Amadeus is making NDC-enabled content available around the world in 2021.
Last year marked a significant milestone in the industry’s New Distribution Capability (NDC) journey – it was the year that NDC really took off and began to scale up, taking digital travel retailing to the next level.
Are corporations ready to reap thebenefits ?
As often with change, there are mixed reactions... but for those who prefer to ‘wait and see’, there is a risk of getting left behind. For corporations the time to start thinking about how to innovate with NDC is now.
That's why we have created a new guide called,“Are you having the right conversations about NDC with your Online Booking Tool (OBT) provider?” so corporations can take the best decision for their business with regards to incorporating NDC-sourced content into their programs. Based on this guide, I want to demystify some common misconceptions around NDC so that organizations can get the most out of this new technology.
MYTH #1: Airlines are the only beneficiaries of NDC
NDC benefits everyone throughout the travel chain, as it enables airlines to tailor their offer to best suit the needs of the traveler or corporation.
This means airlines can better and more efficiently serve corporations and business travelers who might have special requests around luggage, food options, WiFi, or any other service. This increased level of personalization can be based on corporate policies, historical and real-time data, or the context. For example, tall business travelers could be offered a seat with extra leg room. With NDC, this kind of information is included at an earlier stage, when the travel seller sends the request to the airline, thereby making it much more practical to tailor the offer. Meanwhile, NDC simplifies how corporate travel managers can negotiate bundles for certain groups of travelers including lounge access and speedy boarding. This means employees don’t have to book, and then expense these extras separately.
With NDC, travel agents and travel managers gain access to a wider range of content and richer information to offer to business travelers. This builds a deeper relationship with airlines as it opens up the door to negotiate with them in a way that’s more relevant to their travel programs.
That’s why, now is the time to ramp up conversations on NDC – corporations should let airlines know what offers their travelers need based on their policy.
MYTH #2: NDC and the personalised content it will bring will encourage travelers to book more expensive flights
Now, more than ever, every euro spent on travel must be used wisely to maximize thecontribution to a company’s bottom line. Corporations have expressed concerns over higher spend from NDC bookings and personalization, but it does not have to be that way.
One of the main advantages of NDC is that it allows corporations to reach a new level of granularity should they wish to do so, in terms of the kind of information that is shared with an airline, to ensure the right offers are created and displayed.
NDC doesn’t impose personalization but rather gives the option to corporations to do so, enriching the travel experience.
With Cytric, corporations have a full view of the content that is relevant to their travel programs – including personalized content and bundled offers they have negotiated with airlines. No matter the type or source, they remain in control of the content displayed to their employees.
MYTH #3: With the emergence of NDC, travel content is now more fragmented making comparison more difficult
NDC and EDIFACT content will coexist for some time and corporations need to have the ability to handle both. Presenting all content side-to-side in a way that allows travelers to choose the best options is an important feature for any online booking tool. And this becomes even more relevant now that NDC content is added to the mix.
With Cytric, travelers can access NDC-sourced content alongside other non-NDC content in one merged display. We’re making sure that no matter the content type or the source, corporations and their business travelers can compare side-by-side, so that they can make the best decision for themselves and their corporation.
MYTH #4: NDC means a complete change in the way flights and travel plans are booked, with its new shop/ order/ pay flow
Travelers don’t care what technology the industry uses; they just want the process of searching, booking and paying to be as quick and easy as possible. One of the key selling points of NDC is its streamlined retailing flow of Shop/ Order/ Pay – but corporations need not worry about change, as with Amadeus we’ve integrated all types of content into the same search and booking flow so travelers can find NDC content, alongside non-NDC content, to view and book seats and overall, including all type of ancillaries as they’ve always done before.
There is no reason why NDC should disrupt the way corporations choose to pay for travel either. With Cytric, NDC content sourced using the Amadeus Travel Platform can be paid with any type of card, as long as it is supported by the airline. Where payment is settled via the BSP (or ARC), they can also invoice payment.
MYTH #5: NDC will make it harder for business travelers to be informed of schedule changes or make any changes to their trip
Unfortunately, flight cancellations and last-minute re-bookings are more common than before the pandemic. Business travelers need to have the confidence that they will be informed as soon as possible so they can revisit their plans accordingly.
Business travelers are used to booking, modifying, or cancelling their flights either on their desktop or mobile device. Why would NDC be different? With Amadeus’ Cytric mobile app, they can do this, booking all types of content in a seamless way.
Fortunately, Cytric and the Amadeus Travel Platform are also synced so that airline schedule changes are automatically shared with travel agents in real time. That means corporations can meet their duty of care towards employees as they would with any other booking.
And if needed, travelers can easily pick up the phone or drop a line to their travel agent to receive the same level of support as always. This includes changes, refunds, and cancellations, same as they do with EDIFACT-sourced bookings.
MYTH #6: NDC is a synonym of instant purchase, so corporations will lose the current booking approvals they have in place
Most corporations have defined approval flows to make sure travel bookings are compliant with travel policy. No matter how a traveler books a trip, approvers will still need to make an informed decision when approving or rejecting a journey.
We recognize this process is important, and needs to remain the same. NDC’s new shop-order-pay flow means airlines set the concept of expiry and guarantee a time limit at several levels: generally, these are placed at offer, inventory, price, and payment.
With Cytric, corporations don’t need to care about all those limits, because they are included in the booking process, meaning an NDC booking will be approved in time before the fulfillment is triggered directly from Cytric or via a travel agency.
In conclusion…
NDC-enabled content is here and now, and there is no reason why corporations should be missing out. Ultimately, NDC is going to play a critical role in enhancing travel retailing and long-term sustained growth of the business travel sector. At Amadeus, we will continue to work closely with our customers to make sure NDC addresses the needs of all stakeholders throughout the business supply chain.
If you want to know more, download our guide“Are you having the right conversations about NDC with your OBT provider?” .
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