The Institute of Travel Management (ITM) has called for greater transparency and collaboration around New Distribution Capability (NDC) models as part of an airline retailing guide, released this week at Business Travel Show Europe, to support corporate travel buyers navigate changes to airline distribution.
The guide is the initial output from ITM’s newly-formed Distribution Taskforce, which was established in April.
The UK-based organisation said the resource has a “dual purpose” to help travel buyers with the transition to NDC models and also to “elevate their combined voice” to increase the supply chain’s understanding of the intricacies of a managed travel programme.
Scott Davies, CEO, ITM, said: “The aim of ITM’s Distribution Taskforce was not to provide a case against change in retailing models, as we all agree with and support the need for our industry to evolve. However, the recent acceleration in airline distribution changes has been very challenging for many travel managers and the buyer’s voice and requirements have been very much missing from supplier strategies.”
The guide advises travel buyers to “question very carefully” each player in their supply chain to future-proof access to content from preferred carriers, and suggests a corporate’s chosen TMC should be “the starting point for all questions”.
Another element of the guide is the ‘Recommended Supplier Methodology’, which aims to provide “high-level guidelines” for new distribution strategy roll outs by suppliers. The methodology recommends steps suppliers should follow when implementing an alternative retailing strategy to take the corporate buyer’s needs into account.
The guide also includes actions that travel managers can take to communicate with internal stakeholders such as travellers and senior management and recommends additional questions buyers should ask of suppliers, including their online booking tool and airline partners.