Southwest Airlines has become the latest airline
to join NDC Exchange.
NDC Exchange is a community platform
created by ATPCO and SITA that enables API connectivity between
airlines and sellers using New Distribution Capability (NDC), an
XML-based data transmission standard set by IATA.
NDC Exchange enables NDC API format translation
for any party (GDS, travel agents, aggregators, online travel
agencies and travel management companies) on a neutral,
cost-effective basis.
Now that Southwest Airlines has partnered with
ATPCO and SITA, the Dallas-based airline has a simple way to
connect and expand its offers to multiple distribution points that
are already connected to NDC Exchange. Southwest will continue to
maintain complete control over which sellers have access to its
content as their primary focus for this distribution channel is
the corporate travel space.
Through NDC Exchange,
the carrier will be able to focus on showcasing how it can help
business travelers reach the places and people that are important
to their businesses, while NDC Exchange facilitates the technical
aspects including onboarding and providing 24/7 support to
aggregators and/or sellers. Southwest anticipates taking its first
NDC Exchange bookings by the end of summer.
Rob Brown, Senior
Director of B2B Strategy at Southwest Airlines said, “By
partnering with NDC Exchange, we are making our API more
accessible. This new addition to our no-cost multichannel
distribution portfolio will drive consistency while providing the
necessary functionality needed to support our business customers.
Corporate travel managers and travelers will have access to our
everyday low fares and enjoy an easy and hassle-free experience
from the same Southwest they know and love when booking via this
channel.”
NDC
Exchange supports shopping, booking, and servicing workflows and
enables the cross-selling of ancillary services between airlines,
and among airlines and sellers. Using a common data model, it
normalizes messages regardless of version or format, creating
interoperability across the distribution ecosystem. Travel sellers
can access multiple airlines via NDC Exchange, hence lowering the
cost of their implementation.
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