New Air France-KLM distribution deal a ‘milestone for NDC’, says Amadeus

New Air France-KLM distribution deal a ‘milestone for NDC’, says Amadeus

Leading European carrier hails agreement as ‘an important step in our distribution strategy’

Travel agents can now sign bilateral agreements with Air France-KLM and Amadeus to access the carrier’s New Distribution Capability content.

A new distribution deal between the leading European GDS and technology giant and leading European airline was announced this week.

Described as “innovative” by Amadeus, the partnership will support agents to provide a modern retailing experience by using the new Iata NDC data standard.

The agreement means Air France-KLM NDC offers can be made available for agents through the Amadeus Travel Platform and its NDC-enabled solutions.

Amadeus said over the last few years, Air France-KLM has been working with it to connect its NDC services to the Amadeus Travel Platform.

The prime booking flow of shop, order, pay has already been integrated, meaning pilot travel agents will be able to book via NDC through the platform in Q4 this year.

Full integration, with servicing capabilities, is expected to complete in the first half of 2021.

Pieter Bootsma, chief revenue officer at Air France-KLM, said: “We’re pleased that our NDC content will soon be accessible to Air France-KLM partner agents via the Amadeus platform.

“NDC is a key innovation for Air France-KLM as it allows Air France-KLM customers to benefit from more attractive and customised offers, such as continuous pricing and tailor-made bundles.

“This agreement is an important step in our distribution strategy, completing our existing NDC distribution network, especially for travel agencies with a higher level of servicing needs, such as business travel agencies.”

Agents will be able to search, compare, book, and service Air France-KLM content in one merged display through their Amadeus interface, whether the Travel API or Selling Platform Connect.

Amadeus will also enable corporate travellers to book via NDC through cytric Travel and Expense.

Decius Valmorbida, travel unit president at Amadeus, said: “We are excited to expand our longstanding partnership with the Air France-KLM group, in order to deliver innovative retailing capabilities. This is a significant step on our NDC journey to enable adoption at scale.

“This is testament to both the strength of our technology and our collaborative approach, as we build a sustainable framework that brings value to airlines, travel sellers, and the traveler, to achieve the industry’s vision for modern retailing.”

Amadeus described the deal as “another important milestone in its NDC [X] program.

“Now more than ever, there is a need to collaborate across the industry and to have automated, scalable end-to-end solutions that are thoroughly integrated to ensure bookings can be made and serviced efficiently,” it said.