What is NDC?

The New Distribution Capability (NDC) is an initiative from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). NDC is a data transmission standard for how airlines distribute their fares to travel agents and travellers. It is not a platform, software, or database.

The goal of NDC is to enable airlines to deliver a faster, broader, and more personalised range of air content directly to travel bookers and agencies. NDC airfares are additional offers on top of the content already available to you. NDC is always changing, with airlines building unique frameworks to distribute their fares.

What are the benefits?

NDC was created to optimise the way you can shop, book, and service flights – bringing a modern e-commerce experience to air travel. As airlines continue to develop their own NDC offerings, the benefits for business travellers can include: 

•  More pricing options 
  Access exclusive lower fares and promotions through NDC, and dynamic pricing models that update in real-time.
• Personalised experience 
  Receive more relevant and tailored price, loyalty, and ancillary offers, sometimes bundled together, based on your unique booking history and preferences.
• Transparent shopping 
  Make more informed choices, with richer media and more details on features, services, and extras at the point of sale

What are the current considerations for NDC?

NDC content is an addition to your existing content options, not a replacement. While the industry is focused on NDC as the future of air content distribution, it is still maturing. NDC is constantly changing, and it is important to consider if it is the right fit for your corporate travel program.

There are functional nuances to NDC content, and we will work with you to assess if these are compatible with your travel policy, compliance, use of credits, the reconciling of credit card payments, and more.
 

•  Airline commitment and capability  
  Not all airlines have finished building their NDC capability, and it may not meet your expectations when arranging travel. Airlines must decide on their NDC strategy, often through content removal or exclusive offers.
• Integration and testing
  Thorough testing and seamless integration are essential. At Corporate Traveller, we rigorously test end-to-end for every airline to ensure the solution is right for our customers.
• Servicing
  Some aspects of servicing NDC bookings may require your travel arranger to work differently, such as needing to call airlines to make changes manually.
• Savings
  In some cases, the cost savings of the NDC content can be outweighed by slower servicing, which impacts your SLA.
• Pricing
  Some airlines have adopted different pricing models for their NDC content, but NDC doesn’t fully resolve price parity with airline direct websites. Airlines will continue to offer direct-to consumer deals, typically aimed at the leisure market. However, these offers often lack the full servicing, duty of care, and support that a TMC like Corporate Traveller provides. 

As NDC continues to evolve, each organisation needs to make an informed decision about its NDC journey, considering the airlines, content, and capabilities that are most important to its program. Corporate Traveller is here to help you navigate the complexities of NDC to ensure you get the most out of NDC content when it is suitable for your business.

What is Corporate Traveller’s NDC approach?

Corporate Traveller is firmly positioned at the forefront of developments in the distribution landscape. Our strong industry partnerships, the expertise of our people, and our NDC technology capability ensure that we can offer you the widest range of business travel content.

•  Strong partnerships building on expertise 
  After years of using NDC, you can trust that we understand air distribution inside and out. Alongside our long-standing relationships with airlines, global distribution systems (GDS) and aggregators, our team are accustomed to navigating airline industry shifts and optimising air inventory.
• Keeping innovation at the forefront
  Keep your NDC strategy future-proof with the confidence we can leverage technology to enhance corporate travel. Through partnering with the best technology partners, we're delivering a robust and scalable solution for business travel.
• Customer-first and consultative
  Whether you consider yourself an NDC pro or novice, we never want you to feel alone in your journey.  We'll guide you through the complexities so you can make the best decisions for your travel program. All new distribution capability content is validated before roll-out so we know it fulfils your needs.

How do we deploy NDC content?

We are committed to deploying NDC content in a way that works seamlessly for your business travel program. As your partner, we collaborate closely to identify the best solutions for your business travel needs. We focus on making sure NDC content integrates smoothly into your workflow, from booking availability to payment methods and service options. The following key criteria help us ensure that our NDC deployment aligns with your operational needs and delivers the best travel options for your team.

Here’s how we approach and validate each aspect of NDC functionality before deployment:

1. Booking availability
   Ensure you can successfully book flights using NDC-enabled content.
2. Serviceability
   Ensure the service options available through NDC align with your current operational needs.
3. Payment functionality
   Confirm that all payment methods, including credit cards and corporate payment options, work as expected.
4. Access to route deals (if available)
   If there are negotiated route-specific deals, we validate that any fare agreements or special deals are applied correctly.
5. Reporting integration
   Ensure proper tracking of performance metrics and financial reporting.