 IATA"™s New Distribution Capability (NDC) standard is gradually starting to see the light of day in the computer programs that agents use every day.
Across the breadth of the industry, companies are going through IATA"™s certification process, which ensures that airlines, agents, aggregators and vendors have the capability to send and receive NDC messages. A few have already completed the process.
Elsewhere, airlines, GDSs and technology companies are working to deploy the NDC standard to offer agents the chance to sell ancillary products, such as seat upgrades. Within the GDSs, travel agents often see no difference between products available to them because of NDC technology and other products, causing minimal, if any, interruptions in their workflow.
Last fall, IATA announced a certification program available to several groups: airlines that deploy an NDC application program interface (API); agents and aggregators that use the APIs; and vendors that offer NDC products or services to airlines and distributors. Certification is awarded at three levels "” NDC Level 1, 2 and 3 "” based on the company"™s capabilities and offerings…
