Running an Order Management System (OMS) on top of an existing Passenger Service System (PSS) delivers strong commercial upside with far lower risk and cost than a full move to an OOSD‑style “new‑generation” PSS. For most airlines, this layered approach is a pragmatic path to modern retailing, not a compromise.


What OMS‑on‑PSS actually means

An OMS‑on‑PSS architecture keeps the legacy PSS as the operational backbone (inventory, reservations, PNRs, interline, DCS) while adding an OMS layer that handles offers, orders, payments, and servicing across channels. 

The PSS still “owns” flights and segments; the OMS owns the customer‑facing order, enabling NDC‑style shopping, dynamic bundles, and post‑booking changes without rewriting core operations.  


Key business benefits of OMS‑on‑PSS

1. Faster time‑to‑market for modern retailing

An OMS‑on‑PSS lets airlines launch NDC‑ready offers, rich bundles, and partner content in months rather than years, because you are not waiting for a full PSS replacement. 

New products, services and ancillary packages can be configured in the OMS and tested in specific channels while the rest of the business keeps running on the existing PSS. 


2. Lower risk and lower cost

Migrating to an OOSD‑style PSS typically requires a multi‑year, multi‑vendor transformation touching inventory, pricing, accounting, interline, and GDS connectivity. 

In contrast, an OMS‑on‑PSS is incremental: you add order management for direct channels first, then extend to NDC and GDS, reusing the PSS where it still works well. 


3. Better control over commercial logic and data

With an OMS on top, airlines can decouple commercial rules (pricing, bundling, promos, loyalty) from the PSS, which remains focused on operations. 

Orders “live forever” in the OMS, enabling rich CRM, personalization, and lifecycle marketing that legacy PNR‑centric systems struggle to support. 


4. Easier experimentation and innovation

An OMS‑on‑PSS acts as a retail orchestrator: you can plug in new suppliers, payment gateways, and partner products without touching the PSS core. 

This makes it simpler to run A/B tests, new concepts, or ancillary strategies in selected markets or channels, then scale what works. 


5. Smoother transition toward OOSD

An OMS‑on‑PSS effectively builds the “order layer” that OOSD architectures later assume as native. When the airline is ready to replace the PSS, much of the order‑centric logic, data model, and channel integrations already exist, reducing the complexity of the final migration. 


Why OOSD‑only is often overkill

OOSD aim to replace the PSS entirely with an order‑centric platform covering offer, order, settlement, and delivery. 

For many airlines, this is too big of a leap unless there is a strategic decision to “rip and replace”, otherwise it risks budget overruns, operational disruption, and long stabilization periods. 


When OMS‑on‑PSS makes the most sense

  1. The airline wants NDC, dynamic bundling, and richer ancillaries but cannot afford or justify a full PSS replacement. 
  2. The current PSS is operationally stable but commercially limiting, and the business wants to test modern retailing in direct and NDC channels first. 
  3. Leadership wants quick wins (revenue uplift, better CX, improved data) while preserving option to move to OOSD later. 


In short, an OMS on top of a PSS is a low‑risk, high‑leverage stepping stone to airline retailing: it unlocks order‑based commerce, data‑driven marketing, and channel agility without forcing a premature, capital‑intensive OOSD overhaul. 


To discuss the benefit of OMS-on-PSS contact us at sales@retailaer.com.