IATA to test NDC schemes

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has introduced three new pilot programs to test the New Distribution Capability (NDC) schemes.

Pilot participants include Aeroflot, Aer Lingus, Qatar Airways, and JR Technologies (JRT).

NDC is a travel industry-supported program launched by IATA for the development and market adoption of a new, XML-based data transmission standard.

NDC will enable the travel industry to transform the way air products are retailed to corporations, leisure and business travellers, by addressing the industry's prevailing distribution limitations, product differentiation and time-to-market, access to full and rich air content and finally, transparent shopping experience.

"We are delighted to be the first Middle East airline to launch an NDC pilot program," said Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer, Akbar Al Baker.

"Given our position as a leading full service carrier, Qatar Airways will benefit significantly from NDC features as this will enable us to better showcase the value of our five-star product offering to passengers," he said.

This is the second NDC pilot for JRT. In 2013, JRT participated in pilot programs with American Airlines and Air New Zealand. This time, JRT will pilot a live implementation of an NDC Aggregator platform. American Airlines and Air Canada, among others, will join this demonstration.

"We want to help all the players in the airline distribution value chain wrap their arms around NDC. We hope they will all benefit from this exercise" said President, JRT, George Khairallah.

Recently, the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) tentatively approved Resolution 787, which is the foundation document for NDC.

A DOT official said, "The use of common technical standards could facilitate marketplace development of distribution practices and channels that would make it easier for consumers to compare competing carriers' fares and ancillary products across multiple distribution channels, make purchasing more convenient, allow carriers to customise service and amenity offers, and increase transparency, efficiency and competition."

"We welcome the participation of Aer Lingus, Aeroflot, and Qatar Airways and JR Technologies. The new pilots will support the development of the NDC standard to modernise the way that airline products are presented through travel agents and help to promote efficiency, and innovation," said IATA Director General and CEO Tony Tyler.

The NDC pilot program was launched in 2013 involving American Airlines, Air New Zealand, Hainan Airlines, China Southern Airlines and Swiss International Airlines. Earlier this year, additional pilots were launched by Shandong Airlines and Air Canada.