Air India is the first Indian carrier that has successfully implemented the New Distribution Capability, a cutting edge technology developed by the International Air Transport Association. This major milestone changes the way Air India’s services are presented to travel agents, corporations and leisure and business travelers.
Air India hopes to improve interactions with travel partners, and streamline the booking process of customers, by adopting the 21.3 schema from IATA’s NDC. NDC allows travel agents to access real time offers, ancillary service and fare families that were previously unavailable via traditional distribution systems. This will allow customers to make personalised, transparent reservations, allowing them to access exclusive deals and tailored flights packages.
NDC is a program supported by the travel industry and launched by IATA to develop and market a new XML-based standard for data transmission. NDC improves the way airline product are sold in different channels. Air India travel partners can now access a greater variety of offers, services, and products, such as customized flight packages and other ancillary goods, in real-time. Customers can look forward to a more streamlined and transparent booking process that allows them to find the best offers across all sales channels. Nipun Aggarwal is the Chief Commercial Officer of Air India.
He stated that “implementing NDC is an important milestone as we continue our innovation and enhance our distribution strategies.” Our goal is to offer a seamless, efficient booking experience to our travel partners and customers. Travel agents from around the world will be able to connect directly with Air India’s NDC, and gain access to a richer, more diverse content set, including exclusive NDC offers and ancillary services. This will improve the overall booking experience and travel experience of their clients. Customers will no longer be able, starting on 03 September 2024 to make Vistara bookings for travel that occurs after 12 November 2024.
Vistara will continue taking bookings and operating flights as usual until 11 November 2024. Air India will be transferring all tickets booked by Vistara customers for travel after November 12.
