An IATA initiative using XML data exchange technology to enhance how airlines sell and market their products, allowing for more personalized and dynamic offers to customers. Here’s our explainer.
[CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article suggested Delta was installing WiFi on international flights. The airline already offers such connectivity; the current roll-out is for free WiFi, which it first brought to the domestic U.S. market.] Delta Air Lines announced Tuesday that it was renewing multi-year, full content participation agreements with the three major…
Atlanta — In addition to providing a venue for emotional expression about airline distribution changes, the Global Business Travel Association’s convention here last month offered a platform for blueprint-making. Voicing concern about industry pros who may think — at their peril — that American Airlines backing off means they can, too, more than a dozen…
American Express Global Business Travel announced Tuesday that artificial intelligence and related technologies would increase productivity by 6 percent to 8 percent on inbound call routing and 2 percent to 4 percent on the use of client knowledge bases and policy assistants. During a conference call with equities analysts addressing GBT’s June quarter results, execs…
Atlanta — With almost no exceptions, corporate travel managers do not have fond memories of their experiences with the New Distribution Capability. Amy Hunke, senior manager of travel and meetings at Ametek and president of GBTA Michigan, described her experience as “quite horrific.” Addressing buyers during a GBTA convention panel about NDC here last month,…
Global distribution system providers are in a “precarious” position thanks to changing economics and roles, according to former Sabre SVP and chief scientist Ben Vinod’s new book, “Mastering The Travel Intermediaries.” Vinod wrote that the adoption of New Distribution Capability means “disintermediation of the GDS is a foregone conclusion,” with the GDS share of the…
Atlanta — Facebook parent Meta began a pilot with Spotnana this spring in partnership with its incumbent travel management company, CWT. With “many thousands” of travelers in the pilot “around the globe,” the $135 billion social media firm expects a majority of bookings to use the New Distribution Capability by the end of next year….
The New Distribution Capability is not designed to generate less revenue for airlines. Some argue it’s about increasing yields through upselling and neutered comparison shopping. Many corporate travel buyers’ most notable experiences with NDC are related to surcharges or inaccessible fares. Airlines are using it to reduce distribution costs. One of the purported win-wins is…
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