Travelport and Singapore Airlines deepen NDC collaboration

Tech firm prepares to launch next phase of KrisConnect Programme

Travelport, has announced a closer collaboration with Singapore Airlines’ (SIA) New Distribution Capability (NDC) standard project.

SIA’s KrisConnect Programme is the carrier’s initiative to develop and deploy the new Iata data standard.

Damian Hickey, global vice president and global head of air travel partners, gave an update on Travelport’s work on KrisConnect at the launch in Singapore today.

He also gave a preview of the intuitive new NDC-enabled process which agencies can soon expect, as Travelport prepares to launch the next phase of its NDC delivery.

Hickey said: “As one of the first Asian airlines to begin exploring new distribution capabilities, we are very pleased to have been working hand-in-hand with Singapore Airlines since the start of its journey.

“Close collaboration with the agency community is crucial to the smooth delivering of a complex process like NDC; and we will continue to partner SIA and the wider travel industry to deliver travellers an elevated, personalised booking experience.

Since KrisConnect was first launched in late 2018, Travelport has been working extensively with SIA to integrate its NDC content, ahead of general availability from April 2020.

Functionality is expected to be launched through Travelport’s NDC-enabled points-of-sale, starting with initial pilots with a small group of agency customers in the coming months.

Agencies connecting to KrisConnect through Travelport will gain access to customised offerings that are tailored to customers’ needs and preferences.

SIA will also be able to offer a wider range of fares and other content from April 2020. Travelport said this will be delivered through “an intuitive, user-friendly interface integrated into the Travelport systems they are already familiar with”.