Free Bird Travel

What Free Bird Travel does

Free Bird Travel is a Turkey-based IATA-certified travel agency operating since 1998 as a subsidiary of Gözen Holding, an aviation-focused conglomerate based in Istanbul. The company offers a portfolio of six core services: flight reservation, hotel reservation, car rental, sports travel logistics, congress/MICE event management, and ground transfer services. Its primary customer segments are corporate/business travelers, individual leisure travelers, sports organizations and delegations, and congress/exhibition organizers. Operations are supported by a proprietary online booking portal (Arkman/GozenConnect) supporting eight languages, plus a physical office in the Beyoğlu district of Istanbul with claimed proximity to the airport for end-to-end guest accompaniment.

The business operates on a commission-based revenue model, earning transaction fees from airlines, hotels, car rental providers, and other travel suppliers as an IATA-authorized agent (Member ID 8821536, since 2010) and TÜRSAB member (ID 4242). Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed, with services tailored to corporate and group requirements including VIP transfers, charter arrangements, security coordination, and dietary management for sports teams and event delegations. The company is differentiated by its integration with Gözen Holding's broader aviation ecosystem of eight companies spanning airlines, security, GSA representation, flight training, and digital aviation.

The company is privately held under Gözen Holding, with 9 employees and no disclosed external funding, M&A activity, or financial figures. Its go-to-market combines direct enterprise sales (24/7 phone/email support), a self-service corporate portal, and an informational website. No AI/ML capabilities, API integrations, or mobile applications are evidenced in the available data.

Name

Free Bird Travel

Legal name

Free Bird Travel

Website

https://freebirdtravel.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Free Bird Travel is an IATA-certified Turkish travel agency (est. 1998) under Gözen Holding, offering flight, hotel, car rental, transfer, sports travel, and MICE event services to corporate clients, leisure travelers, and sports organizations globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Istanbul

HQ country

Türkiye

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Travel Agency Commission: Free Bird Travel generates revenue through commissions from airlines, hotels, car rental companies, and other travel service providers. As an IATA-authorized agency, they sell tickets for all airlines and receive commissions on each booking.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Free Bird Travel is an IATA-certified travel agency providing comprehensive travel services including flight reservation for all airlines worldwide, hotel accommodation booking through a network of contracted hotels, car rental, airport-to-hotel transfer services, specialized sports travel logistics for teams and delegations, and end-to-end event management for congresses, exhibitions, and meetings. Operations are delivered through the Arkman/GozenConnect online booking portal combined with 24/7 phone/email support and an airport-adjacent office in Istanbul.

Product overview

Free Bird Travel is an IATA-certified travel agency offering a unified suite of travel services under one roof. The portfolio consists of six core service products: Flight Reservation (for global airline ticketing), Hotel Reservation (accommodation booking), Car Rental (vehicles including commercial and luxury), Sports Travel Services (specialized logistics for sports organizations), Congresses & Meetings & Exhibitions (event management), and Transfer Services (ground transportation). These services are interconnected, allowing the company to provide comprehensive travel packages from flight booking through accommodation, ground transport, and event coordination. The company operates an online booking portal (Arkman) for customer self-service.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Flight Reservation Provides tickets for direct flights or with connections to any destination worldwide, for any airline. Includes personalized corporate passenger profiles and 24/7 professional support via phone and email.
• Hotel Reservation Hotel accommodation booking through a network of hundreds of contracted hotels, offering advantageous pricing and fast booking solutions for vacation or business travel domestically and internationally.
• Car Rental Provides any type of vehicle including commercial vehicles, minibuses, and buses through a rental service fleet. Luxury cars with multilingual drivers are also available for VIP requirements during exhibitions, conferences, and meetings.
• Sports Travel Services Comprehensive travel logistics for sports teams and delegations including special flight arrangements, charter services, VIP transfers, accommodation planning, professional security, and dietary/dining services. Full-time dedicated staff accompanies delegations from landing through takeoff.
• Congresses & Meetings & Exhibitions Full-service event management for congresses, exhibitions, product launches, dealer meetings, seminars, and product promotions including registration, flights, transfers, accommodation, dining, guided tours, and local excursions.
• Transfer Services Global airport-to-hotel transfer services with private chauffeured vehicles, providing safe and comfortable ground transport through a worldwide supplier network.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Gözen HoldingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFree Bird Travel is a subsidiary of Gözen Holding, an aviation-focused organization with 8 distinguished companies including airlines (Freebird Airlines, Freebird Airlines Europe), aviation security, GSA representation, flight training (IFTC), and digital aviation solutions. The holding company's ecosystem enables integrated travel services.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Setur: One of Turkey's largest IATA-certified travel agencies offering flights, hotels, tours, and corporate travel management. Directly comparable to Free Bird Travel in service mix (air ticketing, accommodation, transfers) and in serving both corporate and leisure customers in the Turkish market.
• Jolly Tur: Major Turkish IATA-licensed travel agency providing flight, hotel, tour, and corporate travel services with a strong domestic brand. Competes head-to-head with Free Bird Travel in Turkish corporate and leisure ticketing and inbound tourism services.
• Tatilbudur: Turkish online travel agency selling flights, hotels, tours, and packages with IATA authorization. Overlaps with Free Bird Travel in air ticketing, accommodation booking, and leisure/corporate travel arrangements.
• ETS Tur (ETS Group): Turkish IATA-licensed travel agency with strong presence in corporate travel, MICE, and event management, including congress services. Closely comparable to Free Bird Travel's congress/exhibition and corporate travel offerings.
• Event Travel (Eventur): European sports and event travel management company providing logistics, accommodation, and transfers for sports teams, federations, and event organizers. Directly comparable to Free Bird Travel's sports delegation and congress travel services.

Emerging players

• TravelPerk: Tech-enabled corporate travel booking and management platform targeting SMEs and mid-market in Europe. Competes with Free Bird Travel for corporate accounts but with a stronger self-service SaaS model rather than full-service agency support.

Broad incumbents

• American Express Global Business Travel: Global corporate travel management company serving large enterprises with travel booking, expense, and meetings & events services. Competes with Free Bird Travel for mid-to-large corporate accounts, though with much broader global scale and tech stack.
• TUI Group: Global integrated tourism group combining airlines, hotels, cruise, and tour operator services. Comparable in bundling aviation and travel services under one corporate umbrella, similar to how Gözen Holding integrates Free Bird Travel with its airline and aviation services.
• Booking.com for Business: Corporate travel arm of Booking.com offering self-serve corporate travel booking and management. Competes with Free Bird Travel for corporate accommodation and flight bookings but with a self-service digital model rather than full-service agency support.
• CWT (Carlson Wagonlit Travel): Global travel management company providing corporate travel, meetings & events, and consulting services to multinational clients. Comparable to Free Bird Travel in serving corporate travel needs but with global scale and integrated technology.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/freebirdtravel

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Free Bird Travel