Travelfusion becomes the first IT service provider to adopt British Airways’s New Distribution Capability (NDC) programme

Travelfusion becomes the first IT service provider to adopt British Airways’s New Distribution Capability (NDC) programme

 

LONDON, 2016-Oct-24 — /Travel PR News/ — Travelfusion is to become the first IT service provider to launch a site following British Airways opening up its data to IT developers as part of its New Distribution Capability (NDC) programme.

Travelfusion was one of the first companies to take the airline up on the option to access its content and data to develop their own channel for customers. The new site will enable agents and corporate clients to simply connect via Travelfusion, rather than building their own IT system.

The move will make it easier for travel agents and travel management companies to add real value to their customers by being able to access all the relevant information from cabin details and baggage allowance to upgrade options, as well as book flights and service elements such as updating Executive Club information and pre-booking meals.

Ian Luck, head of distribution for British Airways, said: “It’s exciting to see these big steps forward being taken with the adoption of NDC. Travelfusion were one of the first companies to take advantage of us opening up some of our data to IT developers a year ago and they’re already delivering a new site that will help both agents and corporate travel companies alike, who want to adopt New Distribution Capability, but don’t want to develop their own IT infrastructure.”

British Airways is also now accepting NDC transactions in Russia, for both searching, selling and servicing, through IATA’s Billing Settlement Plan (BSP)* and customer cards.

Other recent developments have included the airline launching the ability via NDC-enabled systems to pre-book additional luggage, advise the airline of catering requests for pre-order in Club World and First, pre-paid in World Traveller and World Traveller Plus or special meal orders, add Executive Club and On Business numbers to enable tracking and pay British Airways via IATA’s Billing and Settlement Plan.

NDC is the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) programme that improves communications between airlines and travel agents by addressing the industry’s current distribution limitations around product differentiation, time to market, access to full and rich content and the transparency of the shopping experience.

Notes to editors:

• *Agents that collect payment themselves, known as ‘cash sales’, rather than direct to the airline via their merchant agreement are bound to remit the payment to the airline under IATA’s Billing and Settlement Plan (BSP). BSP automatically calculates the money due, collects and pays the airline. Via NDC British Airways has now made it possible for agents to pay them using existing industry functionality, without making major changes to their systems.

For further information, please contact press.office@ba.com.

Source:  British Airways

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