Since the introduction of NDC in 2011, the industry has achieved good progress when it comes to the implementation of this new standard. However, despite strides forward, we are still at the beginning of its journey. For a revolution, we require the whole industry to fully embrace NDC for its potential to be realised.

So, what is standing in the way of this? Firstly, the lack of true standardisation remains a major challenge for the industry. Airlines today use different versions of NDC, which support different functionalities and use cases. For the full benefits to reach the whole industry, it is crucial that we create a shared understanding that can be adopted by all.

There is also the need for the development of the commercial model – stakeholders need to benefit economically from NDC to ensure its global adoption. Last year, we launched our NDC [X] program to help address these challenges and drive widespread uptake across the industry.

Amadeus NDC [X]
At Amadeus, our partners have embraced NDC [X], with big names including driver customers like Flight Centre and Travix, and airlines such as Qantas, Finnair, Cathay and American Airlines, joining the list of partners signing up to the program. Through these partnerships, we are helping partners make live NDC bookings, showing the remarkable progress that has been made since its launch just last year. 

Already, this new program is delivering new and exciting benefits to the entire travel industry, unlocking new value for travellers and generating more business for all. 

Fragmentation
However, whilst NDC presents new opportunities, it also brings its own challenges, namely by causing content fragmentation. The challenge is aggregating and normalising travel content from multiple sources so that it can be searched and compared by both travel sellers and travellers quickly and efficiently. By integrating NDC capabilities into the Amadeus Travel Platform we can help travel sellers reduce fragmentation by giving access to a full range of travel offers through the click of a button.

The future of NDC [X]
Looking ahead – how can we expect NDC to evolve? Realistically the pace of adoption will be dependent on whether the industry can standardise and if we can create new value through the standard. If airlines and travel sellers can offer travellers exciting new options with NDC, this will offer additional revenue for the industry, and crucially, will offer their clients better travel experiences. To untap these benefits, we must work together to ensure that the capabilities can be realised.

By: Gianni Pisanello, VP of Amadeus NDC [X]

To find out more about Amadeus’ NDC [X] program please visit www.amadeus.com/ndc.