New marketplace lets travel agents avoid GDS surcharges (and keep incentives)

Flat lay composition. Air delivery. Online shopping. Laptop, figurine of shopping trolley, airplane on a blue background. Top view

A new global B2B marketplace connecting airlines and air content providers with travel agents for the quick adoption of New Distribution Capability (NDC) transactions has just landed.

NDCMarketplace.com is a subscription-based platform that enables both parties to buy and sell air products using the International Air Transport Association’s NDC standard.

Developed by Dubai-based travel technology firm TPConnects, the online marketplace offers agents from around the world a new way to search, compare and book airline tickets, ancillaries and related services on NDC-certified airlines from one central location.

Agents can use their own credentials and form of payment on NDCMarketplace.com, meaning they will not lose their Global Distribution Services (GDS) incentives and can avoid GDS surcharges imposed by airlines, while also saving on GDS distribution fees for NDC content from carriers.

NDCMarketplace.com subscribers will be able to access all participating NDC airline content, alongside GDS and low-cost-carrier content, on one screen.

The marketplace also enables agents to create sub-agents, access staff and create role permissions, as well as add mark-ups using multiple currencies.

Participating airlines on the other side will be able to create and distribute tailored offers through agents as they receive specific information at shopping time, such as the traveller’s destination, the length of their trip, and whether they are travelling alone or not through the NDC-connected pipe.

Rajendran Vellapalath, CEO of TPConnects, said that despite the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on air travel in the past year, airlines’ focus on NDC has not stalled or slowed down.

“As a pioneer in NDC-based travel technology, TPConnects is committed to the global industrialisation of NDC, because we know that the travel industry will need NDC to keep up with the demand of the modern digital consumer,” he said.

“NDCMarketplace.com simplifies otherwise complex processes for airlines and their travel partners.”

Agents can access NDCMarketplace.com via a monthly subscription, choosing from various packages that best suit their requirements.


Featured image source: iStock/Vladimir Sukhachev

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