Michael Gloor is senior director sales France and Benelux at Lufthansa Group. Following moves in the airline group's distribution strategy, Gloor will take part in a panel at the Business Travel Summit Amsterdam discussing NDC and airline direct connects in travel programmes.
NDC - a good or bad thing? What's the most important thing buyers should be aware of?
We at the Lufthansa Group believe that NDC is a fantastic opportunity for the industry. This is a great chance for buyers to become actively involved now, in shaping the usage of this standard in this crucial phase. With that in mind, we are really looking forward to the dialogue at this conference.
What's the biggest challenge facing buyers now and why?
The more booking options become available to the corporate traveller, the more relevant it becomes for the travel buyer to manage all interfaces and to enforce compliance within the travel policy. Therefore, a standard like NDC, which is rapidly gaining ground at various distribution technology providers and suppliers, is really good news; it facilitates the integration of content from various sources and airlines into e.g. an online booking tool or the expense reporting environment.
What's the biggest opportunity they should be taking advantage of and why?
Corporate buyers will be able to proactively negotiate beyond the price point and tailor our wide range of offerings to their travellers' needs. The idea would be to eventually offer various employee groups relevant corporate bundles in an interactive way. For some target groups this could be a powerful method for employee branding and talent acquisition.
Why are you looking forward to BT Summit Amsterdam?
We clearly see momentum in the deployment and level of attention that NDC is currently receiving. By being here on behalf of the Lufthansa Group, I would like to hear your ideas, identify your priorities and needs and use your input as we are moving along with our developments. We believe this is the right time to engage in collaboration and move forward together.