Lufthansa has announced its first global OTA partner for its New Distribution Capability digital partner programme is Amsterdam-based Travix.
Heike Birlenbach, senior vice president sales for Lufthansa Group Hub Airlines, said the deal “symbolises what is still to come and what direction we would like to go”.
The Travix partnership will see the online agency take Lufthansa’s rich content through the new Farelogix NCD Iata data standard.
This will allow it to dynamically create personalised deals for its customers and merchandise Lufthansa fares as the airline is able to do on its own website.
Birlenbach said Travix was chosen to pioneer the relationship because it shared the carrier’s vision that the future of distribution is all about the customer.
She said: “We have to recognise that we have to have an appropriate offer available for what the customer wants.
“We have to make sure we meet changing customer expectations and the individual needs of our customers. The digital world gives us so many more opportunities today we have not had in the past.”
Birlenbach said more features and functionality to its NDC partner programme will be added to the partnership over time.
“There is more to come. We want to reach out to partners and also look for technology partnerships because we believe this journey is only at the beginning.
“There is more to come with dynamic pricing and offers. We need NDC to be structured to provide these to our customers.”
Birlenbach said Lufthansa has “limited reach” on its own platform and needed partners like Travix to help it differentiate its offering.
The airline has over 35 technology providers connected. Recently it launched NDC SmartFares that offers a lowest price guarantee and a three-click booking path.
John Mangelaars, chief executive of Travix International, said: “This is a unique opportunity to modernize the air travel distribution towards a customer centric experience.
“Travix was a key driver and early adopter to show the Lufthansa Group’s customized fare bundles and to display its rich content.
“Based on the Lufthansa Group NDC Offer & Order Management System, both partners follow their path to innovate and manifest their leading role in an evolving market place.”
Travix is among the largest travel companies in the world when it comes to online sales of flight tickets.
The firm and its various brands—CheapTickets.nl, Vliegwinkel.nl, BudgetAir.com, Flugladen.de and Vayama.com—operate in 40 countries.