Business Travel Direct has become the first TMC to book British Airways’ NDC fares for clients through the SAP Concur booking tool.
As a preferred TMC partner of SAP Concur in the UK, Business Travel Direct says it works closely with the technology provider when developing new functionality.
The NDC standard gives airlines more direct access to distribute fares through third parties such as TMCs and online booking tools. Some carriers, including BA, have introduced a surcharge on indirect bookings, such as those made through the GDS, to encourage the use of NDC and direct channels.
According to Business Travel Direct, the BA NDC bookings confirm its commitment to offering a range of rates and options for bookers and travellers.
Andrew Burroughes, product and implementation director for the TMC, said: “We’re very much focused on keeping ahead of the curve. The advent of NDC marks a shift in the landscape of business travel. It’s a hot topic and one that’s only going to become more prevalent.
“Being the first TMC to have made live NDC bookings with British Airways through SAP Concur really does prove our ability to stay relevant and future-proof our offering to clients. And we’re making these bookings with clients on a daily basis now. It’s both a testament to our unique, collaborative relationship with SAP Concur and a demonstration of our unparalleled in-house technical capability.”
Pierre-Emmanuel Tetaz, SVP and GM, EMEA, at SAP Concur, commented: “Business travel is a fast-moving industry, with corporate customers always on the look-out for advantages and new ways of working to benefit their travellers. Rather than waiting for NDC content to be enabled on the GDS system, especially with carriers surcharging and limiting inventory in that channel, many travel managers want access to this content as early as possible and through the tools and TMCs that they operate with.”
Ian Luck, head of distribution at BA, added: “Corporate booking tools are a key enabler for corporate customers to book British Airways through NDC, and ensure our corporates have access to NDC-enabled content. We are delighted that Business Travel Direct has chosen to work with SAP Concur and connect a number of their clients to NDC when booking in Concur Travel. This highlights some of the great progress that is being made with NDC in the corporate travel space in our centenary year.”
businesstraveldirect.co.uk; concur.co.uk; ba.com