Travel agencies
and travel management companies using Travelport will be able to sign up to two
different commercial models for accessing the NDC content of Lufthansa Group airlines
from 2022.
The companies have
announced a new distribution agreement covering Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian Airlines, Brussels
Airlines and Air Dolomiti which will see NDC content disrtributed through the
Travelport+ retailing platform.
Agencies will be able to
sign up to either the NDC Public or NDC Bilateral model. The NDC Public model
will offer access to a limited amount of NDC content but in return for a reduced
distribution cost charge. The Bilateral model will offer access to the
full range of content at a higher fee; the agency will need to sign bilateral
agreements with both the airlines and Travelport.
“Especially in these times of crisis and when creating additional
customer value through advanced technology proves to be more important than
ever, we are doubling down on our long-term NDC strategy”, said Tamur Goudarzi
Pour, senior vice president channel management at Lufthansa Group and chief commercial
officer Swiss. “This future-oriented agreement allows a maximum level of
flexibility.”
Jason Clarke, chief commercial officer, travel partners at Travelport, said:
“Expanding our longstanding partnership with Lufthansa Group airlines to
include NDC content, with the retailing possibilities it offers, is a
significant stride forward. Managing multiple sources of content and merchandising
them effectively with personalised and dynamic offers is exactly what
Travelport+ has been built for.”