IATA to pilot NDC with airlines
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The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has announced plans to pilot its New Distribution Capability (NDC) with several more airlines.
Aeroflot, Aer Lingus, Qatar Airways and JR Technologies (JRT) will all take part in the trials to see how the NDC impacts the travel shopping experience. The NDC is intended to enable airlines to improve the way their products are sold online and using the GDS.
“We are delighted to be the first Middle East airline to launch an NDC pilot,” said Qatar Airways’ CEO, Akbar Al Baker. “We believe that given our position as a leading full-service carrier, Qatar Airways will be able to benefit significantly from NDC features as this will enable us to better showcase the value of our five-star product offering to our passengers.”
For JRT, this marks the second NDC pilot In 2013, the company teamed up with American Airlines and Air New Zealand on a live version of an NDC Aggregator platform.
“We want to help all the players in the airline distribution value chain wrap their arms around NDC. We hope they will all benefit from this exercise,” said George Khairallah, president of JRT.
On 21 May 2014, the US Department of Transportation (DOT) approved the NDC, despite opposition from some sections of the industry. It argued that the NDC would “make it easier for consumers to compare competing carriers’ fares and ancillary products across multiple distribution channels, make purchasing more convenient, allow carriers to customise service and amenity offers, and increase transparency, efficiency, and competition”.
“We welcome the participation of Aer Lingus, Aeroflot, and Qatar Airways, as well as JR Technologies. The new pilots will support the development of the NDC standard to modernise the way that airline products are presented through travel agents and help to promote efficiency and innovation,” said IATA’s director general & CEO, Tony Tyler.
Other airlines that have already conducted NDC pilots include Hainan Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Shandong Airlines, Air Canada and Swiss International Air Lines.
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