Tag Archives: NDC

Gulf Air has entered into a strategic partnership with Almatar to enhance digital operations between the two entities. As part of the partnership, Gulf Air will integrate its New Distribution Capability (NDC) API with Almatar’s booking platform, enabling Almatar to offer Gulf Air’s products and services, such as seat selection, additional baggage options, refunds, and reissue services. This will provide travelers with a more advanced, flexible, and seamless booking experience. This partnership shows both companies are committed to improve the customer experience and meeting the evolving needs of travelers in a rapidly growing travel and tourism sector. The partnership marks a key milestone in the digital transformation journeys of both Gulf Air and Almatar. It makes Almatar the first OTA company in Saudi Arabia to collaborate with Gulf Air, setting a new industry standard. Commenting on the partnership, Mr. Jeffrey Goh, Chief Executive Officer of Gulf Air Group, said: “We are excited about this partnership that opens new digital distribution avenues for Gulf Air products. The integration of the NDC system with Almatar’s platform will enhance operational efficiency and improve the way the airline delivers exceptional services to our customers. Gulf Air is dedicated to adopting modern technology to offer flexible and user-friendly travel solutions, solidifying our competitive edge in regional and global markets.” Mr. Goh added that this partnership is a part of Gulf Air’s broader vision of achieving full digital transformation, improving the overall travel experience, and delivering innovative services that meet the expectations of modern travelers. The NDC integration will ensure easier and more transparent access to Gulf Air’s extensive range of services and products. Mr. Youssef Abdullah Al Rajhi, Chairman of Almatar, expressed pride in this partnership, …

Travelport announced it has signed a multi-year renewal agreement with Delta Air Lines, including NDC content. The top U.S. airline is collaborating with Travelport on the integration of its NDC solution into Travelport+ to support Delta’s selling and servicing transformation. “We value our long-term partnership with Travelport and are pleased to extend our full content agreement, as well as make Delta’s NDC technology solution available to all of Travelport’s agency customers,” said Jeff Lobl, Managing Director, Distribution Strategy and Agency Sales Programs at Delta Air Lines. “Together, we aim to create value by ensuring customers are presented with the best options to fit their needs for a better, more personalized shopping experience.” To help agencies solve challenges with comparing NDC offers alongside traditional content, Travelport recently debuted its Content Curation Layer (CCL). Travelport’s CCL uses artificial intelligence (AI) and machine-learning (ML) to sift through aggregated, multi-source content and return the right range of accurate, highly intuitive search results that are normalized and easier for agents and travelers to understand. CCL is the latest enhancement to the Travelport+ platform, simplifying the delivery of retail-ready content from partners like Delta and presenting tailored options to agency customers and the end-traveler. “Our renewed agreement with Delta underscores our shared commitment to modernizing travel retail for agents and travelers with a seamless, personalized shopping and servicing experience,” said Damian Hickey, Global Head of Travel Partners at Travelport. “As we prepare for the future delivery of Delta’s NDC content, our ability to deliver multi-source content in a retail-ready way ensures that agents and travelers will be able to easily shop and compare all of Delta’s product offerings in one place.”

Sabre Corporation partnered with Diwan of Royal Court, Royal Court Affairs, and Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Sultanate of Oman to deliver a series of workshops. These sessions are designed to support the Omani government’s broader digital transformation initiative by upskilling the travel management departments within these entities, enhancing operational efficiency, and automating manual processes. Held at Sabre’s regional headquarters in Bahrain, these two weeks of training sessions represent the first collaboration of this kind between Sabre and the Omani government, reaffirming Sabre’s leadership in Oman’s government travel sector. Building on a 15-year partnership, Sabre has supported these key Omani government entities with advanced solutions to elevate their travel management capabilities. This collaboration is the latest milestone, offering a training program that equips teams with the skills to use advanced tools like Sabre 360 Graphical View and New Distribution Capability (NDC). It also emphasizes best practices to drive efficiency, reduce costs, and enhance operational excellence. “We are proud to be partnering with the Omani government on this initiative, which is a testament to our commitment to empowering governments with advanced technology, tools and training,” said Ramzi Al Qassab, Managing Director, Sabre Travel Network Middle East. “By equipping the Omani government with the skills to leverage our advanced tools, we are not only enhancing their operational efficiency but also reinforcing the trust and reliability that have been the foundation of our partnership for over a decade. This collaboration exemplifies Sabre’s role in helping governments achieve their strategic goals, including cost savings and operational excellence.” As Oman pioneers its ambitious digital transformation, it is the first government in the region to launch such a strategic training program to modernize the travel …

IndiGo has reached an agreement with travel technology leader Amadeus to provide travel sellers around the world with access to the airline’s NDC content via the Amadeus Travel Platform. IndiGo has decided to rely on Amadeus for its unique and robust offering, which combines state-of-the-art airline and distribution technology with an unmatched market reach. The airline, which will carry more than 110 million passengers in 2024 and has growth ambitions backed by one of the largest aircraft order books in the industry, will strengthen its competitive edge through access to new markets and customer segments, thanks to Amadeus’ 96% global market coverage of NDC-ready travel sellers across the globe. NDC technology, with its standardized messaging is a game changer in the distribution landscape. It opens up new opportunities for airlines to distribute their content to travel sellers even more efficiently and elevate their retailing to the next level. For corporate clients and travel agencies, NDC simplifies the booking process by providing direct access to IndiGo’s full range of products. This not only streamlines operations but also delivers the ability to offer exclusive deals and promotions tailored to individual traveler profiles. With the Amadeus NDC capabilities and the seamless integration with the airline’s IT systems powered by Navitaire, IndiGo is able to build dynamically price-tailored offers and expose them to customers – boosting ancillary sales and optimizing the customer experience, regardless of which sales channel they choose quickly and efficiently. Indigo is already live with NDC booking and servicing capabilities in UAE and Singapore with other markets to follow. IndiGo’s commitment to embracing NDC technology reflects its dedication to innovation and customer satisfaction. By providing greater access and reach of its products …

South America’s Latam Airlines announced that it is now available on the APG platform, APG’s NDC portal. This enables full ticketing solutions to thousands of travel agencies in more than 120 countries including the possibility to add ancillary services, such as bags, during the booking process. The network further allows to offer a more personalized and efficient purchasing experience with better fares, improving transparency and expanding service capabilities. Richard Burgess, President of APG Network and Sandrine de Saint Sauveur, President & CEO of APG Inc, along with Mohamed Jassim Al Rais, Prem Sagar, and members of the APG GULF team at their office in Dubai. “We are delighted to start this new collaboration with LATAM. It will offer a lot of new opportunities to our client agents by opening up for them the entire LATAM network. By adding this airline content, we are making available one of the top ranked airlines in the world. 100% of LATAM’s product offering is available through our NDC Platform and more functionalities will be coming soon.” said Richard Burgess President of APG Association. Under this agreement, APG Platform and LATAM Airlines provide a full ticketing solution to thousands of travel agencies in more than 120 countries, including the possibility to add ancillary services, such as bags, during the booking process. “We are excited to announce this agreement that deepens our relationship with APG and marks an important milestone in our distribution strategy. The implementation of NDC by LATAM through the APG network allows us to offer a more personalized and efficient purchasing experience with better fares, improving transparency and expanding our service capabilities. With APG as a partner, we are confident that we will …

Sabre Corporation and Spotnana announced a significant expansion of their existing partnership with the integration of Sabre’s New Distribution Capability (NDC) content. This extended collaboration empowers travel management companies (TMCs) and corporate travelers with a wider range of travel options, including personalized offers and bundled services. This not only simplifies the booking experience but also provides TMCs and corporate buyers with increased flexibility in choosing how to source and manage NDC content. The integration seamlessly blends NDC content with existing booking functionalities within Spotnana’s Travel-as-a-Service platform. TMCs can effortlessly compare and book NDC offers alongside traditional options, streamlining the entire booking process. Spotnana’s platform also supports comprehensive NDC servicing capabilities, ensuring a smooth post-booking experience. “Spotnana is committed to delivering a frictionless travel experience for corporate travelers, and this expanded partnership with Sabre is a significant step forward,” said Bill Brindle, Vice President, Content and Commercials at Spotnana “By integrating Sabre’s NDC content, we’re empowering travel management companies to offer their clients a wider variety of flight options, including more choices for amenities and preferred seating, while streamlining the shopping booking process..” This partnership reinforces both companies’ commitment to an open platform approach. Spotnana’s travel platform works with any source of content, including NDC content from multiple providers, allowing TMCs to thrive in a dynamic landscape. Sabre’s API-first approach allows travel agencies, corporations and online booking tools to flexibly access the content from leading airlines, striking the right balance between personalization, policy and price. “Sabre is a leader in NDC adoption, and we are constantly seeking new ways to bring the benefits of this technology to the corporate travel sector,” said Kathy Morgan, Vice President, Product Management at Sabre Travel Solutions. …

Sabre Corporation announced the availability of Etihad Airways’ New Distribution Capability (NDC) content through Sabre’s global travel marketplace. The addition of Etihad Airways expands Sabre’s footprint of Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region based NDC airlines and broadens travel agencies’ access to real-time content based on offers and orders. Initially, the launch will be rolled out to agencies in Oman and Bahrain, allowing them to shop, book, and service the airline’s NDC offers, with a broader rollout to follow. By integrating and normalizing NDC offers, Sabre gives travel agencies and corporate buyers an efficient way to shop, compare, book and service Etihad’s NDC offers alongside the airline’s traditional options by using application programming interfaces (APIs), Sabre’s travel agency booking application, Sabre Red 360, and Sabre’s online booking tool, GetThere. The airline’s NDC content may include more personalized and diverse travel options, richer content, dynamic pricing, and more customized travel solutions that cater to an increasing demand for tailored travel experiences. “We are excited about the addition of Etihad Airways’ NDC content to our travel marketplace, which demonstrates our ongoing commitment to providing the content our customers want and the scalable capabilities they need,” said Jean-Vincent Teuler, Vice President, Airline Sales for EMEA region at Sabre. “This initiative highlights our dedication to innovation and to operating a compelling travel marketplace that provides efficient access to multiple sources of content, including NDC.” Sabre is one of only a few companies that provide NDC capabilities to address both distribution and airline IT needs. Recently, the company announced SabreMosaicTM, a new passenger service system (PSS)-agnostic offer and order-based airline retailing platform that will help accelerate carriers’ ability to create and retail dynamic, …

Travelport and Emirates announced that New Distribution Capability (NDC) content from Emirates and enhanced NDC servicing capabilities are now available in the Travelport+ platform. With this launch, Travelport’s agency customers will be able to easily view and compare more dynamic NDC offers and ancillaries from Emirates and create a more streamlined, personalized experience for travelers. Travelport’s complete NDC solution for Emirates also provides agents the ability to service NDC bookings, which includes modifications and cancellations. “Agencies using Travelport+ will now have access to better, more enriched content that is only available via the Emirates NDC channel,” said Adnan Kazim, Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer at Emirates. “The integration of our systems will strengthen the expansion of our reach across the global travel retail community and allow them to offer travelers more choice among our best-in-class products and services.” “We are leading the way in delivering Emirates’ NDC content to travel retailers and giving agents the ability to compare and book the best offers and ancillaries available from Emirates on Travelport+,” said Jason Clarke, Chief Commercial Officer, Travel Partners at Travelport. “This pivotal NDC milestone with Emirates proves Travelport is at the forefront of modern retailing with our ability to provide the best content and cutting-edge tools that agents require to create superior booking and servicing experiences for their customers.” Travelport’s NDC content and servicing solution for Emirates has first become available to all agency customers located in Australia, Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom. Access to Emirates NDC solution in Travelport+ will expand to agency customers located in additional countries in the coming weeks.

Oman Air has unveiled a significant enhancement to its distribution capabilities, ushering in a new era of convenience and choice partnering with Accelya. The airline has introduced cutting-edge functionality that will enable its trade partners to seamlessly manage their customers’ travel needs. Part of the airline’s ambitious retail transformation programme, it leverages the latest IATA New Distribution Capability (NDC) technology, representing a substantial advancement from the previous booking tools available to travel agents. “NDC stands as a pivotal tool, empowering us with enhanced flexibility and control over our distribution channels. Oman Air’s NDC journey has yielded significant growth in recent years and our partnership with Accelya marks an important milestone in this journey,” commented Con Korfiatis, Chief Executive Officer of Oman Air. “Not only does the new upgrade support us to streamline our customer experience and enable us to scale up and provide more robust services, it also represents a significant reduction in our distribution costs, paving the way for more efficient operations and revenue diversification.” Sam Gilliland, Chief Executive Officer at Accelya, added “We are delighted that Oman Air has chosen Accelya to take control of their retailing future and help them on the journey to Offer & Order transformation. More and more airlines, covering a range of scale and operating models, are choosing Accelya’s FLX Platform due to our track record of delivering fast, impactful results. Our partnership with Oman Air is an example of how Accelya is leading the market in modern retail solutions and bringing the benefits of our technology to customers across the travel industry.” In addition to enhancing its distribution capabilities, Oman Air is bolstering its loyalty system, also powered by Accelya, with enriched …

Almosafer announced the expansion of its partnership with Amadeus into new verticals at the Arabian Travel Market. As part of the broadened collaboration, Almosafer will integrate Amadeus’ NDC (New Distribution Capability) technology, to help drive the industrialization of NDC, ensuring that all actors make the most of the benefits of NDC, through the distribution of new differentiated and relevant content. The collaboration will enable Almosafer to deliver more customized and targeted content and enhanced digital marketing capabilities by leveraging Amadeus’ accurate data analysis. The expansion of the long-standing partnership between the two companies is testimony to Almosafer’s commitment to accelerate travel retailing through innovative technology. By leveraging their IT and distribution synergies, Amadeus NDC [X] programme fosters cross-industry collaboration between airline and travel seller partners, enriching and enhancing customer experience on the travel agencies’ side while allowing airlines to tailor offers using latest merchandising techniques. In keeping with Almosafer’s focus on being future-ready and providing a seamless experience for their customers, the updated collaboration will enable the travel company to further boost their implementation of NDC-enabled Travel API solution to target more personalised products to customers. Tarique Khatri, Chief Commercial Officer of Almosafer, said: “At Almosafer we have always been at the forefront of harnessing the power of technological innovations to drive customer satisfaction. Our holistic association with Amadeus over the years has enabled us to offer travellers a seamless experience across our digital portals and with the addition of Amadeus’ NDC technology we hope to further our ambitions to provide more targeted personalised content for our customers.” Jamel Chandoul, SVP Travel Sellers, Middle East, Africa, Türkiye, and Central Asia at Amadeus: “Our mission at Amadeus is to make the travel …