"Are you NDC ready ?"This was the question posed by GBTA France at the opening of its MasterClass event on 6 July. It's hard to avoid the issue, since behind these three letters lies perhaps the biggest revolution in the sector since the advent of low-cost airlines. The new NDC standard - to "New Distribution Capability - must improve the marketing of the airline offer. " It's a common language that enables airlines to better market their products on the ground or in-flight, with a personalised offer. "sums up Olivier Hoursthe person in charge of commitment and adoption of the NDC standard at IATA, who describes it as "a collaborative project".
To answer the question posed by the GBTA, suppliers seem ready. " We're past the phase of questions and doubts "says Olivier Hours, who believes that " the vast majority of companies will have adopted NDC within two or three years ". In the middle of 2017, 36 hauliers are affected, including heavy goods vehicles such as British Airways or American Airlines. Not forgetting Lufthansaa pioneer in direct distribution. The trend is more in its infancy among business travel agencies. HRG has taken the plunge, while BCD Travel, CWT and American Airlines are still studying the issue.
For the company and its travellers, the new standard should guarantee a tailor-made offer. By simplifying the distribution of ancillary services, NDC is preparing to advance the logic of personalisation in the world of travel. It remains to be seen how far this logic will go, and to what extent the company will retain control. The promoters of the NDC standard assure us that ancillary costs should become more transparent, enabling the company to negotiate more effectively with the airline on the basis of more detailed information.
Another major trend deciphered by this summer MasterClass: the bringing Travel and MICE purchasing closer together. This theme was highlighted by a survey carried out ahead of the event by GBTA France, which revealed that for 66% of those surveyed, the two types of purchasing are currently managed by the same contact person. In the majority of cases, this person has primarily tackled the issue of service providers. In 62% of cases, the companies surveyed have set up a panel of preferred suppliers. This approach is all the more logical given that in 40% of cases the suppliers of the MICE and Travel files are the same...
