Independent travel management companies who are members of the Advantage Travel Partnership will be able to offer their clients NDC content from more than 25 airlines after the consortium signed a deal with Germany’s AirGateway.
As part of the deal, Advantage members will be given free access to AirGateway’s NDC agency desktop tool Bookingpad although there will a charge incurred per transaction. Using the platform will avoid the GDS surcharges that some carriers impose on indirect bookings.
Julia Lo Bue-Said, CEO of the Advantage Travel Partnership, said: “Given the changing face of airline distribution, this new partnership with AirGateway is of great importance to Advantage and our members. With many airlines changing strategies in the current environment, it is imperative our members have access to the greatest range of content as possible, to remain competitive and agile when the market returns.”
“This new partnership enhances our robust Advantage Airline programme, which gives all Advantage members the potential to currently access nett fares from around 50 airlines, from a list that is continually growing. Our nett fare programme provides both members and our airline partners with an efficient infrastructure to manage their airline nett fare content.”
AirGateway’s CEO Jorge Diaz said the deal would expand the adoption of NDC in “the most complex and fragmented corporate travel market in Europe”.
FCM last week announced the roll-out of Lufthansa's NDC-driven continuous pricing initiative in Germany and the UK.