Where will NDC take you in 2023?
February 15, 2023
The highlights
Sabre helps customers operate smarter, create new value, and improve traveler experience by increasing flexibility and efficiency. IATA New Distribution Capability (NDC) is a key enabler of these priorities.
- American Airlines NDC is coming to Sabre in April
- Aeromexico, Emirates, Finnair, the airlines of the Lufthansa Group, United Airlines and other leading carriers are in queue for launch throughout the year
- We now support exchanges, which rounds out the all-important servicing capability suite that travel management companies (TMCs) need to support corporate travel
- By mid-year, we will support child and infant passenger types–as a result, we’ll unlock more NDC opportunities for leisure travel, which often involve adults and children adventuring together
Whether you’re an airline, a travel seller, or a corporate travel buyer, read on to learn more about what to expect for NDC in 2023.
NDC for travel sellers and corporate travel buyers
One of the core promises of NDC is to provide travel sellers with expanded access to innovative content, which in turn, expands distribution reach for airlines. With a number of major integrations planned between airlines and the Sabre marketplace over the next 12 months, 2023 presents a real opportunity for agencies.
In April, we will launch NDC offers from American Airlines, with further connections soon to be announced with Finnair, United Airlines and the airlines of the Lufthansa Group.
But that’s not all. Later in the year, we will also integrate Aeromexico and Emirates, among others. These new airlines will join our existing NDC carriers: the four airlines of the Avianca Group, Qantas, Qatar Airways and Singapore Airlines.
To take advantage of the additional content options provided by these NDC integrations, it’s important to understand how you access that content.
Download the infographic as a reference for what’s available today:
Sabre provides an integrated solution
Where you access content does not change. You can access NDC content alongside traditional options within Sabre Red 360, or using our corporate online booking tool, GetThere.
Thousands of agencies have activated NDC capabilities through Sabre and are shopping, booking and servicing NDC offers and orders.
We wrapped up 2022 by rolling out additional capabilities to enhance the experience of Sabre Red 360 users and travelers:
- The ability to shop, book and pay for seats (for airlines that use NDC schema version 17.2)
- shopping by frequent flyer numbers
- support for continuous pricing
- the ability to display brand features during pricing
Now, not only can you book seats, but you can help travelers get more relevant content by including frequent flyer information and view brand features to make comparing offers even easier.
Travel doesn’t stop at shopping
The challenge of efficiently managing changes to travel plans has clearly increased in recent years. We’ve given equal attention to deploying servicing capabilities and improving mid and back-office integrations. Now, in addition to being able to cancel, void and refund bookings, you’re also able to complete voluntary exchanges.
And, most exciting of all, you’ll soon be able to book multi-passenger itineraries involving adults, children and infants. unlocking even more leisure travel opportunities. By year end, you will also be able to shop, book and pay for seats from airlines that use the 18.2 NDC schema version.
Corporate travel, GetThere and NDC
GetThere customers have been able to access travel policy compliant NDC offers since 2021, and their access to real-time content expands automatically as new airlines start distributing their NDC content through the Sabre marketplace.
GetThere displays NDC offers alongside traditional options, making it easy to book the best itinerary. Behind the scenes, a corporation’s TMC partner can use Sabre Red 360 to service NDC orders booked through GetThere, making it easier to manage changing plans and to keep road warriors on schedule.
Each link in the travel value chain has work to do to scale NDC
No single company can make NDC take flight. If the travel industry is to scale NDC, there is a need for ongoing collaboration. By working together, the benefits of NDC for travel sellers and corporate travel buyers can be made clearer.
Get started with NDC
For travel sellers, please visit Sabre Central Marketplace to place orders to activate NDC capabilities through the Offer and Order APIs and Sabre Red 360.
If you’re a GetThere customer, please contact your GetThere representative to discuss how to turn on NDC in your GetThere instance.
If you’re interested in learning more about the Sabre NDC airline IT offering, please contact your Sabre account representative.
