Qantas extends global distribution agreement with Sabre

SINGAPORE and SYDNEY, Dec. 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Sabre Corporation (NASDAQ: SABR), a leading software and technology provider that powers the global travel industry, has extended its long-term distribution agreement with Qantas, Australia’s largest airline. This multi-year agreement reflects a continued commitment between Sabre and Qantas to deliver the widest breadth of content to travel agencies worldwide with the most flexible options, including comprehensive access to Qantas’ New Distribution Capability (NDC) content.

“At Qantas, we’re focused on enhancing our retailing capabilities to meet the dynamic needs of both travelers and travel agencies,” said Kathryn Robertson, Qantas Executive Manager, Global Sales & Distribution. “Our continuing collaboration with Sabre is central to our distribution strategy, helping ensure our customers can seamlessly shop, book, and service a comprehensive range of Qantas content via NDC. We’re excited to be able to offer agencies more flexibility and choice in the coming months through Sabre’s global marketplace.”

Sabre and Qantas have had a valued, long-standing distribution relationship, with Sabre being among the first global distribution systems to distribute the airline’s NDC offers in 2021. Under the renewed agreement, Sabre-connected agents will continue to be able to access the full range of traditional EDIFACT and NDC offers made available by Qantas. 

“We’re delighted that Qantas continues to trust Sabre as a strategic distribution partner to advance their strategy,” said Chris Wilding, Senior Vice President, Air Distribution, Sabre Travel Solutions. “Just as we are committed to providing travellers with greater choice through our multi-source content platform, we also want to empower travel agents with enhanced flexibility and personalization in the way they do business. This renewed agreement highlights the joint commitment of Qantas and Sabre to creating a comprehensive marketplace that seamlessly meets the demands of a rapidly evolving travel ecosystem.”

About Sabre Corporation 
Sabre Corporation is a software and technology company that takes on the biggest opportunities and solves the most complex challenges in travel. The Company connects travel suppliers and buyers around the globe and across the ecosystem through innovative products and next-generation technology solutions. Sabre harnesses speed, scale and insights to build tomorrow’s technology today – empowering airlines, hoteliers, agencies and other partners to retail, distribute and fulfill travel worldwide. Headquartered in Southlake, Texas, USA, Sabre serves customers in more than 160 countries around the world. For more information visit www.sabre.com. 

About Qantas
Founded in 1920, Qantas is Australia’s national carrier and one of the world’s most recognized airlines. Known for its commitment to safety, innovation, and customer service, Qantas operates a comprehensive domestic and international network, connecting travelers to more than 85 destinations across Australia, Asia, the Americas, Europe, and the Pacific.

Source: Sabre

Travelport Launches NDC Content and Servicing for Emirates on Travelport+

LANGLEY UK, June 25, 2024 –Travelport, a global technology company that powers travel bookings for hundreds of thousands of travel suppliers worldwide, and Emirates, one of the world’s largest international airlines, today announced that New Distribution Capability (NDC) content from Emirates and enhanced NDC servicing capabilities are now available in the Travelport+ platform.  

With this launch, Travelport’s agency customers will be able to easily view and compare more dynamic NDC offers and ancillaries from Emirates and create a more streamlined, personalized experience for travelers. Travelport’s complete NDC solution for Emirates also provides agents the ability to service NDC bookings, which includes modifications and cancellations.  

“Agencies using Travelport+ will now have access to better, more enriched content that is only available via the Emirates NDC channel,” saidAdnan Kazim, Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer at Emirates. “The integration of our systems will strengthen the expansion of our reach across the global travel retail community and allow them to offer travelers more choice among our best-in-class products and services.” 

“We are leading the way in delivering Emirates’ NDC content to travel retailers and giving agents the ability to compare and book the best offers and ancillaries available from Emirates on Travelport+,” said Jason Clarke, Chief Commercial Officer, Travel Partners at Travelport. “This pivotal NDC milestone with Emirates proves Travelport is at the forefront of modern retailing with our ability to provide the best content and cutting-edge tools that agents require to create superior booking and servicing experiences for their customers.” 

Travelport’s NDC content and servicing solution for Emirates has first become available to all agency customers located in Australia, Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom. Access to Emirates NDC solution in Travelport+ will expand to agency customers located in additional countries in the coming weeks. 

Source: Travelport

Amadeus reveals anticipated Travel Trends for 2025

Amadeus has released its Travel Trends for 2025, giving a glimpse into the future of global travel.

Partnering with travel trends forecasting agency Globetrender and drawing on Amadeus’ proprietary and other leading industry data, the Amadeus 2025 Travel Trends report highlights five key trends promising to reshape the travel landscape in the coming year: 

  • New Heydays: Change-weary travellers are longing for simpler, happier vacations driven by past experiences and a phenomenon known as “rosy retrospection.”
  • Personalised Flying: Advances in AI, 5G mobile connectivity, and VR will converge to create highly personalised, connected, and immersive experiences for air passengers.
  • Trailblazer Hotels: Hotels are increasingly becoming destinations in their own right, as travellers plan trips around iconic, “calling card” properties with unique identities.
  • Asia Uplift: Asia is gearing up for a travel renewal, aiming to reclaim its position as a key player in the global tourism industry. 
  • Connections IRL: As digital dating burnout rises, travel will become a new avenue for real-world relationships, from holiday romances to lasting friendships.

“After a year where change has become the backdrop to daily life, travellers are seeking a deeper connection to people and places more than ever,” said Daniel Batchelor, vice president, global corporate marketing and communications at Amadeus.

He continued: “We’ll see a blend of old favourites and new immersive experiences, with one-of-a-kind stays putting destinations on the map.

“Asia is set for a tourism revival, while we are also seeing a rise in spontaneous solo travel, as people seek more off-screen, authentic experiences.”

New Heydays

Nostalgia is fuelling the rise of ‘new heydays,’ with the past taking centre stage.

From the comeback of 90s films and CDs to Gen Z’s love for digital cameras, culture is embracing the retro everywhere you look.

As millennials enter middle age, we will see the revival of the classic caravan and camping holiday.

Eurocamp is seeing a huge rise in bookings, with 2024 shaping up to be its best year in five decades. In the United States,, adult summer camps are also booming, with Club Getaway reporting a nine per cent jump in revenue from its adult segments in 2024 compared to 2023.

Personalised Flying

In 2025, air travel will reach new heights of personalisation, blending smart tech with customised in-flight experiences.

Although many passengers consume content on their own devices, airlines are upping the ante by combining algorithmic entertainment with hyper-personalised in-flight systems that deliver box-fresh content – from movies and TV series to adverts and things to buy – that are tailored to the individual flyer, based on their historic preferences [as loyalty scheme members].

With high-speed Wi-Fi from providers like SpaceX’s Starlink now available, passengers can stream their favourite content mid-flight just as effortlessly as they would at home.

Trailblazer Hotels

In 2025, hotels will make headlines by increasingly becoming destinations in their own right – they will immerse guests in the local culture, history, and natural beauty of their surroundings.

For example, guests will be enamoured by the charm of restored Mozambiquan Dhows at Jannah Lamu in Kenya or leaning into the old-world charm of the Maryhill Estate in Sweden.

Asia Uplift

After years of restricted travel, travellers are excited to rediscover Asia’s cultural treasures. China is opening its doors to millions by expanding visa-free travel, while Thailand’s new digital nomad visas and broader visa-free program for 93 countries are set to attract a global audience.

Pop culture is also driving interest, with the upcoming season of the White Lotus set in Thailand, Squid Game season two expected to boost travel to South Korea, and renewed curiosity about Japan’s history inspired by the TV series Shōgun.

Adding to this momentum, Iberia has recently launched direct flights between Madrid and Tokyo, making it easier than ever for travellers to explore Japan.

Connections IRL

Facing digital fatigue, travellers are closing their apps and opening their passports, using travel to make new friends and even find romance in real life.

According to Amadeus booking data, solo leisure travel soared by 15.6 per cent in 2023 compared to the previous year, with a further 9.2 per cent rise so far in 2024.

Jenny Southan, founder, Globetrender, added: “It is important to predict the changing ways people are exploring the world, and the forces of influence that are determining their decisions.

“Partnering with Amadeus in producing this 2025 Travel Trends report means that together we can help businesses successfully anticipate the needs and demands of tomorrow’s travellers.

“For consumers themselves, who are under pressure to keep finding joy in a volatile world, it is no surprise to see people looking to the ‘good old days’ when life was simpler, and turning to traditional means of making human connections, in spite of the ascent of artificial intelligence and other sci-fi technology.”

Source: Breaking Travel News

Sabre and TAP Air Portugal expand distribution agreement, enabling access to NDC content for travel agents and travel buyers

Sabre (NASDAQ: SABR) and TAP Air Portugal have expanded their distribution agreement to include NDC content access for travel agents. Sabre-connected agents can now request activation to book TAP Air Portugal’s NDC offers alongside traditional EDIFACT content through Sabre’s travel marketplace. The content will be accessible via Sabre’s Offer and Order APIs, Sabre Red 360, and GetThere. This expansion strengthens their existing partnership and aligns with the industry’s move towards modern airline retailing, enabling more personalized travel experiences. Thousands of Sabre-connected agencies across 150+ countries can now access NDC content through the Sabre GDS.

10/30/2024 – 08:30 AM

SOUTHLAKE, Texas and LISBON, Portugal, Oct. 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Sabre Corporation (NASDAQ: SABR), a leading software and technology provider in travel, and TAP Air Portugal, the main Portuguese airline, today announced an expanded distribution agreement. Sabre-connected travel agents can immediately start placing activation requests for NDC offers. Once activated, they can book TAP Air Portugal evolving NDC offers alongside the airline’s traditional EDIFACT content.

“We are excited to deepen our collaboration with Sabre to provide our customers with a seamless and modern booking experience,” said Justin Jovignot, Director Distribution and Commercial Strategy at TAP Air Portugal. “Sabre’s extensive network offers a valuable opportunity to make our NDC content available to travel agents and travelers across the globe. We recognize the vital role that travel agents play in our success, and we are dedicated to equipping them with the tools they need to deliver exceptional service.”

Sabre-connected travel agents can start placing activation requests to shop, book, and service TAP Air Portugal’s NDC offers. These offers will sit alongside traditional content in Sabre’s travel marketplace, providing travel agents with a comprehensive range of options to best serve their customers. Travel agents will be able to access this content through Sabre’s Offer and Order APIs, the agency point-of-sale solution, Sabre Red 360, and the corporate booking tool, GetThere.

“Sabre’s leading travel marketplace seamlessly integrates a wide range of offers from both traditional and new sources, including NDC,” said Alessandro Ciancimino, Vice President, Airline Distribution, EMEA at Sabre Travel Solutions. “This agreement with TAP Air Portugal demonstrates our commitment to equipping travel agents with the multi-source content they way through the Sabre’s GDS to deliver enhanced travel experiences for their clients and improve their operational efficiency.”

The agreement highlights the travel industry’s shift towards modern airline retailing and NDC, which allows airlines to better customize their offerings and provide travelers with more personalized experiences. The renewed agreement strengthens on a long-standing relationship between Sabre and TAP Air Portugal.

Thousands of Sabre-connected agencies in more than 150 countries around the world are already shopping, booking, and servicing NDC content through the Sabre GDS.

About Sabre

Sabre Corporation is a software and technology company that takes on the biggest opportunities and solves the most complex challenges in travel. The Company connects travel suppliers and buyers around the globe and across the ecosystem through innovative products and next-generation technology solutions. Sabre harnesses speed, scale and insights to build tomorrow’s technology today – empowering airlines, hoteliers, agencies and other partners to retail, distribute and fulfill travel worldwide. Headquartered in Southlake, Texas, USA, Sabre serves customers in more than 160 countries around the world. For more information visit www.sabre.com.

About TAP Air Portugal

TAP is Portugal’s leading airline and is a member of Star Alliance since 2005. Flying since 1945, TAP Air Portugal has its hub in Lisbon, a privileged access platform in Europe, at the crossroads with Africa, North, Central, and South America.

TAP Air Portugal is the world’s leading airline between Europe and Brazil. TAP offers more than 1,250 weekly flights to 85 cities in 30 countries through its network of destinations, which includes 6 airports in Portugal, 9 in North America, 14 in Central and South America, 13 in Africa and 43 in Europe (in addition to Portugal).

TAP has made a clear commitment to modernizing its fleet and offering the best product in the sector to its customers. The Portuguese airline operates one of the youngest fleets in the world, with all of Airbus’ next generation NEO aircraft: A320neo, A321neo, A321LR, and A330neo, with superior efficiency and reduced emission levels. TAP also operates 19 Embraer aircraft in its regional fleet (TAP Express).

TAP is ranked by Airline Ratings to be one of the 25 safest airlines in the world.

TAP Air Portugal has been recognized and awarded as Europe’s Leading Airline to Africa, as well as Europe’s Leading Airline to South America by the World Travel Awards in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024.

Source: Sabre

How tech has changed world of travel agents.

Travel Agents, travel consultants, travel advisors, travel specialists, and travel counselors are terms used interchangeably to describe the travel professional who helps to arrange travel for clients. Travel itself has always been in a state of transition.

The industry has evolved significantly since travelers carried paper tickets to the airport, paid in cash, and engaged in a tedious back-and-forth process to confirm their travel plans. What we may now view as cumbersome was once the height of convenience, given the technology available at the time.

In days past, far fewer people traveled compared to today, and the role of the travel agent was central to the entire process. Since the first travel agency was established in 1865 by Thomas Cook, a travel agent operated as a broker connecting travelers to transportation, accommodation and experiences for a commission.

The rise of technology has transformed the industry, moving it from the traditional model of booking travel through a travel agent located in a physical office at a corner street to a digital space where travelers can book trips from the comfort of their homes.

In the past, with limited information available to the general public, it was the travel agent’s job to paint a vivid picture of the destination for potential travellers. Travellers relied entirely on these agents for advice and information that today can easily be accessed online.

Clients no longer needed to rely on agents to convey information about destinations; instead, they could easily find it online. To stay relevant, travel agents had to evolve into travel advisors. This new role leverages their technical knowledge, which includes creating tailored travel packages based on a deep understanding of the traveller’s profile and the destination.

A professional travel advisor can anticipate and fulfill a traveller’s desires, ensuring a satisfying experience, says Nicanor Sabula, CEO of the Kenya Association of Travel Agents (KATA).

While one might assume that the advancements in technology would eliminate the need for human expertise, technology’s greatest strength is also its biggest weakness.

The limitless information available online also presents limitless possibilities for misinformation.

The online space is fraught with risks that only a trusted advisor can mitigate. Today’s travellers depend on travel advisors to verify their travel arrangements and provide technical advice on destination requirements.

Julie Dabaly Scott, Managing Director of CWT Kenya and Bunson Travel, says the role of a travel agent has undergone a significant transformation from simply booking and organizing travel arrangements to becoming a trusted travel advisor. As a result, the modern travel agent’s value now lies in offering personalized advice, insider knowledge, and tailored experiences that go beyond what can be easily found online.

She says this evolution in the role has led travel advisors to approach their work differently. In the past, the primary focus was on securing travel arrangements. Now, the role has expanded to encompass a holistic approach to travel planning. This includes assisting with travel insurance, visa applications, restaurant reservations, special event planning, and even providing support during the trip itself.

Tom Kitingu of Grato Travels says Kenyan travellers fall into two distinct categories. The first group consists of those with the resources but little time. These travellers don’t have the luxury to shop around for the best deals but demand customized experiences tailored to their tight schedules.

The second category includes budget travellers who, while knowledgeable about their needs, are willing to forgo certain luxuries but insist on getting the best value for their money.

At KATA, says Sabula, their role is to equip members with the tools and knowledge needed understand the preferences of today’s traveller.

KATA exists to protect the interests of travel agents and the traveling public by educating members, holding them accountable to professional standards, connecting them to opportunities, and representing them to authorities and other stakeholders in foreign policy formulation.

Travellers have increasingly adopted the internet as their primary source of travel inspiration, moving away from traditional travel agents who once served as key intermediaries for information and bookings. A growing number of travellers now opt for websites, AI-generated itineraries, and direct online bookings.

A veteran travel professional, Julie says the evolution of travel advisory services is an ongoing process. While some agents continue to adapt to this shift, others may face challenges. Julie expresses her optimism about the future of travel advisory services and emphasizes that the ability to adapt to changing market demands will be key to thriving in the industry.

Original coverage on Sunday Standard, October 27, 2024

20241027 The Standard (1)Download

Travelport’s renewed distribution agreement with Delta Air Lines confirms NDC integration

LANGLEY UK – Travelport, a global technology company that powers travel bookings for hundreds of thousands of travel suppliers worldwide, announced it has signed a multi-year renewal agreement with Delta Air Lines, including NDC content. The top U.S. airline is collaborating with Travelport on the integration of its NDC solution into Travelport+ to support Delta’s selling and servicing transformation.

“We value our long-term partnership with Travelport and are pleased to extend our full content agreement, as well as make Delta’s NDC technology solution available to all of Travelport’s agency customers,” said Jeff Lobl, Managing Director, Distribution Strategy and Agency Sales Programs at Delta Air Lines. “Together, we aim to create value by ensuring customers are presented with the best options to fit their needs for a better, more personalized shopping experience.”

To help agencies solve challenges with comparing NDC offers alongside traditional content, Travelport recently debuted its Content Curation Layer (CCL). Travelport’s CCL uses artificial intelligence (AI) and machine-learning (ML) to sift through aggregated, multi-source content and return the right range of accurate, highly intuitive search results that are normalized and easier for agents and travelers to understand. CCL is the latest enhancement to the Travelport+ platform, simplifying the delivery of retail-ready content from partners like Delta and presenting tailored options to agency customers and the end-traveler.

“Our renewed agreement with Delta underscores our shared commitment to modernizing travel retail for agents and travelers with a seamless, personalized shopping and servicing experience,” said Damian Hickey, Global Head of Travel Partners at Travelport. “As we prepare for the future delivery of Delta’s NDC content, our ability to deliver multi-source content in a retail-ready way ensures that agents and travelers will be able to easily shop and compare all of Delta’s product offerings in one place.”

Source: Travel Daily News.  

To learn more, read Travelport’s full press release 

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IATA and Outpayce help airlines accept account‑to‑account payments

Outpayce, a venture launched in 2023 to improve Amadeus’ travel paymens sector, has partnered with IATA to enable airlines to accept account-to-account (A2A) payments.

Recent regulations in many markets make it possible for merchants to accept payment from consumers using direct, account-to-account transfers. As airlines seek to best meet the needs of travelers and reduce the overall cost of payments, account-to-account payments are becoming very popular, and they represent a new option for travelers to pay for air tickets.

That’s why IATA and Outpayce are partnering so airlines can now accept payments made with IATA Pay through Outpayce’s Xchange Payments Platform (XPP).

IATA Pay is an alternative account-to-account form of payment for travelers to pay for air tickets purchased online by directly debiting their bank account. It leverages the new account-to-account rails and regulations developed by countries around the world such as India (UPI), the Netherlands (Ideal), Brazil (PIX) or Philippines (QR Ph). Currently available in over 30 countries, IATA Pay improves the speed and security of payments, while reducing payment acceptance costs.

When a traveler reaches checkout on an airline’s website the new account-to-account payment service allows them to select their bank or scan a QR code depending on the country. IATA uses the payment and bank details or the QR code’s approval to request a transfer from the passenger’s account and the funds are transferred using the banking rails. IATA settles the funds with the airline the following day.

Juan Antonio Rodriguez, Director Financial Settlement Operations, IATA said: “The trend towards account-to-account payments is gaining more momentum. It provides a seamless experience for passengers and provides an attractive option for airlines to lower the cost of payment acceptance. Through Outpayce, airlines using XPP can begin to accept IATA Pay while still benefiting from XPP’s powerful orchestration, analytics and reporting capabilities.”

Anna Isabel Bengzon, Chief Financial Officer, Philippine Airlines said: “We are pleased to now accept IATA Pay in the Philippines. It will provide our passengers a more convenient and secure way of paying via QR code using their digital wallets, which is highly prevalent in the country, or through their bank accounts. Outpayce’s XPP system helps us to intelligently accept a wide range of payment methods used by travelers across the international markets we serve. Moreover, we can access various payment methods and partners through XPP, with detailed analytics on the performance of payment flows and back-end reconciliation support.”

Jean-Christophe Lacour, SVP and Head of Product Management & Delivery, Outpayce added: “We’re committed to helping travel companies accept the widest possible range of payment methods through a single connection to XPP and IATA Pay represents an interesting new option for the industry. By making it easier for partners to connect to XPP using self-service APIs we intend to broaden this choice even further.”

IATA is one of the first partners to connect to Outpayce’s Xchange Payment Platform using its new self-service APIs, being piloted in 2024. The addition of self-service APIs helps to open XPP, making it easier for any payments or fintech company to connect its services, which increases choice for travel companies and further optimizes payment orchestration.

Source:  Outpayce  

Sabre signs distribution agreement with Delta Air Lines

  • Deal includes NDC content

Sabre has closed a multi-year renewal of its distribution agreement with Delta Air Lines. The long-term agreement enables Sabre-connected Travel agents connected to Sabre will now have access to both traditional EDIFACT and NDC Delta content.

Earlier this year, Delta announced details of its selling and servicing transformation, which included NDC. The pair will work together on the integration of NDC content into Sabre’s travel marketplace to support the transformation. “We are pleased to extend our full content agreement and value-based commercial model with Sabre,” said Jeff Lobl, managing director, distribution strategy and agency sales programmes of Delta Air Lines.

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“We look forward to collaborating with Sabre to make Delta’s NDC technology solution available to all Sabre-connected travel agents to ensure that our customers receive the best possible travel experience tailored to their needs.”

Roshan Mendis, chief commercial officer of Sabre Travel Solutions, added: “Sabre is delighted to extend our long-standing partnership with Delta Air Lines and to support their NDC journey. “This agreement underscores our commitment to building a comprehensive travel marketplace that equips travel agents with the tools and content they need to excel in today’s dynamic travel environment, including the ability to leverage the potential of NDC.”

Source:   Travolution.

Catch the latest recap of the Kenya Travel Industry Payments Summit (K-TRIPS) on YouTube! Navigating industry shifts to fostering innovation, the summit offered valuable takeaways for travel professionals.

NDC offers confuse clients, frustrate agents

A recent Travel News poll showed that 5% of agents book NDC via airline direct websites, 10% utilise a third-party platform (eg Thomalex), 15% book NDC via the GDS interface and 10% book a combination of all these options. 

But an alarming 60% of agents said they are not using NDC at all.

According to its 2024 Modern Retailing Report, Travelport research shows that NDC and website-direct offers are at odds with the consumer experience and that 58% of users are struggling to compare new products and additional offers available through NDC.

In 2022, Iata said of Modern Airline Retailing: “Our aim is to create value for travellers by meeting their needs. We know that passengers want a seamless digital experience.”

The NDC-powered displays of fares on many airlines’ websites mean that a vast number of fares are displayed. The fares represent the unbundling of standard fares and the rebundling of their elements into a variety of different offers. It’s somewhat bewildering and confusing for consumers, who could end up paying more for their fare than they bargained for.

A leisure client interviewed by Travel News said he received a quote from his travel agent to fly to Lisbon. “We were out with friends and they said I should book direct online as the airline website is always cheaper than agents offer. I went on to the website of the airline that my agent had quoted me on to have a look and the fares were indeed cheaper than she had quoted us.

“I put the same dates and flight details in on the same airline, got the cheaper rate and paid for the tickets, having compared apples with apples. The terms and conditions and different booking options were confusing at best.

“I have subsequently discovered that I booked the cheapest flights without baggage, and I cannot change my dates or get any refund on the tickets. Baggage is purchasable as an addition to the airfare and there were about seven different options and related prices for various fares that affect changes and refunds.

“Airline website offerings are a nightmare. There is so much more content to wade through; they have become more trouble than they are worth.”

Travelport CEO, Greg Webb, spoke to Travel News about solutions the GDS is developing to address the complexities of booking NDC.

 “Travelport’s role in the increasingly complex travel industry is to take millions of pieces of disparate information and make it simple for both travel agencies and providers to understand, search, sell and service. We believe AI and machine learning are powerful tools to do just that. The Travelport Content Curation Layer product will allow travel agencies to provide travellers with the right range of normalised, enriched, bookable content at speed, via a single search screen. Used for all content sources (LCC, EDIFACT, NDC, hotel, car, etc). The CCL allows agents to compare apples to oranges in an apples-to-apples way.

“Our travel agency partners know their travellers well, and Content Optimizer gives agencies the ability to set their own rules and customise the type of results that are prioritised.”

The Travelport report explains that because NDC content is implemented differently by every airline, the reality is the buyer is often forced to deal with NDC, whether they know it or not. 

To travellers, NDC looks like an overwhelming set of content on every airline’s website, along with different rules for changes on every offer, along with system incompatibilities, such as the offering of long-haul flights from South Africa to Europe, the US or Asia without the inclusion of baggage. It’s hard to believe this feels like a satisfactory modern retailing experience for the consumer. 

The same can be said for the travel agent’s experience when working with NDC. They often see duplicated content on the screen, or must open multiple tabs to compare like-for-like products. 

Added Webb: “For agencies and travellers alike, the explosion of choice is causing on-screen clutter, slower searches, and confusion.”

Travelport’s new Content Curation Layer and Content Optimizer was designed to unlock smarter searches in one place with clearer and more standardised results from all sources, said Webb.

 Source: Travel News

Kenya Airways and Safaricom forge tech partnership for aviation innovation

Kenya Airways (KQ) has signed a partnership with Safaricom aimed at driving innovations that will enhance the airline’s operational efficiency, strengthen cybersecurity, and elevate the customer experience.

Kenya Airways and Safaricom will focus on enhancing connectivity, in-flight Wi-Fi, Infrastructure Inspection, Security Surveillance, loyalty programs, data science, software development, and aviation innovation in areas such as agriculture.

Commenting on the partnership, Fredrick Kitunga, Chief Information and Data Officer at Kenya Airways said: “Kenya Airways collaboration with Safaricom is a testament to the power of co-creation. By harnessing our combined expertise, we are not only addressing today’s challenges but also laying the groundwork for sustainable growth, enhanced connectivity, and transformative innovations that will benefit our customers and communities for years to come.”

The companies will also collaborate in developing and implementing Internet of Things (IoT) solutions for warehousing, baggage tracking, aircraft materials and ULD, to cover tracking, location, reconciliation and stock taking.

Representing Safaricom, Cynthia Kropac, Head of Business noted, “This Memorandum of Understanding solidifies our commitment to providing a transformative experience for our customers, connecting people in new and innovative ways. By leveraging our respective strengths—Kenya Airways in providing safe journeys and Safaricom in cutting-edge communications and technology—we ensure that our customers remain seamlessly connected throughout their travels.”

Kenya Airways’ Fahari Innovation Hub is a one‐of‐a‐kind center of aviation innovation excellence in Africa that facilitates creative and collaborative ways of providing much‐needed solutions to business problems. The Hub is a centre for strategic innovation management offering opportunities for cocreation, networking, research, and learning; and is a springboard for new ideas and innovations that help communities and continent face current and future challenges.

Kenya Airways (KQ) is Kenya’s national carrier and a leading African airline. It flies to 45 destinations worldwide, 37 of which are in Africa, connecting over 5 million passengers and over 70,000 Tons of cargo annually through the Hub at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.

Source:   ATTA