Towards improving air traveling,
the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has launched NDC Matchmaker, a free web-based tool to bring more visibility to travel
distribution stakeholders that are collaborating on implementations of the New
Distribution Capability (NDC).
The NDC Matchmaker enables airlines, travel sellers and
content aggregators (such as global distribution systems) to search, compare
and connect with NDC partners. It increases transparency of their NDC
capabilities and facilitates cooperation among different participants in the
travel value chain that are engaged in their own journeys to airline industry
retailing. The NDC Matchmaker is being premiered at the Global Business Travel Association
2019 Convention in Chicago.
Yanik Hoyles, IATA’s Director, Industry Distribution Programs
said, “The NDC Matchmaker responds to corporate travel buyers’ need to have
greater insight into airlines, travel sellers and aggregators participating in
the NDC space. It is also about companies being able to be showcased through a
user-friendly tool.”
The concept was put forward by IATA’s Travel Manager Advisory
Group (TMAG). The TMAG is composed of key corporate travel managers and
procurement professionals in Europe and North America who meet regularly to
address the challenges, opportunities and benefits of NDC for corporate travel
buyers.
“The NDC Matchmaker will bring greater transparency to the
marketplace and will help corporate buyers to understand which airlines are
offering NDC content through their partners,” said Claudia Adams, chair of the
European TMAG.
The NDC Matchmaker already includes more than 80 NDC
connections between airlines and their travel seller partners. Participants can
display their NDC content and partnerships and be searched by category as
airlines/sellers/aggregators; by type of products and services available; or by
country. “The more companies that use it, the more benefits it will create for
the travel value chain,” said Hoyles.
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