New global B2B marketplace connects airlines and air content providers with travel agents for the quick adoption of IATA NDC transactions
NDCMarketplace.com, the new subscription-based global marketplace connecting airlines and travel sellers, which enables both parties to buy and sell air products using IATA’s New Distribution Capability (NDC) standard, has officially launched.
Developed by Dubai-based travel technology firm and IATA NDC and One Order-certified IT Provider, TPConnects, the B2B online marketplace offers travel agents from around the world a new, highly efficient way to search, compare, book airline tickets, ancillaries and related services on NDC-certified low-cost and full-service airlines, from one central location.
Since Travel Agents will be using their own credentials and form of payment on NDCMarketplace.com, they will not lose their Global Distribution Services (GDS) incentives, can avoid GDS surcharges imposed by airlines like Emirates, Singapore Airlines, Qantas, British Airways, Lufthansa Group and Airfrance/KLM, while saving on GDS distribution fees for NDC content from airlines including British Airways.
A ground-breaking initiative led by IATA and developed in conjunction with airlines, travel management companies (TMCs), online travel agencies (OTAs), GDS developers and other technology players, New Distribution Capability (NDC) is a new XML-based data transmission standard supporting next-generation B2B travel transactions. NDCMarketplace.com is an IATA NDC Level 4 Certified Aggregator.
NDCMarketplace.com connects dozens of NDC-certified and Low-Cost Carriers (LCCs) along with Global Distribution Systems (GDSs) regardless of schema, standard and version. NDCMarketplace.com subscribers will be able to access all participating NDC airline content alongside GDS and LCC content in one screen enabling them to serve their customers.
NDCMarketplace.com enables the travel agents to create Sub Agents, access staff and create role permissions, and add markups using multiple currencies.
Participating airlines on the other side will be able to create and distribute dynamic, tailored offers through travel agents as they receive specific information at shopping time—like the traveller's destination, the length of their trip, and whether they are travelling alone or not through the NDC connected pipe.
“Despite the pandemic’s impact on air travel in the past year, airline’s focus on NDC has not stalled or slowed down. In fact, far from it,” explained Rajendran Vellapalath, CEO of TPConnects. “2021 will be the year of broad deployment of NDC-enabled airline content around the world. As a pioneer in NDC-based travel technology, TPConnects is committed to the global industrialization of NDC because we know that the travel industry will need NDC to keep up with the demand of the modern digital consumer.
“One of the biggest challenges in the slow adoption of NDC by the travel agency community is the multiple NDC Agency Portals rolled out by individual airlines or the Application Programming Interface (APIs) with various schemas and versions deployed by NDC certified airlines in addition to the low-cost carrier’s already existing store fronts. Agents have to switch between the screens to search and compare the best offers or end up paying additional surcharges for NDC bookings made through traditional channels or soon will end up paying a distribution fee. NDCMarketplace.com is bringing content from both the traditional channel as well as the NDC and LCC channels in to one screen, combined with rich content from Route happy, enabling the travel agents to leverage all the benefits,” Rajendran added.
Travel agents can access NDCMarketplace.com via a low-cost monthly subscription, choosing from various packages that best suit their requirements. The portal enables clients to set various parameters, including credit limits for sub agencies; generate ticketing and transaction reports; issue cancellations and refunds; and select from a broad range of ancillary services.
“Through the implementation of NDC APIs to NDCMarketplace.com, airlines can market their products to thousands of travel agents worldwide,” said Rajendran.
NDCMarketplace.com expose a Combined API on NDC Schema 18.2 thereby online travel agents or B2B system providers only need to integrate one NDC standard API, and can eliminate their focus in managing and maintaining the various schemas or versions provided by each individual airline and can get away with multiple integrations from multiple IT Providers.
“NDCMarketplace.com simplifies otherwise complex processes for airlines and their travel partners.” added Rajendran.
To discover more, visit NDCMarketplace.com or email marketing@ndcmarketplace.com