At Amadeus, we work to apply innovative ideas to meet new needs, to solve real challenges, to identify opportunities that build better traveler experiences. The roll-out of New Distribution Capability (NDC) is a pivotal example; it has the potential to reshape significant segments of our industry for the better.
At Amadeus, we work to apply innovative ideas to meet new needs, to solve real challenges, to identify opportunities that build better traveler experiences. The roll-out of New Distribution Capability (NDC) is a pivotal example; it has the potential to reshape significant segments of our industry for the better.
We have been involved in the development of NDC from the start, using our place at the center of the travel ecosystem to drive adoption. We enable an open environment to deliver the best solutions. As a result, it has never been easier to search and book for flights, comparing both EDIFACT and NDC-sourced content.
Working closely with our partners around the world, we have continuously enhanced and evolved Amadeus Selling Platform Connect, our travel professionals’ solution. Today, agents can more easily meet the evolving needs of travelers, with game-changing services at their fingertips; offering both inspiring, and inspired, choices to travelers who want journeys without stress and experiences without fuss – and unlock the potential of NDC.
Today, NDC-sourced content is as seamless to book and service as any other type of content. Below are four ways we are helping travel sellers to make the most of it:
1. Improving the booking flow
For our solution enhancements, we always prioritize simplicity and efficiency so that travel sellers can run a profitable business and service their customers efficiently. Right from the start, we made sure it was easy for travel agents to search and compare content from any source, such as EDIFAC or NDC-sourced content, all on one merged display. More and more airlines are now providing content via NDC, but there are still many differences in HOW they do it. To mitigate any inconvenience from this, we have continued to develop a normalized booking flow across the board, so that travel sellers can book and service different airlines’ content via all different sources in the same way.
To make it even faster and easier for travel sellers to find what they’re looking for, we’ve also added new filtering and sorting capabilities, and additional search options for improved results.
It’s no secret that many travel sellers prefer using cryptic over graphical interfaces. Based on our customer feedback, we’ve made updates to help with this transition. NDC technology requires a graphical environment for search and booking, but we’ve enabled elements such as PNR management from the cryptic command page so travel sellers can have the best of both worlds: one merged, graphical display to easily search, compare and book flights, and a cryptic command page to make all other booking requirements and updates, as well as add other content types such as hotels, rental cars etc.
2. Enhancing merchandising
Whether we’re looking for films on Netflix, browsing for music on Spotify, or shopping on Amazon, we’re all used to personalized content. Why should planning a trip be any different? With the NDC technology, customization can reach a new level and paves the way for a new type of retailing for travel. It allows for new ways of bundling offers, offers can be tailormade built on contextual information, or be presented to travel sellers or travelers in a richer, more informative way thanks to images, more detailed information and more.
While we don’t see this at scale just yet, we see the first steps, and we are gearing our Selling Platform Connect to embrace these new possibilities for our customers to make the most of them. Today, whichever extra service or ancillary an airline is offering through NDC can be easily booked and easily paid for, for one or multiple passengers using the previous form of payment or a new one, making the process easy for travel sellers.
Improved merchandising and retailing is a win-win for everyone: airlines can stand out in a crowded market, travel sellers can offer their customers a more personalized service, and travelers can get exactly what they want and need.
3. Simplifying service and exchange
The ability to cancel, exchange, and rebook flights has always been important for our travel seller customers, particularly in corporate travel, and after the unpredictable few years we’ve had. And the significance for travel sellers to have advanced servicing and exchange capabilities does not change just because there are now new ways to distribute content.
Fortunately, the exchange process with NDC-sourced content is very simple and can be performed in just a few clicks in Selling Platform Connect. We currently support both voluntary and involuntary changes, and the process has been simplified and streamlined to make it easier for travel sellers. Additionally, travel sellers can add ancillary services all along the booking flow.
There are countless use cases for servicing and exchange—too many to list here. While we don’t cover 100% of use cases, we cover most of them, from the simplest to the more complex. And some might no longer be relevant, thanks to the pure nature of NDC.
Knowing how important service and exchange capabilities are, we continue to work with our airline and travel seller partners to create understandings and processes necessary for NDC to be fully adopted by all Travel Management companies and travel sellers.
4. Ensuring integration and compatibility in the travel seller ecosystem
As the old saying goes, if it’s not broken don’t fix it. NDC is a new technology with new opportunities, but that doesn’t mean that the existing one is of no use. On the contrary, this is why we are reusing technology originally created for EDIFACT in new and creative ways, building deep integrations into the travel seller’s current technical ecosystem and making sure that existing tools and processes can be used also with NDC-sourced content. For example, travel sellers can book content via NDC while benefiting from their existing customer profiles, still get PNRs with a confirmed segment, receive similar mid- and back-office messaging, and capitalize on interoperability between different Amadeus solutions. It is a driving force for us to increase our travel seller partners’ efficiency and profitability, regardless of the content source they choose.
We also know our travel sellers aren’t just working with Selling Platform Connect. They may be servicing corporates via an online booking tool – ours or one developed by themselves using the Travel API - and smooth interoperability between these solutions is essential, both for service quality as well as operational efficiency. That’s why we have designed our solution to be platform agnostic and consistent across all channels. This means that a corporate traveler can book their travel using Cytric by Amadeus or the TMC’s online tool and the travel agency can come back later to finish or service their booking on Selling Platform Connect. So, regardless of whatever NDC-enabled solution you choose, you will have access to Amadeus’ full swath of NDC - and EDIFACT - sourced content from around the world and the capabilities to seamlessly manage the bookings.
Travel sellers shouldn’t have to adopt a completely new way of working to incorporate what is technically a new messaging standard. At the same time, with new technologies comes new opportunities, and sometimes we have to adapt some old practices to benefit from them.
At Amadeus we are 100% committed to bringing all the potential that NDC can deliver to the ecosystem, so that all stakeholders can make the most of the new potential. We do that by evolving the old and embracing the new.
Amadeus is continually working to make the experience of travel better for everyone – driving innovation, connecting the ecosystem and putting the traveler at the heart of everything we do. Modern retailing enabled by NDC has a vital role to play on this journey.
You will find the next blog in our "Accelerating modern retailing" series here.
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