RESPONSES ACTE
ANY DEVELOPMENT WHICH gives travel buyers easier and quicker access to richer content is to be welcomed. However, it is difficult to see any benefits as far as non-discretionary travel is concerned. Corporate travellers are generally limited to preferred suppliers, or to strictly-controlled budgetary constraints, so they are less likely to be persuaded to buy additional or more
AMADEUS
IATA SEEMS TO CONFUSE ‘product information’, which the airline provides, with the technology to manage and book it, which Amadeus provides. We have used XML connectivity since 2007, so it’s not like this is new to us. Many airlines currently do not offer this type of product information – for example because they have not ‘unbundled’ their offering – but the technology is there, and has been for some time.
ITM
THE ARGUMENTS FOR NDC are that it will improve the quality, speed and ability of data that can be exchanged between the airline and the point-of-sale. This, in turn, should allow for faster, more flexible technology platforms to enter the marketplace which might bring more competition and lower distribution costs. It will also enable a better shopping experience for the booker. The primary concern is that NDC is a
standard, so it is only as good as the airlines that choose to use it and the companies that choose to develop to it. The airlines can choose whether to use it, which means that some may and some may not make the change. This will mean an even more disparate distribution, which won’t be good.
IATA
NDC IS A TECHNICAL STANDARD, not a system, so it should not impact on travel managers’ control at all. An NDC standard will enable airlines to make all product and service information
BUYINGBUSINESSTRAVEL.COM
available to corporate buyers in any distribution channel, reducing the need for out-of-policy bookings. Perry Flint, head of corporate communications for the Americas, IATA
BBT MAY/JUNE 2014 33
Will it erode travel managers control over their travellers/bookers? Possibly. However, not having NDC might also erode travel managers’ control, because if today’s point-of-sale tools, such as the GDSs and online booking tools, can’t keep up with the speed and sophistication of the airlines’ own websites, then travellers will inevitably start to book outside of the compliant booking process anyway.
Overall, our buyer members are in support of change for the positive and IATA has worked closely with a group of our buyer members to understand the needs of the business traveller – and, ultimately, the business travel buyer. Simone Buckley, chief executive, ITM
It is true, though, that the way to handle rich product information is not yet standardised in the industry, and that standardisation can be a good thing for the industry. Amadeus welcomes the new approach taken by IATA, and we will continue to be fully engaged in the standard’s development process. Svend Leirvaag, vice-president industry affairs, Amadeus
expensive products and services. Caroline Allen, regional director, ACTE
It looks like a positive opportunity for buyers to control their company’s spend by having access to better real-time reporting and enhanced visibility of available fares – and the precise composition of the fares. Toby Guest, ACTE UK country champion
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