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                                                                     EXHIBIT 3.1


                           THIRD AMENDED AND RESTATED
                          CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION
                            OF PEGASUS SYSTEMS, INC.

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         This Third Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation amends and
restates the Certificate of Incorporation of Pegasus Systems, Inc., a
corporation originally incorporated in Delaware as "Pegasus Systems, Inc." on
July 10, 1995. This Third Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation has
been duly adopted pursuant to Sections 242 and 245 of the Delaware General
Corporation Law.

                                    ARTICLE I

         The name of this corporation is Pegasus Systems, Inc. (the
"Corporation").

                                   ARTICLE II

         The address of the registered office of the Corporation in the State of
Delaware is 1013 Centre Road, New Castle County, Wilmington, Delaware
19805-1297. The name of the registered agent of the Corporation at that address
is The Prentice-Hall Corporation Systems, Inc.

                                   ARTICLE III

         The nature of the business or purposes to be conducted or promoted by
the Corporation is to engage in any lawful business, act or activity for which
corporations may be organized under the General Corporation Law of the State of
Delaware. The private property of the stockholders shall not be subject to the
payment of corporate debts to any extent whatsoever.

                                   ARTICLE IV

         This Corporation is authorized to issue two classes of stock,
designated "Common Stock" and "Preferred Stock". The total number of shares
which this Corporation is authorized to issue is 52,000,000 shares. The number
of shares of Common Stock which this Corporation is authorized to issue is
50,000,000 shares, par value $0.01 per share. The number of shares of Preferred
Stock which this Corporation is authorized to issue is 2,000,000 shares, par
value $0.01 per share, which shall initially be undesignated as to series.

         Any Preferred Stock not previously designated as to series may be
issued from time to time in one or more series pursuant to a resolution or
resolutions providing for such 



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issue duly adopted by the Board of Directors (authority to do so being hereby
expressly vested in the Board), and such resolution or resolutions shall also
set forth the voting powers, full or limited or none, of each such series of
Preferred Stock and shall fix the designations, preferences and relative,
participating, optional or other special rights and qualifications, limitations
or restrictions of each such series of Preferred Stock. The Board of Directors
is authorized to alter the designation, rights, preferences, privileges and
restrictions granted to or imposed upon any wholly unissued series of Preferred
Stock and, within the limits and restrictions stated in any resolution or
resolutions of the Board of Directors originally fixing the number of shares
constituting any series of Preferred Stock, to increase or decrease (but not
below the number of shares of any such series then outstanding) the number of
shares of any such series subsequent to the issue of shares of that series.

         Each share of Preferred Stock issued by the Corporation, if reacquired
by the Corporation (whether by redemption, repurchase, conversion to Common
Stock or other means), shall upon such reacquisition resume the status of
authorized and unissued shares of Preferred Stock, undesignated as to series and
available for designation and issuance by the Corporation in accordance with the
immediately preceding paragraph.

         The relative rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions granted
to or imposed upon the Common Stock or the holders thereof are as follows:

                  (a) Dividend Rights. Subject to the prior rights of holders of
all classes of stock at the time outstanding having prior rights as to
dividends, the holders of the Common Stock shall be entitled to receive, when
and as declared by the Board of Directors, out of any assets of the Corporation
legally available therefor, such dividends as may be declared from time to time
by the Board of Directors.

                  (b) Liquidation Rights. In the event of any voluntary or
involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the affairs of the
Corporation, after payment or provision for payment of the debts and other
liabilities of the Corporation and of any amounts to which the holders of all
classes of stock at the time outstanding having prior rights as to liquidation
are entitled, the holders of all outstanding shares of Common Stock shall be
entitled to share ratably in the remaining assets of the Corporation.

                  (c) Redemption. The Common Stock is not redeemable.

                  (d) Voting Rights. The holder of each share of Common Stock
shall have the right to one vote, and shall be entitled to notice of any
shareholders' meeting in accordance with the Bylaws of this Corporation, and
shall be entitled to vote upon such matters and in such manner as may be
provided by law.

                  (e) Residual Rights. All rights accruing to the outstanding
shares of this 



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Corporation not expressly provided for to the contrary herein shall be vested in
the Common Stock.



                                    ARTICLE V

         The Corporation is to have perpetual existence.

                                   ARTICLE VI

         Elections of directors need not be by written ballot unless a
stockholder demands election by written ballot at the meeting and before voting
begins or unless the Bylaws of the Corporation shall so provide.

                                   ARTICLE VII

         In furtherance and not in limitation of the powers conferred by
statute, the Board of Directors of the Corporation is expressly authorized to
make, alter, amend or repeal the Bylaws of the Corporation.

                                  ARTICLE VIII

                  (a) To the fullest extent permitted by the General Corporation
Law of the State of Delaware as the same exists or as may hereafter be amended,
a director of the Corporation shall not be personally liable to the Corporation
or its stockholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a
director.

                  (b) The Corporation may indemnify to the fullest extent
permitted by law any person made or threatened to be made a party to an action
or proceeding, whether criminal, civil, administrative or investigative, by
reason of the fact that he, his estate or legal representative is or was a
director, officer, employee or agent of the Corporation or any predecessor of
the Corporation or serves or served at any other enterprise as a director,
officer, employee or agent at the request of the Corporation or any other
predecessor to the Corporation.

                  (c) No amendment nor repeal of this Article VIII, nor the
adoption of any provision of this Corporation's Certificate of Incorporation
inconsistent with this Article VIII, shall eliminate or reduce the effect of
this Article VIII, in respect of any matter occurring, or any action or
proceeding accruing or arising or that, but for this Article VIII, would accrue
or arise, prior to such amendment, repeal or adoption of an inconsistent
provision.


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                                   ARTICLE IX

         Meetings of stockholders may be held within or without the State of
Delaware, as the Bylaws may provide. The books of the Corporation may be kept
(subject to any provision contained in the statutes) outside of the State of
Delaware at such place or places as may be designated from time to time by the
Board of Directors or in the Bylaws of the Corporation.

                                    ARTICLE X

         Advance notice of new business and stockholder nominations for the
election of directors shall be given in the manner and to the extent provided in
the Bylaws of the Corporation.

                                   ARTICLE XI

         The business and affairs of the Corporation shall be managed by or
under the direction of the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors may
exercise all such authority and powers of the Corporation and do all such lawful
acts and things as are not by statute or this Certificate of Incorporation
directed or required to be exercised or done by the stockholders.

         1. Number of Directors

         The number of directors of the Corporation shall be fixed from time to
time only by action of not less than a majority of the members of the Board of
Directors then in office. The number of directors comprising the Board of
Directors of the Corporation shall not be less than two (2) or more than
twenty-five (25).

         2.  Classes

         Subject to the rights, if any, of any series of Preferred Stock then
outstanding, the directors shall be divided into three classes, designated Class
I, Class II and Class III. The number of directors in each class shall be the
whole number contained in the quotient arrived at by dividing the authorized
number of directors by three, and if a fraction is also contained in such
quotient then if such fraction is one-third (1/3) the extra director shall be a
member of Class III and if the fraction is two-thirds (2/3) then one of the
extra directors shall be a member of Class III and the other shall be a member
of Class II. The term of office of directors in each class shall expire as
follows: Class I shall expire at the 1998 annual meeting of stockholders, Class
II shall expire at the 1999 annual meeting of stockholders, Class III shall
expire at the 2000 annual meeting of stockholders. At each such meeting of
stockholders, directors shall be elected to succeed those directors whose terms
expire for a term of office to expire at the third succeeding annual meeting of
stockholders after their election. All directors shall hold office until the
annual meeting of 


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stockholders for the year in which their term expires and until their successors
are duly elected and qualified, or until their earlier death, resignation,
disqualification or removal.

         3. Vacancies

         Subject to the rights, if any, of the holders of any series of
Preferred Stock then outstanding, newly created directorships resulting from any
increase in the authorized number of directors or any vacancies in the Board of
Directors resulting from death, resignation, disqualification or removal may be
filled only by a majority vote of the directors then in office, though less than
a quorum, and directors so chosen shall hold office for a term expiring at the
annual meeting of stockholders at which the term of office of the class to which
they have been elected expires and until such director's successor shall have
been duly elected and qualified.

         4. Removal

         Any director or the entire Board of Directors may be removed only for
cause and only by the vote of the holders of two-thirds (2/3) of the securities
of the Corporation then entitled to vote at an election of directors voting
together as a single class.

                                   ARTICLE XII

         Any action required or permitted to be taken at any annual or special
meeting of stockholders may only be taken upon the vote of the stockholders at
an annual or special meeting duly called and may not be taken by written consent
of the stockholders. Special meetings of the stockholders, unless otherwise
prescribed by statute, may be called at any time only by the Chairman of the
Board or the Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation or the Board of
Directors.

                                  ARTICLE XIII

         The Corporation reserves the right to amend, alter, change or repeal
any provision contained in this Certificate of Incorporation, in the manner now
or hereafter prescribed by statute, and all rights conferred upon stockholders
herein are granted subject to this reservation. In addition to any affirmative
vote required by applicable law or any other provision of this Certificate of
Incorporation or specified in any agreement, the affirmative vote of the holders
of not less than two-thirds (2/3) of the voting power of all securities of the
Corporation entitled to vote generally in the election of directors shall be
required to amend, add, alter, change, repeal or adopt any provisions
inconsistent with Sections 1, 2 or 3 of Article XI, Article XII or this Article
XIII of this Certificate of Incorporation and the affirmative vote of not less
than eighty percent (80%) of the voting power of all securities of the
Corporation entitled to vote generally in the election of directors shall be
required to amend, add, alter, change, repeal or adopt any provisions
inconsistent with Section 4 of Article XI or this Article XIII with respect to
Section 4 of Article XI.


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         IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Corporation has caused this Third Amended and
Restated of Certificate to be duly executed this 26th day of May, 1998.





                                     By: /s/ JOHN F. DAVIS, III
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                                        John F. Davis, III
                                        President and Chief Executive Officer


ATTEST:



/s/ RIC L. FLOYD
---------------------------
Ric L. Floyd, Secretary