In this blog, we’ll break down what is OpenNDC, explore how OpenNDC works, and explain how it significantly improves NDC integration for airlines, travel agencies, and technology providers alike.
What is OpenNDC?
OpenNDC is a smart Travel Tech Solution to develop and hasten the growth of New Distribution Capability. OpenNDC is a middleware platform that brings NDC-related airlines together with travel sellers like TMCs, consolidators, and meta search engines onto a single unifying interface.
Instead of building proprietary airline API integrations, travel companies can count on OpenNDC to deliver seamless, scalable, and real-time access to dynamic airline offers, ancillary promotions, and branded fare promotions.
Grasping the Value of NDC Integration
IATA-built New Distribution Capability (NDC) is an XML data standard enabling airlines to offer richer, more targeted offers to passengers through third-party distribution sources.
- Advantages of NDC integration are:
- Direct control of product distribution
- Live pricing and inventory updates
- Dynamic offer messaging and ancillary services messaging
- Less dependence on legacy GDS systems
But NDC integration is not something that can be turned on or off with a toggle switch. Instead, it tends to demand sophisticated technical infrastructure, maintenance support, and adaptive middleware—precisely the impediments OpenNDC is designed to break down.
How OpenNDC Works
In order to learn how OpenNDC makes NDC integration more robust, it's helpful to examine the platform's underlying attributes:
1. Single API Framework
Rather than dealing with separate airline APIs, OpenNDC provides a single-for-all API that consolidates content from different NDC-enabled carriers, old GDS systems, and direct airline links.
2. Real-Time Sync Content
OpenNDC makes sure that travel sellers receive current fares, seat maps, availability, and ancillaries straight from the airlines' systems—providing real-time precise and personalized offers.
3. Low-Code and Scalable Integration
OpenNDC is low-code designed, which allows IT organizations to deploy and scale across business models without requiring lengthy development cycles.
4. Dynamic Offer Personalization
OpenNDC allows airlines to provide personalized offers according to passenger information, booking history, and loyalty levels. This allows travel sellers to make their offers more distinct and raise the conversion rate.
Why Select OpenNDC for NDC Integration
Picking the proper platform for NDC integration is the secret to long-term success. Here's why travel tech businesses use OpenNDC:
Speed to Market
Pre-integrated airline integrations and standardized APIs have development time soaring—partners go live in weeks, not months.
Cross-Platform Compatibility
OpenNDC is fully compatible with web, mobile, and third-party booking engines. It handles all leading NDC schemas and can integrate with full-service and low-cost airline systems.
Future-Ready Infrastructure
OpenNDC periodically updates its architecture to address changing IATA requirements and airline requirements without sacrificing compliance and reliability.
Cost-Effective Distribution Efficiently
Fewer GDS dependencies and streamlined airline integrations make OpenNDC enable partners to maintain distribution costs at a lower level while making content-rich offers more widely available.
How OpenNDC Identifies Key Market Challenges
One of the largest benefits of OpenNDC is that it can learn and adapt to actual industry requirements in the real world. The following describes how OpenNDC identifies key industry challenges in the marketplace:
1. Fragmented Distribution Ecosystem
Airlines and sellers of travel prefer to have a number of APIs, tools, and platforms to work with. OpenNDC consolidates them into a single point of control for content delivery
2. Limited Fare Visibility
Fare discrepancies between booking sites can result in unhappy customers. OpenNDC prevents this by providing standardized, real-time fares from multiple sources.
3. Integration Bottlenecks
Manual integration for airlines is a lengthy and time-consuming process. OpenNDC's low-code deployment accelerates implementation and streamlines maintenance.
4. Inadequate Analytics and Control
Most travel sellers lack the ability to discern booking trends and performance. OpenNDC provides reliable reporting dashboards with actionable insights.
Who Can Benefit from OpenNDC?
OpenNDC is designed to serve multiple stakeholders in the airline distribution market:
Airlines: (Achieve) direct distribution, increased branding control, and deeper customer engagement.
Travel Management Companies (TMCs): Get access to business-focused NDC content (propositions) for corporate travelers.
Consolidators and Meta Search Engines: Consolidate and distribute content more efficiently at lower cost and speed.
Conclusion: Streamlining the Future of Airline Distribution
As the travel business converges towards retailing, NDC integration is not a choice—it's mandatory. Implementation complexity can slow them down, though. That is no longer the case with OpenNDC.
Understanding what is OpenNDC, understanding how OpenNDC works, and understanding why OpenNDC for scalable, cost-effective, and future-proof integration, it's clear that the platform is not middleware—it's a strategic enabler for next-generation travel distribution.