How to Choose a B2B Travel Portal in Bangladesh (2026)

There is no single best B2B (business-to-business) portal for travel agents in Bangladesh; there is the one that passes your checks. Before you compare price or commission, confirm who will hold your money and that they are licensed, then confirm the portal can book, issue, void and refund the airlines you actually sell. Since Flight Expert's collapse and the reported closure of Fly Far International in 2025, the money checks come first.

Key points

• Verify licences yourself: the IATA code with IATA, the government travel agency registration on the Travel Agency Management System, and the trade licence.
• Pay only into a bank account in the company's own name, keep your wallet balance small, and ask how an unused balance is paid back.
• Test after-sales before you scale up: one void, one refund and one reissue, with the charges shown before you confirm.
• Check content breadth: GDS, NDC and direct airline connections, including domestic and low-cost carriers.
• Insist on two-factor sign-in, a payment PIN and a separate login for each staff member.
• Get service charges, refund timelines and withdrawal terms in writing before you sign.

Why does choosing a B2B portal matter more in 2026?

Because Flight Expert collapsed in 2025 holding money paid in advance by travellers and sub-agents, Fly Far International was reported closed two months later, and the rules for agencies may change again.

Flight Expert's offices were found locked on 2 August 2025. Three senior managers were arrested, and Bangladesh Monitor reported that sub-agents who had prepaid were among those hit, and that group tour operators refunded clients from their own pockets after airlines rejected tickets. In October 2025, Travel Radar reported that Fly Far International's website had stopped working from 14 October, its phones were unreachable and its Dhaka office was found closed on 15 October, after many users had paid in advance.

The rules may change too. A January 2026 ordinance amending the travel agency law would have required bank guarantees (Tk 10 lakh for offline agencies, Tk 1 crore for online ones) and banned agencies from buying or selling tickets from each other. The official Laws of Bangladesh website notes that it has ceased to have effect, though a new bill may bring parts of it back. For now the 2013 Act, its 2021 amendment and the 2022 Rules apply. Confirm the current rules with the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism before you rely on any summary, including this one.

The checklist at a glance

How do I check a portal's licences?

Ask for three numbers and check each one yourself rather than trusting a logo on the website.

• IATA code. IATA is the International Air Transport Association. An accredited agency can issue tickets and settle with airlines through BSP, IATA's Billing and Settlement Plan. IATA's CheckACode service validates agency codes. Make sure the name on the code matches the company you will pay.
• Government travel agency registration. Agencies must be registered under the Bangladesh Travel Agency (Registration and Control) Act 2013; in the trade it is often called the "civil aviation" or CAAB licence. Registration and renewal run through the government's Travel Agency Management System (TAMS) under the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism, and its home page has an agency check that anyone can use.
• Trade licence and company details. The trade licence, the company name and the bank account name should all match.

ATAB (Association of Travel Agents of Bangladesh) membership is worth checking too, but no licence protects your deposit on its own. Visit the office if you can.

How does the portal hold your wallet and deposits?

Your wallet is money you have prepaid to the portal company, so ask exactly where it goes and how it comes back.

• Deposits should go to a bank account in the company's own name. Mobile financial services (MFS) such as bKash should use the company's merchant or official account, not a personal number.
• Ask how fast each deposit method appears in the wallet and whether any method carries a fee.
• Ask how a refund comes back (to the wallet or to your bank) and how you withdraw an unused balance, with a time frame in writing.
• Download your ledger regularly and keep every receipt.
• If the portal gives credit, get the limit, due date and any charges in writing.

The simplest protection is to keep a small balance and top up as you sell.

How are void, refund and reissue handled?

After-sales is where portals differ most, so test it with real bookings before you move your volume.

• Void. Cancelling a ticket without charge is usually possible only on the day of issue, and only where the airline allows it. Ask for the exact cut-off time. Our void, refund and reissue guide explains each step.
• Refund. Ask who calculates the airline penalty and the service charge, whether you see the amount before you confirm, and how long the money takes to reach you. Ask what happens when the airline cancels the flight.
• Reissue. Changing dates or routes means a fare difference plus a penalty. You should see both before you confirm.
• Check the ticket. Look up a few e-ticket numbers on the airline's own "manage booking" page. Flight Expert's case showed that a ticket on paper is not always a ticket with the airline.

Which airlines and content sources should it cover?

Search your ten busiest routes and compare: the portal should show and issue the airlines your customers fly, not just display them.

• GDS (Global Distribution System) content: Sabre, Travelport (Galileo, now sold as Travelport+) and Amadeus carry most full-service airlines, including Biman Bangladesh.
• NDC content: fares and fare families sent by the airline itself through IATA's NDC (New Distribution Capability) standard. Our guide to NDC vs GDS explains the difference.
• Direct connections and low-cost carriers (LCCs): domestic airlines and many low-cost carriers sell mainly through their own systems, so check they are bookable.
• Before you book: time limits for holds, baggage, and refund and change rules should be shown for each fare.

What support and security should you expect?

Expect someone to answer when a passenger is at the airport at 2 a.m., and expect your account to be protected like a bank account.

• Support: ask for the hours, the phone and chat channels, a named account manager and how problems are escalated.
• Two-factor sign-in (2FA): a code by email or from an authenticator app on top of the password.
• New-device alerts: an email code when someone signs in from a new browser.
• PIN on payments: a separate transaction PIN before the wallet pays.
• Staff logins: each staff member has their own login with only the rights they need, so you know who issued what.

Are the fees and the contract clear?

You should know every charge before you book, and your rights before you deposit.

• Ask for a written list of service charges for issue, void, refund and reissue, and any deposit or card fees.
• Read the terms and refund policy. Look for refund timelines, how an unused balance is paid back, credit terms, how ADMs (Agency Debit Memos, airline charges for booking errors) are passed on, how disputes are handled and what happens if either side ends the agreement.
• If something matters to you, get it in writing or email.

If you are just setting up, our guide on how to start a travel agency in Bangladesh covers the licences you need first, and our IATA vs non-IATA guide explains what an IATA code does and does not mean.

How does Ticket Lagbe meet each point?

Ticket Lagbe is a B2B travel platform for IATA and non-IATA travel agencies in Bangladesh. Here is how it answers the checklist; hold us to it the same way you would any other portal.

Start the way this checklist suggests: verify the IATA code, make a small first deposit, and test a booking, a void and a refund before you scale up.

Register your agency on Ticket Lagbe