1.1 About the IATA Foundation Exam
Key Takeaways
- DIPL-22 is awarded by IATA after completion of one chosen elective: Foundation with Amadeus, Foundation with Sabre, or Foundation with Travelport+.
- Each elective has its own GDS-specific course and associated exam; this guide is an aggregate shared-concept resource, not a substitute for variant-specific commands.
- The common exam format is 80 multiple-choice questions in 2 hours, closed course book, delivered through Online Exams with Remote Supervision (OERS).
- The passing grade is 60% overall and two total attempts are available within 12 months from the date of purchase.
- IATA publishes eight key topics with no exam weights; Distinction is 85% for Amadeus/Sabre and 90% for Travelport+.
IATA Foundation DIPL-22: Current Structure
Route limitation: This page is an aggregate preparation guide. DIPL-22 is not one cross-GDS course or a single exam covering all three systems. Candidates choose one elective—Amadeus, Sabre, or Travelport+—and take the exam associated with that course. Use this guide for shared concepts and your selected IATA course for exact GDS commands and workflows.
Diploma identity
The current Foundation in Travel and Tourism Diploma (DIPL-22) is awarded by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). IATA's diploma page requires one elective course, chosen from Foundation with Amadeus, Foundation with Sabre, or Foundation with Travelport+, to be completed within 12 months from the date of purchase.
Each elective is an approximately 200-hour e-book course. Its Electronic Booking Tool simulates the selected GDS and allows a maximum of 45 hours. Because that component is platform-specific, an Amadeus command example should not be memorized as Sabre or Travelport+ syntax.
Published exam facts
| Item | Current IATA information |
|---|---|
| Awarding body | IATA |
| Diploma code | DIPL-22 |
| Course route | One chosen elective: Amadeus, Sabre, or Travelport+ |
| Exam method | Online Exam with Remote Supervision (OERS) |
| Format | 80 multiple-choice questions; closed course book |
| Time allowance | 2 hours |
| Passing grade | 60% correct answers overall |
| Exam attempts | 2 total within 12 months from the date of purchase |
| Distinction | 85% for Amadeus and Sabre; 90% for Travelport+ |
The published rule is an overall passing grade, not a set of separately passed sections. IATA does not publish a fixed cooldown between the two attempts on these course pages.
Eight official key topics
IATA publishes these eight topics and does not assign exam weights:
- The travel and tourism industry and the working environment for travel professionals
- Geography and industry codes
- Travel documents and the airline passenger experience
- Air transport products and services
- Rail, hotel, car rental, cruise and tour products
- Customer service principles
- Airfares and ticketing
- GDS system functionality
Study-planning percentages elsewhere in this guide are editorial allocations only, never an official exam blueprint.
How to use this guide
Use the shared chapters for geography, codes, travel documents, air and non-air products, customer service, airfares, and ticketing concepts. For GDS tasks, compare examples only to understand the underlying workflow, then practice the exact entries in the Electronic Booking Tool for your selected elective.
Which statement correctly combines the common passing grade with the variant-specific Distinction grades?
How many multiple-choice questions comprise the IATA Foundation exam, and what is the maximum time allowed for the test session?
How does a candidate complete the current IATA Foundation in Travel and Tourism diploma (DIPL-22)?