Going live with an API does not automatically mean strong NDC adoption. Instead, airlines need to go further to achieve a real retailing impact.
In many cases, the technology changes, but the offers, the flows, and even the commercial model stay the same. As a result, performance stays flat.
To move from “live” to scale, airlines usually need to solve three major issues.
1) Limited content
If the NDC channel only shows a subset of what customers can buy, it will not convert. For example, gaps often include:
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fares or cabin availability
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ancillaries (meals, seats, baggage)
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rich content and media
2) Lack of truly new offers
If airlines push the same products through a new pipe, they won’t lift conversion. So, airlines need offers that the legacy GDS/EDIFACT model struggled to support, such as:
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continuous pricing
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personalized services
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bundles and targeted offers
3) Manual servicing of bookings
Servicing is where many programs stall. For example, airlines often face inconsistent tools and complex workflows. Because of that, teams rely on manual interventions for:
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changes and reissues
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cancellations
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refunds
Same products through new channels don’t lift conversion
An NDC channel becomes valuable when it delivers better content, better offers, and smoother servicing. In other words, “live” is the start. Growth comes from capability maturity.
Your NDC is live. To discuss further and help it grow, please reach out to hello@threedot.io
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