NDC distribution agreement with parent of BA, Iberia, Aer Lingus and Vueling
Wider range of IAG content opened to agents in new Travelport deal
Travelport has reached an NDC distribution agreement with International Airlines Group (IAG) carriers British Airways, Iberia, Aer Lingus and Vueling.
The agreement on New Distribution Capability (NDC) content will see a full range of fares, ancillaries and additional content made available to Travelport-connected agencies through the Travelport+ platform.
IAG said the deal would provide travel retailers with “a wider range of content, including additional price points and an expanded selection of ancillary products while taking advantage of modern digital retailing tools such as intelligent storefronts to merchandise them”.
Iberia sales strategy and distribution director Celia Muñoz Espin said: “We welcome Travelport to NDC, as an important part of the transformation happening in the industry.
“This significant agreement is focused on providing added value to customers with access to our exclusive NDC products and fares.”
Chris Ramm, Travelport vice president for global enterprise and air partners, said: “Unlocking the potential of sophisticated multi-source content like NDC, by making it easier for the trade to access and sell, is a key part of our plans for Travelport+.”
BA head of distribution and payments Katy Cardwell added: “Our agreement with Travelport supports our vision of moving towards a more innovative way of travel retailing, giving Travelport subscribers access to a greater choice of products and services which are only available via NDC.”
IAG and Travelport gave no timeline for the roll-out of NDC content but said they were “progressing well on the technical solution for NDC distribution and will continue to add features and functionality ahead of NDC content being rolled out”.
Travelport also announced an NDC distribution deal with Air France-KLM yesterday, with NDC content to be “rolled out from early 2022, [and] features and functionality added progressively”.
Air France-KLM’s NDC content and services will also be available through Travelport+.
Jason Clarke, Travelport chief commercial officer for travel partners, said: “This is an innovative deal which maximizes value for Air France-KLM and Travelport’s global community of travel agencies, particularly those with a higher level of servicing needs.”