Amadeus has received Level 3 New Distribution Capability (NDC) certification as an IT provider from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). Level 3 is the highest stage of NDC certification. Airlines using Amadeus’s new Altéa NDC solution, developed earlier this year and now IATA certified, will have the option to distribute their prices and fares, including ancillary and fare family content, using NDC Offers & Orders.
“We are proud to be industry leaders on the adoption of NDC-XML,” said Julia Sattel, Global Head of Airline IT. “Amadeus is committed to working with IATA to further standardise messages, data flows and to support the evolution of this new messaging standard. Our goal is to help airlines personalise their offers and to distribute their fares with accuracy, flexibility and speed. If airlines want to choose NDC-XML messaging to deliver their fares and to accomplish these goals, we are fully capable of delivering.”
“A partnership and collaborative approach have been essential to the development and market adoption of the NDC standard,” said Aleks Popovich, IATA’s Senior Vice President, Financial and Distribution Services. “Technology providers such as Amadeus are showing how the NDC Standard can be used to unleash innovation and value to the air travel marketplace. We are pleased to be including this leading IT provider in our first round of NDC certification announcements.”
Svend Leirvaag, Vice President Industry Affairs, Amadeus said: “This top-level certification by IATA is confirmation of the close collaboration between IATA and Amadeus. We are very pleased to see how industry collaboration is now at the centre of the NDC programme, and IATA should be commended for this. NDC contributes to the merchandising trends that Amadeus fully embraces.
“We continue to engage with IATA on this and several other industry projects, and with other industry stakeholders, to promote innovation and industry standards that will work in practice for all parties in the value chain, and that improve the efficiency of our industry as a whole. Of course, Amadeus will also continue to integrate merchandising and fare content in the most efficient way possible for its subscribers.
“Amadeus started investing in XML connectivity in 2007, when it became the first travel tech player to implement XML connectivity with easyJet. Over the past 10 years, Amadeus has had a relentless focus to help airlines personalise their fare offers and to generate new revenues through merchandising, while anticipating and fulfilling the traveller need for price comparison and the purchase of ancillary services, through the channel of their choice.
“Amadeus is involved in various working groups and steering committees focused on NDC development, including the IATA Simplifying the Business (StB) think tank, the Passenger Distribution Group advisory forum, the Distribution Data Exchange, and the ONE Order Taskforce. We aim to represent the needs and interest of our customers – airlines and agencies – and to make standards work in practice for all parties.”
