Modern airline retailing is moving fast. However, it can still be hard to see which airlines are making real progress versus small, incremental changes. So, having a clear and consistent benchmark matters.
In our last post, we shared “Capabilities Verification,” the first pillar of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Airline Retailing Maturity (ARM) Index. This pillar checks whether an airline has the technical foundation to move toward 100% Offers and Orders. In other words, it focuses on what an airline can actually do today.
What Capabilities Verification measures
This pillar reviews 75+ capabilities across six categories:
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Shop
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Order
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Pay
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Account
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Settle
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Setup
As a result, it is a big step beyond earlier NDC and ONE Order certifications. More importantly, it looks at a broader set of operational capabilities rather than a narrow subset of flows.
What the early results show
Right now, 76 airlines have been certified by IATA across these capability categories. Lufthansa leads with 49 verified capabilities. Meanwhile, Emirates and SWISS follow closely with 45 capabilities, along with other airlines in the same range.
At the same time, low-cost carriers are also represented. For example:
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Spirit: 25 capabilities
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Vueling: 22
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Pegasus: 13
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Scoot: 6
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Jeju Air: 3
So, while adoption is growing, progress still varies widely across airlines and business models.
Where airlines are strong and where gaps remain
Most airlines start with the basics: flight shopping, order creation, and payment acceptance. That said, many carriers still have not unlocked the full potential of NDC and Offers & Orders.
In particular, advanced retailing features are still missing for many airlines, such as:
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continuous pricing
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bundled ancillaries
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post-booking servicing and order changes
Because of this, airlines that stay at “basic functionality” can miss meaningful revenue opportunities. In addition, they may fall behind on customer experience improvements that modern retailing can deliver.
Where does your airline stand?
With that in mind, where does your airline sit on the retailing maturity list (see below)? And, what is the fastest path to increase value?
Let’s discuss how your airline can capture the benefits of digital retailing. Please reach out to hello@threedot.io
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