Sabre Corporation, a leading software and technology provider that powers the global travel industry announced that Avianca Group’s New Distribution Capability (NDC) content is now available to travel agencies, travel buyers and developer partners in several countries.
Avianca Group – which includes Avianca Airlines as well as Avianca Costa Rica, Avianca Ecuador and TACA International Airlines – is the first Latin American carrier to distribute its NDC offers through Sabre’s marketplace. The Colombia-based airline group plans to roll out its NDC content in two initial waves: The first one started on August 1; the second is targeted for August 15 and is expected to include more than 50 countries across the globe, including Australia, Ecuador, Canada, Costa Rica, France, Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico.
“We are excited about this milestone. The experience and expertise of Sabre’s team has been crucial to make the implementation happen quickly,” said Catalina Nannig, vice president of Sales & Distribution at Avianca. “Joining Sabre’s Beyond NDC family has been a valuable experience, and we are looking forward to expanding the reach of our offers to better serve our customers across the globe.”
Sabre-connected agencies and developer partners can now shop, book and service NDC offers alongside other content using Sabre’s Offer and Order APIs, agency point-of-sale tool Sabre Red 360 as well as corporate online booking tool GetThere – all within a familiar booking environment. The roll-out of NDC offers follows a pilot phase with travel agencies in Brazil, El Salvador, and the United States.
“For us as travel retailers, it is essential to have access to the right air and ancillary content – and to be able to easily compare offers from various sources. Sabre’s end-to-end approach and appreciation of agency workflows helps us operate more efficiently,” said José Miguel Guzmán, owner, Leman’s Travel. “We are impressed by Sabre’s agility and flexibility and are happy to be able to offer Avianca Group’s NDC content to our customers going forward.”
Going Beyond NDC is an area of focus for Sabre as an enabler of its vision to be the premier global technology platform in travel. Today, more than 3,000 agencies are shopping, booking, and servicing NDC content through the Sabre marketplace. Sabre is engaged with more than 25 airlines to distribute their NDC content through its GDS.
“Sabre has always been focused on providing a consistent distribution experience, regardless of the channel – and NDC is a part of that approach”, said Kathy Morgan, vice president, NDC and Airline Supply, Sabre Travel Solutions.
“Integrating with Sabre’s marketplace will help enable Avianca Group to distribute its NDC content consistently and efficiently to third-party travel sellers. This will also help equip Avianca to meet the ever-changing needs of travelers, enjoy a more dynamic distribution environment, and open new revenue opportunities.”
