We are committed to keeping you informed about NDC developments and how it is affecting your travel program. We understand that you want a program that optimizes savings, safety and traveler satisfaction.
In continuation of our NDC education series, we have established this bi-monthly newsletter to answer and address your questions and concerns around NDC.
New Distribution Capability (NDC) is a technology standard introduced by the International Air Transport (IATA) in 2015 which allows airlines to provide travelers with rich personalized choices. It is important to note that NDC is not a booking system or platform. It is a XML based data transmission standard that provides a connection between airlines and booking channels such as travel agencies, corporate travel management companies and travel technology providers.
Note that the NDC channel in the current eco system is new and in its infancy on how to shop, book, ticket and manage the reservation and corporate programs.
Earlier this week, American Airlines sent an email introducing a new technology solution for NDC retailers to make legacy EDIFACT tickets exchangeable through NDC-based connections.As a result of this messaging, many of our clients have requested that our World Travel, Inc. experts provide a response to the email.
This new technology was created by American Airlines in partnership with their software provider, Accelya. Farelogix, owned by Accelya, is a content aggregator (developer) used by American Airlines, United Airlines and other North American Airlines to create the bookings via the NDC standard.
An agency would need to implement Accelya for this proposed solution; however, operationally it is extremely challenging. Bookings for an alternative airline, hotel, car, etc. would need to be done separately. This is why most agencies have traditionally opted not to implement Accelya. Overall, the challenge with this approach is that it only answers a small portion of the technology and processes involved in booking and supporting travel.
Check out this recent message from our President and CEO, Liz Mandarino, regarding "Consumerism and NDC".
Here at World Travel, Inc., our emphasis is on the traveler and our valued customers. We recognize these four key factors in our recipe for operational success.
Distribution
Content
Point of Sale Display
Service at Both a Company and a Traveler Level
Currently, there are extreme limitations within all four key factors. With this in mind, we continue to be committed to source the content that is relevant to our customers. NDC is a large-scale project for the entire industry. We will release functionalities in phases as the functionality allows to shop, book, ticket and manage the reservation on a scalable level.
We are in this together.
To view previous educational NDC content such as our Webinar, Q&A guide and Symposium session, visit our resource page.
