Global TMC BCD Travel has been designated Level 3 NDC certification by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
The certification confirms the scope and level of a company’s capability to receive and send XML-based communications from and to airlines using IATA’s NDC standards.
NDC is designed to allow airlines to differentiate and sell their products via third-party intermediaries, such as GDSs, aggregators and TMCs, or direct to customers.
BCD says achieving Level 3 certification is the latest step in its goal to deliver NDC content to its clients. The TMC has previously struck channel booking deals with Qantas, Air France KLM, British Airways and Iberia. It claims to have been the first global TMC to sign an NDC agreement with Lufthansa Group. The company also participates in the Amadeus NDC-X, Sabre Beyond NDC and Travelport NDC programmes, which all aim to develop the use of the new standards across the travel ecosystem.
Thane Jackson, senior VP of distribution strategy at BCD Travel, commented: “As an industry leader in shaping multi-source content and distribution strategy, our emphasis is on the benefits to our customers. Seven years into NDC’s development, we see more activity within the IATA Leaderboard airlines [carriers that have set a target to deliver at least 20 per cent of their indirect bookings through NDC-capable channels by 2020]. This, in turn, means greater traction for NDC overall as the airline content distribution standard of the future.”
Jackson added: “We’re committed to continuing to source the content that’s relevant to our clients’ programmes. But NDC isn’t a ‘one and done’ project for BCD or any other party in the distribution chain. Significant steps have been taken toward providing content via NDC connectivity at scale – but challenges and limitations remain in addressing the multiple integration points, including third-party booking tools, reporting and duty of care requirements of complex corporate travel. We look forward to continuing to work with clients to mitigate the impact of those limitations, and with our industry partners to move past them.”
BCD Travel has released a dedicated NDC website and a white paper to outline its distribution strategy.
bcdtravel.com