The Challenge

We set out to build an OTA capable of handling 100k search requests per hour and converting them into bookings every few minutes. In addition to a consumer-facing website, we planned to offer white-label portals for partners and a dynamic pricing engine for our internal team. Key challenges included:

• •High throughput: Search and booking needed low latency and high reliability.
• •Real-time pricing controls: Revenue managers had to adjust fares, commissions and promotions instantly.
• •GDS integration: We needed robust connectors for Sabre, Travelport and Amadeus, the principal global distribution systems.
• •Security & privacy: The travel industry holds sensitive personal and payment data, making it a prime target for cybercriminals.
• •Team & culture: Building an engineering organisation from scratch while keeping pace with growth.

The Approach

• •Scalable architecture: Re-architected the platform into modular microservices; separated search and booking workloads; introduced distributed caching and asynchronous message queues to absorb traffic spikes.
• •White-label platform: Developed a configurable front-end framework that partners could rebrand; adopted an API-first design to serve multiple brands from a single codebase.
• •Dynamic pricing dashboard: Built an internal tool allowing real-time fare and commission adjustments; integrated directly with our booking engine and GDS connectors.
• •Deep GDS integration: Recognised that GDSs act as intermediaries between agents and suppliers; invested in robust connectors for Sabre, Travelport and Amadeus with redundancy and monitoring.
• •Security by design: Encrypted all sensitive data, enforced multi-factor authentication, applied the least-privilege principle and implemented PCI-compliant payment processing. The team stayed vigilant because travel and hospitality companies manage vast amounts of sensitive data and are attractive targets for cybercrime.
• •Team building: Scaled the engineering organisation from a handful of developers to 10 engineers; introduced code reviews, CI/CD pipelines and a culture of continuous improvement.

The Outcome

Our efforts transformed Bestjet into Australia's largest online travel agency by total sales. The platform routinely handled over 100,000 flight searches per hour, processed bookings every few minutes and supported multiple white-label partners. Revenue grew from tens of thousands to millions per day, and the internal pricing dashboard gave the business unprecedented control over margins. Despite rapid growth, we maintained a strong security posture and experienced no major data breaches, earning the trust of partners and regulators.

Lessons Learned

Scaling an online travel agency isn't just a technical challenge; it demands a holistic approach. A flexible, modular architecture is vital, but success also depends on empowering non-technical teams with the right tools, investing in security and compliance, and nurturing a strong engineering culture. Integrating multiple GDSs enriched our inventory but required rigorous testing and monitoring. Finally, the travel industry's sensitivity to cyber threats underscores that security must be an ongoing priority—not just a box to tick.