Emirates has announced that it will introduce a surcharge of between US$14 and US$25 per ticket on all bookings made via global distribution systems (GDS) from 1 July 2021. It will also launch exclusive rich content and services for travel agent partners on its NDC-enabled direct connect platform, Emirates Gateway, on the same day.
Agencies not signed up to the Emirates Gateway, which was launched in October last year, can continue to access Emirates’ legacy content through Amadeus, Travelport, Travelsky, Infini and Sirena.
From 1 July, the following NDC content will be available via Emirates Gateway:
- Differentiated ticket pricing such as dedicated promotional fares and pre-sale
- Ability to sell excess baggage, enabling enhanced customer experience
- Access to rich content
- Differentiated pricing for select ancillary services
- Faster access to new ancillary products
Emirates’ NDC content can be accessed through the Emirates Booking Portal, Emirates Gateway Direct APIs and Emirates Gateway Sync, a facilitated link by IATA-registered, Emirates-certified technology partners.
Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ chief commercial officer, said: “Our goal is to empower our trade partners to deliver even better customer experiences, and we are pleased to introduce the next batch of new exclusive features and benefits for them on Emirates Gateway, which was launched to address the limitations of current legacy systems and provide a wide range of additional content and options for agents.
“We are heartened by the support and positive feedback that we’ve received from our trade and GDS partners to date. Emirates firmly believes in healthy, long-term relationships with all players in the travel eco-system, and we will continue to work hard to nurture the relationships that we’ve built through the years by providing great value and service.”