Air Canada

Facing Slow NDC Adoption, Air Canada Delays Surcharge For Corporate Clients

On Tuesday, Air Canada told corporate clients they no longer had to pay its surcharge for bookings made using traditional EDIFACT protocols, at least for the time being. The change acknowledges that the corporate travel community was not ready to adopt surcharge-free NDC channels that Air Canada initiated with global distribution system providers during the…

Stepping Back From Abyss, Toronto Travel Management Company Tripped Up By NDC

“I’m gravely concerned.” Jeffrey Verman’s 26-year-old travel agency has been through multiple crises. The hit he expects from NDC-enabled airline programs is extra bitter, coming as it will from business partners rather than a virus or terrorist. “I survived 9/11, SARS, recessions, wars,” said Verman, CEO of Toronto-based Plus Travel Group, which is handling about…

Air Canada Tries To Soften Blow But Surcharges Start In June

With the New Distribution Capability, Air Canada wants to have and eat its cake. During a Tuesday press briefing, executives took pains to distance themselves from the approaches of some other airlines, most recently American, and the resulting criticisms for forcing distribution change. Their words were paradoxical. Air Canada execs want a “smooth transition” that’s…

Explainer: Personalization And Airline Retailing

In light of American Airlines’ plan to move upwards of 40 percent of its fares to direct or NDC-enabled channels as of April, it’s worth re-examining one of the primary motivations: better tailoring products and services for flyers. As described by its developer, the International Air Transport Association, the NDC program enables “personalized service based…

AA Cranks Up Bias For NDC, Claims Sabre TMCs Will Be Financially Whole

American Airlines on Monday told travel agencies that more than 40 percent of its existing content, as well as newly developed offers, would be accessible only through “modern” channels come April. It’s another component of AA’s new overarching revenue strategy that revamps some corporate travel traditions. Some buyers praised AA for taking the leap. It…

Airline Contracts Are Complex But Applying Them Need Not Be Inefficient, Developers Say

Travel management companies want to maximize revenues, corporate program managers want smooth servicing and no one wants debit memos. New integration between a pair of travel tech firms hopes to accomplish all of that and address some of the challenges of alternative airline distribution models. The key is using automation to overcome airline contract complexity….

Delta Attack On SAP Concur Epitomizes Growing Impatience In Airline Distribution

With uncharacteristic bluntness, two key providers in corporate travel this month separately identified inhibitors to progress. A Delta distribution exec urged buyers to pressure SAP Concur to get its act together. Sabre leaders criticized widely used corporate airfare policies as archaic. And it’s not just them; perhaps the pandemic is a boon for plain speaking….

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