The Lufthansa Group, a pioneer in the area of New Distribution Capability (NDC), and Travelport, worldwide leader in travel retail, announced a new distribution agreement that will pave the way for modern airline retailing as well as technology innovation.
Under the agreement, which covers the carriers Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines and Air Dolomiti, Travelport will distribute Lufthansa Group airlines’ NDC content through the next-generation content distribution and travel retailing platform, Travelport+. This agreement builds on the ongoing distribution of Lufthansa Group airlines’ content through traditional EDIFACT channels.
The launch of the long-term agreement will be in the first half of 2022 as both the airline and Travelport continue to develop functionality around the NDC technology standard by signing up to one of the two available commercial NDC models, the NDC Public model or NDC Bilateral model.
The NDC public model for small to medium-sized agencies will pay a reduced distribution cost charge (DCC) for basic content, while the NDC bilateral model will be the full suite of products and services for larger customers or those that want specific content and who will need to strike an agreement with Lufthansa as well as one with Travelport.
Travelport will offer NDC and traditional ATPCO content via its API and Smartpoint agency desktop solution.
“Lufthansa Group is firmly committed to delivering superior customer experiences along the entire travel journey, increasing reach of our most attractive offers and enabling a diverse travel ecosystem. Especially in these times of crisis and when creating additional customer value through advanced technology proves to be more important than ever, we are doubling down on our long-term NDC strategy”, says Tamur Goudarzi Pour, Senior Vice President Channel Management at Lufthansa Group Network Airlines and Chief Commercial Officer SWISS.
“This future-oriented agreement allows a maximum level of flexibility, and confirms that Travelport and Lufthansa Group airlines are teaming up to drive change in our industry towards true retailing capabilities and implementing customer-centric processes that together elevate the customer experience to new levels.”
Jason Clarke, Chief Commercial Officer, Travel Partners at Travelport, says: “Expanding our longstanding partnership with Lufthansa Group airlines to include NDC content, with the retailing possibilities it offers, is a significant stride forward. Managing multiple sources of content and merchandizing them effectively with personalized and dynamic offers is exactly what Travelport+ has been built for. We look forward to delivering exponential value for the agency community and Lufthansa Group airlines’ travelers.”
