The Airline Tariff Publishing Company (ATPCO) and SITA have announced that several airlines have signed up to participate in NDC exchange, a platform that bridges the gap between IATA’s New Distribution Capability (NDC) and traditional distribution methods.
British Airways, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, the carriers of the LATAM group and Finnair will all participate in the community platform, which enables API connectivity between airlines and sellers such as GDSs, travel agents, aggregators, OTAs and TMCs.
NDC Exchange – a collaborative project between ATPCO and SITA – supports shopping, booking and servicing workflows and enables cross-selling of ancillary services between airlines and among carriers and sellers.
It works by ‘normalising’ messages regardless of version or format, creating ‘interoperability’ across the distribution ecosystem. It facilitates real-time XML message translation, allowing airlines and sellers to connect to the platform regardless of the API schema or standard. Once connected, carriers have access to all connected sellers and vice versa.
Rich Miller, general manager for North America at corporate booking platform Serko, commented: “By connecting to NDC Exchange we have access to these first movers, as well as other airlines as they join. By building a single connection to NDC Exchange, we are being more efficient with our development resources, letting us focus on customer experience rather than content acquisition. We’re excited about the momentum this is getting and can’t wait for the next airline.”
Graham Wareham, director of products and solutions at ATPCO, said: “NDC Exchange is a unique industry platform that allows airlines and sellers to advance their NDC programmes at a pace that best suits their business needs. With the addition of these five world-class airlines to Air Canada, the exchange now has become a compelling part of the NDC ecosystem. With one simple connection, sellers and other airlines can easily access all five carriers.”
atpco.net; sita.aero