United's latest NDC upgrade has been a game changer, according to a leading NDC-friendly TMC. However, travel advisors who utilize United NDC content via a GDS aren't likely to enjoy all of the capabilities that are offered via direct connects and some NDC aggregators.
United NDC version 10.9 has been active since February. Its new capabilities took the airline over a key threshold, said Jeff Klee, CEO of the TMC AmTrav. Klee calls that threshold "Tie-Goes-to-NDC Day," defining it as the point when an airline's NDC application becomes AmTrav's booking solution of choice, even when the price for an NDC-enabled ticket and a ticket enabled by legacy Edifact distribution technology are the same.
"When we implement these NDC connections, a lot of times the initial decisions are fueled by some sort of a price difference," Klee said. "It's much more exciting and interesting when there is a tie and when we are choosing NDC because of the benefits of NDC, not just the price."
Jeff Christensen, United's managing director of global distribution strategy, said one of the most prominent upgrades from the recent release is the capability for an agency to exchange a ticket purchased via legacy technology for an NDC ticket.
A second addition he highlighted is the ability for an agency to apply an unused ticket credit at the end of the booking flow. Previously, United's NDC application had required that a specific credit be selected at the start of the process, a cumbersome situation since advisors typically don't decide whether to use a credit until after they've flight shopped and seen the price.
Klee said both of those changes were key to United achieving Tie-Goes-to-NDC for AmTrav since they align with what TMCs and travel managers expect in their workflows.
Another improvement Klee called out is the lifting of a requirement that United NDC bookings made within 26 hours of a flight be instantly ticketed. Corporate customers, Klee said, want time to approve every booking.
There are remaining servicing gaps in United's NDC, Klee said. An example he gave is that when an airline grants an exception to a ticketing rule, such as allowing an expired ticket to be booked, there's no mechanism to force a price, as there is via Edifact.
Christensen said there are only a number of "tiny" use cases that United has not perfected in NDC. And the next NDC update will fix a remaining larger use case by offering the ability for automated name changes of corporate tickets.
While United NDC remains buggy at times, according to Klee, certain functionalities make it the preferred option over the GDS. One is the flow-through of ticket changes made on United.com back into AmTrav's account, which is not possible on Edifact. That capability especially benefits flyers experiencing a travel disruption.
A more obvious NDC benefit at United is fare availability. Glenn Hollister, the airline's vice president of sales and effectiveness, said that 45% to 48% of United tickets are now sold with continuously priced fares not available in legacy GDSs. United also only sells domestic and Latin America/Caribbean international basic economy via NDC and direct channels.
Along with more fares, United NDC can also present the airline's full suite of ancillary products, which Edifact cannot.
Capabilities vary
The benefits of United NDC are not equally enjoyed.
Whether any particular capability is available via a specific United NDC technology provider depends on the tech stack of that provider. Hollister said that a major shortcoming of United NDC interfaces in Sabre, Travelport and Amadeus is that those GDSs don't have the capability to display and sell most of the ancillary products that United is able to display and sell via some other NDC partners.
Peter Vlitas, executive vice president of partner relations at Internova Travel Group, said AmTrav can take advantage of NDC because it direct connects with airline NDC applications via its own booking tool.
"For the rest of us, the majority, who are on a GDS, it's a slow, uphill grind," he said.
In an emailed statement, Sabre said agencies can book and service United NDC content. Key capabilities include multi-passenger bookings, shopping by frequent flyer number, selecting and paying for pre-reserved seats and cancel/refund options.
"Additional functionalities, such as expanded support for dynamically bundled fares and related servicing, are expected in the future," Sabre said. "We remain committed to working with United and other airline partners to enhance the agency experience as new capabilities roll out."
Amadeus said it offers a robust United NDC solution that is ready to scale. "We are currently working together on the implementation of several additional advanced servicing use cases," the company said.
Travelport did not respond to a request for comment.