Amadeus is making NDC-enabled content available around the world in 2021.
We have seen that technology, innovation and collaboration are the most powerful drivers of recovery - all of these elements are deeply rooted in our distribution strategy for airlines. As the industry works together to rebuild traveler confidence, providing the best service including enhancing travel retailing, highlighting the value of Amadeus’ distribution technology and finally our network of travel sellers has never been of higher importance.
In this blog, we take a look back at what happened in 2021 across airline distribution, the successes we have had and some of our plans for 2022.
New and renewed content for travel sellers
Our primary focus has always been to ensure our customers benefit from the network effect and technology expertise of the Amadeus Travel platform. Our airline partners benefit from the reach, the scale and efficiency, and the sophisticated retailing capabilities increasingly offered via the Amadeus Travel Platform. Travel sellers can enjoy access to the widest range of global air content available all in one place, with efficient servicing and processing capabilities.
Across 2021 we have seen airline leaders choosing to empower travel trade partners and leverage the technology of the Amadeus Travel Platform, in order to deliver their content in a consistent way to travelers and with excellent customer service. We are extremely grateful to each and every one of our 100+ airlines we signed new or renewed agreements with last year - this includes agreements for distribution of content sourced through traditional EDIFACT technology, as well as NDC-sourced content.
These deals have included airlines from all corners of the globe - including American Airlines, Delta, United Airlines and Avianca in the Americas, through British Airways, Iberia, Vueling, Aer Lingus and LOT Polish Airlines in Europe, Qatar, Etihad and most recently Emirates in the Middle East and Cathay Pacific and Qantas in Asia Pacific. We also had new airlines choosing the indirect channel for the first time and trusting Amadeus to maximize their distribution.
The total number of airlines available in the Amadeus Travel Platform exceeds 400 and out of them 140+ are low-cost and hybrid carriers - this goes to show just how dynamic the air distribution business has been.
Integration of NDC-sourced content
The Amadeus Travel Platform is at the core of enhancing retailing and as part of it, NDC is a key driver. But NDC can’t become the new foundation of airline distribution if it does not bring benefits to all players in the travel value chain. With American Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Air France and KLM airlines already implemented, and piloting Qantas, we are very happy that additional airlines have joined us on our NDC journey in 2021: we now have more than 20 carriers currently being implemented in the Amadeus Travel Platform. In fact, the vast majority of the distribution agreements we signed in 2021 included an NDC partnership, Avianca, Qatar Airways and LOT Polish Airlines to name a few. Ultimately, this means airlines can empower travel trade partners to deliver tailored content in a consistent and efficient way to travelers and with excellent customer service.
We have also been working with our travel seller partners to enable NDC-sourced content for their travelers: we continue our work with global partners such as CWT, FCM and Travix, and have grown our NDC footprint wider than ever last year signing regional players like Viajes el Corte Inglés, Tourvest and EZTravel. 2022 will see us enter into more discussions with many other travel players.
What is more, in 2021 Amadeus started the global roll-out of our NDC-enabled solutions. As a result of our efforts, thousands of travel sellers in more than 60 markets around the world already have access to the NDC-sourced content of the four airlines that are currently live in the Amadeus Travel Platform.
Finally, as a proof of our commitment to NDC and innovation, Amadeus also became the first company to receive dual IATA registration as Airlines Retailing Maturity System Provider for both airlines and travel sellers. This is a significant recognition that we are headed in the right direction towards travel retailing by ramping up collaboration and innovation among all industry players.
Merchandising and rich content to improve retailing capabilities
Now more crucially, every actor in the travel industry needs to provide their best offer and service in a very clear, detailed, and seamless way. This is why enhanced travel retailing is becoming increasingly important, accelerating NDC deployment and reminding us of the importance of merchandising.
At Amadeus, we continue evolving our air shopping solutions to allow for a clear and visually attractive display of airline offers and upsell opportunities such as fare families (bundled fares and services into branded products). In 2021, 12 new airlines made their fare families available in the Amadeus Travel Platform; meaning travel sellers can now benefit from clear and structured fare family information of more than 100 carriers.
Moreover, with ancillary services now available at every step of the sales flow (whether search, booking or post-booking), we continue to help airlines and travel sellers generate more revenue and offer travelers a more tailored experience. In 2021, 11 new carriers started selling their ancillary services through Amadeus, including Pakistan International Airlines, Vistara and JetBlue Airways to name a few.
But this is not all. Our latest developments in air shopping displays include the display of rich content such as pictures and icons of in-flight amenities to enable airlines to strengthen their brand and better communicate their products in the indirect channel. This is becoming especially important now that detailed and relevant information is often the key for customers to travel with confidence.
Continuous investment on behalf of our partners
Looking forward, 2022 finds us with a renewed energy to keep growing our air distribution offer and network of travel sellers. We are committed to providing the best service in airline distribution working hand in hand as a trusted partner to all players across the travel industry. We keep investing in our technology to make the Amadeus Travel Platform the meeting point for airlines and travel sellers to further develop their mutual cooperation and create even greater journeys for travelers.
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