The world travel industry is being transformed by digitalization, customization, and the demand for intelligent distribution practices. At the forefront of this revolution is the New Distribution Capability (NDC) — a technology standard created by IATA that is transforming airlines' management and distribution of their content. NDC is not the silver bullet, though. That’s where OpenNDC comes in — a purpose-built platform designed to unlock the full potential of NDC and redefine how airline booking works.
In this blog, we’ll explain what New Distribution Capability is, what OpenNDC does, how OpenNDC works, and why it is considered the future of airline booking.
What is NDC (New Distribution Capability)?
New Distribution Capability (NDC) is an XML-based data transmission standard developed by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). NDC aims to transform how air travel products are distributed to customers. Conventional booking systems typically restrict the amount of content and personalization an airline can provide. NDC reverses this by allowing for real-time, dynamic, and personalized content delivery directly from the airline to the end consumer.
But growing NDC in a copyright-aligned manner, as airlines are compelled to do, is more than simple compliance. It demands a strong platform that knows the subtleties of contemporary travel merchandising — enter OpenNDC.
What is OpenNDC?
OpenNDC is innovative travel tech technology with the goal of unlocking the power of NDC and transforming it into tangible, scalable, and profitable distribution models. OpenNDC connects airline reservation systems, NDC APIs, and travel sellers using one platform that removes complexity and delivers performance.
Whether you are a regional copyright or a full-service copyright, OpenNDC provides you with the infrastructure and tools to transform your retail model, simplify the delivery of content, and have complete control over your product lines.
How OpenNDC Works
OpenNDC links directly to an airline's inventory and price systems while linking at the same time to external distribution channels — old and new. Let us get closer to knowing how OpenNDC works:
1. Unified Integration Framework
OpenNDC brings together and links various streams of information, such as GDS, NDC APIs, and in-house bookables. It is a single, unified, central location for availability, fare, booking, and ancillary services.
2. Dynamic Offer Management
OpenNDC allows airlines to create dynamic, personalized offers at the point of sale in real-time. Airlines can create personalized pricing, packages, and services based on customer profile, journey history, and behavior around demand.
3. Rich Content Presentation
The platform can store multimedia content such as fare branding, seatmap layouts, and bag images to present passengers with short, informative booking choices.
4. Real-Time Processing
OpenNDC provides response times that are fast and real-time data synchronization, which are absolutely essential when dealing with stock, campaigns, and volatile market fluctuations.
5. Developer-Friendly APIs
OpenNDC has a modular API architecture that facilitates seamless integration with booking engines, corporate systems, and airline applications without heavy development investment or timelines.
Why OpenNDC
OpenNDC is more than a middleware offering — it's a strategic technology partner for airlines to embrace next-generation distribution. Here are the top reasons why choosing OpenNDC can future-proof your business:
Built for NDC from the Ground Up
In contrast to legacy systems trying to bolt-on NDC support after the fact, OpenNDC was built on New Distribution Capability principles. It provides strong compatibility, smooth updates, and future-proof scalability.
Airline-First Control
OpenNDC provides airlines with full control of the look and feel of their content, its pricing, and its marketing – independent of dependence on inelastic third-party systems.
Increased Revenue Opportunities
With OpenNDC, airlines can upsell ancillaries, provide customized fare packages, and provide targeted promotion — all to greater yield per passenger.
Streamlined Operations
By unifying many distribution channels and streamlining offer management, OpenNDC minimizes operational overhead with greater agility.
Rapid Time-to-Market
OpenNDC allows airlines to get new fare products, bundles, or promotional items to market within days, not months — making brands nimble and competitive.
How OpenNDC Views Major Market Challenges
Airline distribution is plagued by risks, from outdated infrastructure to inconsistent content rendering. Below are how OpenNDC views and solves the underlying challenges:
Challenge 1: Legacy Constraints
The vast majority of airlines continue to use legacy distribution systems that are inflexible. OpenNDC replaces or adds such infrastructures with composable, API-first architecture that coexists next to contemporary platforms.
Challenge 2: Limited Personalization
Today's passengers expect offers that are extremely tailored to their requirements. OpenNDC uses smart data processing and customer segmentation to generate extremely tailored offers across touchpoints.
Challenge 3: Channel Fragmentation
Distribution of content across various channels introduces inconsistency and cost. OpenNDC unifies the distribution of content so that prices and products are unified on all packaged platforms.
Challenge 4: Stiff Pricing
Airline prices require dynamic adjustment capabilities. OpenNDC accommodates dynamic fare structures, sales, and real-time fare rule updates.
Challenge 5: Stale Product Innovation
Legacy distribution systems slow down product releases. OpenNDC allows for fast innovation due to the deployable and configurable capabilities.
The Future of Airline Booking with OpenNDC
With growing customer expectations and mounting competition, airlines have to bring forth solutions that are fast, agile, and customized. OpenNDC is the airline booking future because it not only simplifies NDC compliance — it goes well beyond it.
Here's why OpenNDC is leading the creation of the future of air travel:
Personalized Traveler Experiences: Powered by real-time data and traveller behaviour
Real-Time Revenue Optimization: Dynamic pricing and upsell capabilities
Omnichannel Distribution: Uniform offers across all sales channels
Shorter Product Launch Cycles: Greater control over innovation timelines
Scalability: Built to handle small airlines and global networks as well
Airlines future-proof their distribution, enable market agility, and create more engaging connections with their customers using OpenNDC.
Final Thoughts
The way to wiser, more effective airline booking is already underway — and OpenNDC is leading the charge. Utilize New Distribution Capability, OpenNDC allows airlines to transition away from being mere static inventory holders to dynamic travel retailers.
If you're still wondering to ask yourself, what is OpenNDC, or how OpenNDC works, the answer is clear: it's not just a platform — it's the infrastructure of next-generation airline distribution.