Air France-KLM and Amadeus sign new agreement to enable modern retailing via NDC

Travel agents will be able to access Air France-KLM NDC services through the Amadeus Travel Platform

As the travel industry continues to navigate this turbulent year, modern retailing via NDC is more than ever a strategic priority for Air France-KLM and Amadeus.

Today, the Air France-KLM group and Amadeus announce an innovative NDC distribution deal.  The agreement means that Air France-KLM NDC offers can be made available for travel agents through the Amadeus Travel Platform and its NDC-enabled solutions. To access Air France-KLM content distributed via NDC, agents will need to sign bilateral agreements with Air France-KLM and Amadeus.

Over the last few years, Air France-KLM has been working with Amadeus to connect its NDC services to the Amadeus Travel Platform. The prime booking flow of shop, order, pay has already been integrated, meaning pilot travel agents will be able to book via NDC through the platform in Q4 this year. The full integration with servicing capabilities is expected to complete in the first half of 2021.

“We’re pleased that our NDC content will soon be accessible to Air France-KLM partner agents via the Amadeus platform,” comments Pieter Bootsma, Chief Revenue Officer Air France-KLM. “NDC is a key innovation for Air France-KLM as it allows Air France-KLM customers to benefit from more attractive and customized offers, such as continuous pricing and tailor-made bundles. This agreement is an important step in our Distribution strategy, completing our existing NDC distribution network, especially for travel agencies with a higher level of servicing needs, such as business travel agencies.”

Agents will be able to search, compare, book, and service Air France-KLM content in one merged display through their go-to Amadeus solution, whether the Travel API or Selling Platform Connect. Amadeus will also be enabling corporate travelers to book via NDC through cytric Travel & Expense.

“We are excited to expand our longstanding partnership with the Air France-KLM group, in order to deliver innovative retailing capabilities. This is a significant step on our NDC journey to enable adoption at scale,” says Decius Valmorbida, President Travel Unit, Amadeus. “This is testament to both the strength of our technology and our collaborative approach, as we build a sustainable framework that brings value to airlines, travel sellers, and the traveler, to achieve the industry’s vision for modern retailing.”

This is another important milestone in Amadeus’ NDC [X] program which brings together airlines and travel sellers around the world to collectively drive NDC forward. Now more than ever, there is a need to collaborate across the industry and to have automated, scalable end-to-end solutions that are thoroughly integrated to ensure bookings can be made and serviced efficiently.