What Is NDC (New Distribution Capability)? A Complete Guide for Airlines and Travel Agents

This is one revolution force that has emerged in the changing travel industry, with NDC being new distribution capability. IATA, which is International Air Transport Association, developed this with the aim of changing the manner in which airlines disperse their content and provides them with an avenue to access and sell flight products to travel agents. In this guide, we discuss what NDC is, why it matters, how it improves the standing of interested parties, and how platforms such as OpenNDC help airlines and agents make the most of it.

What Is NDC (New Distribution Capability)?

NDC is a data transmission standard in XML form that has been created by IATA to allow airlines to deliver rich content and personalized offers to travel agents, OTAs, and other third parties directly. Airlines have historically relied upon Global Distribution Systems (GDSs) for their distribution needs, which are constrained in their ability to display and sell products and services.

NDC allows airlines to have greater control of their inventory, thus being able to offer real-time fares, ancillary services, baggage, seat selection, and meal options and dynamic pricing directly to the distribution partners.

Why NDC Matters to the Travel Industry

The Legacy GDS model is not flexible or transparent enough for digital-first consumers. NDC addresses this by enabling:

Personalised Offers: Airlines can personalize offers to traveler preferences, level of loyalty, and real-time information.

Display of Rich Content: A travel agent will be able to see rich product descriptions, images, and videos, the same as a consumer would view on an airline website.

Faster Innovation: Airlines can develop and deploy new prices and new products much faster.

Direct Channel Control: Airlines have more control over price, promotion, and brand when selling through NDC.

In short, NDC is not a technical improvement—it's a commercial evolution that makes airlines stronger and better for customers.

What Is OpenNDC?

OpenNDC is an airline distribution platform that maximizes the use of NDC standards to link airlines with a worldwide network of travel sellers. To answer your question, what is OpenNDC, it is a connection between airlines and the travel industry that enables quick, smooth, and scalable adoption of NDC.

OpenNDC simplifies integration for airlines and travel agents through a single API hub, rich offer management, and real-time connectivity.

How OpenNDC Works

OpenNDC is built to ensure NDC adoption is seamless and rewarding for all stakeholders. This is how OpenNDC works in three easy steps:

1. Airline Integration

OpenNDC connects directly with an airline's NDC API or PSS (Passenger Service System). It ensures real-time availability, dynamic pricing, and access to all product features.

2. Agent & OTA Connectivity

Travel agents, OTAs, and corporate booking tools can now connect to OpenNDC through a single, unified interface, removing the need for complex, individual airline integrations.

3. Offer & Order Management

OpenNDC owns the complete life cycle of a booking—from search right through to offer creation, order processing, payment, and post-booking services for example, refunds or changes. All this high reliability, speed and security

Benefits for Airlines using NDC

Air carriers implementing NDC on OpenNDC benefit from numerous of the following advantages.

• Increased opportunities for upselling and bundling
• Increased direct relationship with customers.
• Lower distribution cost compared to the GDS
• Increased Time-to-Market for their products and services.
• Greater brand control through personalization of content

Why OpenNDC?

There are many aggregators and platforms in the market for NDCs, but here's why you should consider OpenNDC:

CONNECT TO SEVERAL NDC-READY AIRLINES THROUGH ONE PLATFORM

• Developer-friendly APIs & quick onboarding
• Full life-cycle support: from offer creation until settlement and servicing
• Analytics & insights: real-time performance monitoring and reporting
• Scalable infrastructure with ease: millions of transactions processed

Whether you're an airline seeking to distribute more intelligently or a travel agent targeting improved content, OpenNDC is the perfect solution.

Final Thoughts

It's transforming the way NDC distributes and sells flight products. NDC is more than just a tech shift; it represents a step to a smarter, more personalized travel industry. Airline and travel agent adoption of NDC is becoming increasingly smoother and faster with the rise of platforms such as OpenNDC.

By understanding what NDC is, learning how OpenNDC works, and knowing why to choose OpenNDC, you can stay ahead of the curve and provide better experiences for your travelers.