue as EMDs on all three. Two things are worth telling a client before you charge them: a paid seat is bought from the airline’s current map, which the airline can change if the aircraft changes; and a seat paid for on one leg is not a seat on the others.
Bags
Extra baggage can be purchased in the platform on Amadeus and on Galileo. On Sabre it is not enabled yet — that work is scheduled — so a Sabre ticket that needs extra baggage is handled with the desk, or bought from the carrier directly by the traveller. It is a small difference on paper and a large one at a check-in counter, so check the supplier before you promise it.
Create your agency account
Register on the platform, we review and agree terms with you directly, then we activate your account.
Have these ready to speed things up:
- Commercial register or trade licence
- Owner or authorised-signatory ID
- Agency address, phone and email
Undoing an ancillary
An EMD can be voided or refunded self-service on Amadeus. On the other suppliers, raise it with the desk. The same clock logic as a flight ticket applies: a void has a short window, and after it the remedy is a refund quoted against the rules of the document. And because an EMD is a separate document, cancelling a flight does not automatically undo the bag you sold alongside it.
The cheapest fare is not always the cheapest trip
This is where fare families earn their keep. On all three suppliers the platform shows the fare family alternatives for a result — the branded options a carrier sells above its lowest fare, each with its own baggage, seat and change terms. A basic fare plus a paid bag plus a paid seat is very often more expensive, and less flexible, than the branded fare one step up. Pricing that comparison in front of your client is a two-minute habit that pays for itself, and it is a far better conversation than explaining an airport charge afterwards.
Read the rules first
Fare rules and mini rules can be read on all three suppliers before you book. Baggage allowance, whether the fare permits a seat purchase, and what happens to ancillaries when an itinerary changes are all in there. It is the difference between selling an extra and selling a problem.
The glossary defines EMD, fare family and the other terms used here, and the flights page lists what the platform does on each supplier.