Ai Video - What’s taking NDC forward and what’s not?

17th April, 2019 

NDC, IATA’s XML-based data transmission standard, has been around for more than six years. The industry acknowledges the need to target a critical mass of volume of transactions. In this context, an initiative, titled the Leaderboard, has been initiated, with carriers featuring in it focusing on sales powered by an NDC API.

“21 airlines have committed that by the end of 2020, 20% of their indirect sales will be made using NDC. If they succeed that will mean that by the end of next year 10 million passenger journeys per month will be booked on these airlines using NDC,” said Ian Tunnacliffe. “If that happens then NDC will definitely have arrived.”

While this is a positive development, there are other commercial aspects that can’t be ignored. For instance, as Tunnacliffe mentioned during Ai’s Ancillary Merchandising Conference in London earlier this month, interline NDC is still the missing puzzle. Interlining is the sale of seats on an airline partner, to offer a wider network to consumers. Interline also covers the ability to cross-sell ancillaries.

Without interline, NDC is incomplete,” mentioned Tunnacliffe. He explained the same in an interview, in which he referred to why the industry can consider the offering of virtual interlining. Overall it is time for a bunch of airlines to move on, and gear up for NDC interline, too.

 

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