As airlines expand New Distribution Capability (NDC), the technology standard that is changing how airfares and ancillary services are sold, IATA accreditation remains commercially relevant for travel agencies seeking to manage ticket sales and payments through a common settlement system.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) confirms that its Billing and Settlement Plan (BSP) services for NDC are available to IATA-accredited travel agents, allowing qualifying transactions to be settled through the same framework used for traditional distribution sales when participating airlines report their NDC transactions through BSP.
The arrangement can consolidate sales reporting, remittance procedures and financial adjustments through BSPLink, reducing the administrative burden of reconciling transactions across different distribution channels. Eligible agents may also access IATA EasyPay and, where applicable, a common financial-security framework covering both traditional and NDC sales.
However, access is not automatic for every NDC booking. Participation depends on the airline’s settlement arrangements, the agency’s eligibility and the applicable commercial and ticketing requirements.
For travel agencies, the distinction matters as airlines expand NDC distribution and businesses assess the cost of maintaining accreditation against the operational benefits it provides. Access to NDC content alone does not guarantee access to BSP settlement, nor does accreditation automatically provide access to every airline’s fares or ticketing facilities.
The commercial decision for agencies is whether accreditation and the services attached to it justify the costs within their particular business model. Factors include ticket volumes, airline relationships, financial-security requirements and the efficiency gained from consolidated reporting and settlement.
As airline distribution evolves, travel agents must assess not only which fares and products they can access, but also how efficiently they can book, pay for, reconcile and service those transactions.
Source: iata.org