Travelport has outlined plans to extend its content offering to airlines using the Iata New Distribution Capability (NDC) standard.
This will enable travel agency customers to access the content via Travelport’s platform.
Agencies will be able to connect via the Travelport platform in a single workflow combining traditional content and new NDC content.
They will be enhanced and optimised continuously based on the evaluation of users and customers.
Travelport was the first GDS operator to achieve Iata’s highest certification as an NDC Level 3 Aggregator in December.
The company is now consolidating and extending its lead by “industrialising” its NDC capability and incorporating NDC content within its suite of offerings for airlines and travel agencies.
Travelport plans to include NDC content within an initial set of products:
• An industrialised connection for airlines that connects via NDC-standard APIs
• A point of sale companion application for travel agencies that offers NDC-enabled content alongside the GDS workflow in the Travelport Smartpoint desktop. This integrated app will be launched from Travelport Smartpoint for ease of use alongside the existing processes and will be ready in the second half of 2018
• Shortly afterwards a first fully integrated search, book and manage function, combining NDC-connected content and GDS content in the same workflow, will be offered to travel agency customers on the latest Travelport solutions including Travelport’s next generation API Trip Services
This integrated display and search response will be the foundation for all future releases, both through API and desktop.
The NDC-enabled content will augment already extensive API content within Travelport’s airline merchandising suite.
Travelport already connects to 24 airlines through APIs and expects to announce the first of many NDC-enabled airline partnerships “very soon”.
NDC integration is being developed in collaboration with a select number of agents and airlines who are providing continuous feedback. The group includes major agencies such as Travix and BidTravel.
The partnerships will enable Travelport to ensure its NDC integration serves the needs of all of its stakeholders as this product suite evolves.
Chief commercial officer Stephen Shurrock said: “Building on our unique NDC Level 3 status we are extending our range of products ready for the new mixed-economy era of airline distribution. Travelport has a rich history of innovation and, with our NDC-enabled products, we intend to maintain this as we seamlessly, speedily and accurately deliver the broadest range of bookable content to our customers.”
Iata NDC programme director Yanik Hoyles added: “Following its achievement as the first GDS to become NDC Level 3 certified as an aggregator, we congratulate Travelport on its continued progress in developing products for this new era and look forward to their initial launch later this year.”