Accelya, the leading global provider of software solutions to the travel industry, said it will now enable American Airlines to make unused EDIFACT tickets exchangeable through New Distribution Capability-based connections.
Accelya plans to implement the first-of-its-kind functionality for any airline customer that wants to provide this capability to customers and can enable the retrieval of GDS-issued EDIFACT tickets from its system. This pioneering move addresses a challenge for travel retailers as they transition to using NDC.
The pioneering initiative responds to a commonly reported challenge from travel management companies (TMCs), many of which are still dependent on Global Distribution Systems (GDS) that use the legacy EDIFACT messaging standard for information exchange.
Until now, the inability to exchange unused GDS EDIFACT tickets has been a key barrier for TMCs wanting to leverage the benefits of NDC-based distribution. In turn, the lack of this functionality has complicated NDC adoption across the industry.
Following rigorous testing, Accelya’s solution was able to obtain access to tickets issued via EDIFACT through the GDS using the airline’s API, as well as submit the extracted fare information to its shopping provider in order to obtain a price for the exchange.
The new functionality can be implemented for any other NDC-enabled carrier, as long as they are able to provide access to GDS-issued legacy tickets from their host system. This will allow travel sellers to conveniently exchange unused EDIFACT tickets and will in turn help airlines accelerate their transition to NDC.
“After discussions with the TMC community and our partners at American Airlines, we very quickly picked up the mantle and worked tirelessly to bring this new capability to the market,” said Tye Radcliffe, SVP of Product Strategy over the Order Group at Accelya. “Having worked closely with American Airlines since the very start of their NDC journey, it was clear that their innovative spirit aligned well with our pioneering spirit – making them a natural partner to help us move the whole industry further, faster.”
“At American Airlines, we are focused on providing customers a modern retailing experience regardless of where they shop, whether it is directly with us or through a travel retailer,” added Scott Laurence, Senior Vice President of Partnership Strategy and International at American Airlines. “Thanks to our partnership with Accelya, we were able to address a key pain point for our customers and travel retailers as they transition to NDC.”
