
We're starting to see more come out of various travel company NDC projects including news from all three GDSs in recent weeks.
Travelport announced it is launching fee-free GDS bookings this autumn through content sourced by an NDC API, while Sabre has signed up American Airlines, American Express GBT, Carlson Wagonlit and Flight Centre Travel Group as launch partners for its Beyond NDC programme. Sabre's NDC APIs will also launch by the end of the year. Amex and CWT have also joined Amadeus's NDC-X programme and the tech provider reached its Level 3 IATA certification a few weeks ago.
Speaking back in May Kathy Morgan, VP of Sabre's Beyond NDC programme made it clear that companies have to move past the technical standard to build value and capabilities. She used an analogy of the human body, saying certification is like knowing the anatomy of the body but not the surgery to make it work or fix it.
"Airline APIs are really good at shop, book and pay but not much else; what about changes or workflow processes which are important in the corporate space?," she explained. "What's underappreciated is the final hook to airline operations systems [to ensure] the traveller gets the lounge pass or extra legroom."
Rodrigo Celis, VP product management of Sabre Airline Solutions added: "Airlines are dividing personas and customer segments into products and prices — they're thinking like retailers and bundling to the channel, segment or price. Dynamic pricing is not so easy to execute but will be smarter on pricing and offer in value."
Some TMCs are concerned about which content will be made available to them but Morgan says agencies themselves also have to choose which content is valuable to them and travellers. Several TMCs have chosen to integrate more content for example ATPI's Ticket Window system now pulls NDC content from airlines not currently in the GDS, while UK TMC CTI booked its first NDC booking with British Airways this week.
Also it must be remembered that IATA set out its own statement that 20 airlines will commit to 20% sales through NDC by 2020 — which means a lot of content will stay outside of this new means for some time. Morgan is not even optimistic that all 20 will hit that target.