NDC Adoption in Corporate Travel: Global Progress and Outlook

Global and Regional Adoption Rates

New Distribution Capability (NDC) has gained significant traction in airline distribution, though adoption varies by channel and region. Recent data shows that NDC bookings now comprise a notable minority of total air bookings, with rapid growth over 2023-2024. Key statistics include:

• Global (All Channels): Roughly 13% of all indirect travel agency bookings worldwide were made via NDC in 2024, according to Garner research​linkedin.com. This share has been rising and reached around 20% of total airline ticket transactions by mid-2024​ as more airlines and agencies enabled NDC content.
• Corporate vs. Leisure Channels: Adoption in business travel lags leisure. In 2024 only about 6% of TMC (corporate travel management company) bookings were via NDC, compared to 16% in leisure channels – including about 20% of OTA bookings​linkedin.com. (OTAs and online platforms – including Routespring –  have moved faster than traditional corporate booking channels in embracing NDC.)
• North America: NDC adoption surged in the U.S. market after 2023. By December 2024, 20.3% of all U.S. travel agency air ticket transactions were NDC-based, up from 18.4% a year prior​ businesstravelexecutive.com. On average, NDC accounted for ~12.5% of U.S. agency tickets over 2023, rising to ~18% by late 2023​ businesstravelexecutive.com. However, only about 40% of North American corporate travel buyers have started implementing NDC content in their programs​ jtbbusinesstravel.com, indicating many are still in early stages.
• Europe: Europe has been at the forefront of NDC in many areas. Industry data shows NDC bookings exceeded 20% of bookings in Europe by mid-2024​ jtbbusinesstravel.com, and certain markets are even higher. For example, Germany leads with 45% of corporate bookings via NDC​ navan.com, driven by carriers like Lufthansa, Swiss, and KLM. The UK and other European countries also saw NDC shares around 29–31% ​navan.com. European airlines’ early push (through incentives and GDS surcharges) has clearly boosted adoption.
• Asia-Pacific: NDC uptake in Asia-Pacific has been more gradual, but interest is high. Around 70% of corporate travel managers in Asia-Pacific report that they have begun implementing NDC in some form​ jtbbusinesstravel.com  – a higher rate of program engagement than in other regions. Several APAC carriers (e.g. Qantas, Singapore Airlines) are rolling out NDC initiatives, though overall booking share via NDC in APAC still trails North America and Europe. (For instance, Qantas is launching a new NDC-enabled distribution model in 2025 to accelerate regional adoption​ businesstravelnewseurope.com.) We can expect APAC’s NDC usage to climb as these initiatives take effect.

Table 1: NDC Adoption – Selected Metrics (2024)

Scope / Region	NDC Booking Share / Stat	Source
Global (indirect channels)	~13% of agency bookings in 2024 were via NDC	Garner Advisory​linkedin.com
Corporate Travel (via TMCs)	~6% of bookings via NDC (2024)	Garner Advisory​linkedin.com
Leisure Travel (all agencies)	~16% of bookings via NDC (2024)	Garner Advisory​linkedin.com
Online Travel Agencies (OTA)	~20% of bookings via NDC (2024)	Garner Advisory​linkedin.com
U.S. Agencies (all)	20.3% of tickets via NDC (Dec 2024)	ARC Data​businesstravelexecutive.com
Europe (Navan corporate platform)	31% of bookings via NDC (May 2024; 45% in Germany)	Navan Analysis​jtbbusinesstravel.com​navan.com
North America (corporate buyers)	~40% have started NDC implementation (2024)	GBTA Survey​jtbbusinesstravel.com
Asia-Pacific (corporate buyers)	~70% have started NDC implementation (2024)	GBTA Survey​jtbbusinesstravel.com

Table 1: Key NDC adoption statistics in 2024 across channels and regions. “Started NDC implementation” refers to travel programs integrating NDC content.Overall, NDC’s share of airline bookings is climbing steadily. Industry reports noted that June 2024 was the first time NDC bookings globally exceeded 20% of total volume​ jtbbusinesstravel.com. While that figure combines both leisure and corporate transactions, it signals a tipping point: NDC is moving from niche to mainstream. Corporate travel still represents a smaller portion of that mix, but year-over-year growth in corporate NDC volume is very strong (e.g. Accelya reported +146% YoY growth in corporate NDC bookings in 2024​ w3.accelya.com). The trajectory points to accelerating adoption as technology matures and more players come on board.

Major Airlines Leading NDC Adoption

• American Airlines (US): Arguably the most aggressive mover, American became the first U.S. airline to mandate NDC for key fares in 2023, pulling certain content from traditional GDS channels. By Q4 2023, 80% of American’s bookings were coming through NDC or direct channels (website/app), up sharply from 69% a year earlier​ travelweekly.com. American’s aim is to eventually reach nearly 100% of bookings via NDC/direct means, fundamentally shifting agency distribution to modern APIs. This push by American provided a major catalyst for NDC adoption among TMCs in North America.
• Lufthansa Group (Europe): Lufthansa was a pioneer in NDC adoption, introducing a GDS surcharge as far back as 2015 to incentivize direct/NDC bookings. The group (Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian, Brussels Airlines) has continued to expand NDC content and increase these “Distribution Cost Charges” over time. As of 2024 Lufthansa’s surcharge on legacy GDS bookings is as high as €19 per ticket, whereas NDC bookings (even via GDS NDC connections) incur a much lower fee (~€8)​ businesstravelnews.com. This strategy has driven many European corporate agencies to adopt NDC channels or work with aggregators to access Lufthansa’s content without extra cost. Lufthansa’s early stance positioned it as an NDC leader in Europe and forced the ecosystem (GDSs and TMCs alike) to adapt.
• British Airways & Iberia (IAG, Europe): IAG carriers also embraced NDC early. In 2017 British Airways and Iberia applied a surcharge (~$10) on bookings via non-NDC channels, similarly encouraging use of NDC connections. BA was an early adopter pre-pandemic and has continued to invest in NDC distribution. It has worked closely with TMCs and tech partners on NDC solutions (for example, BA partnered with Travelport on a NDC content program and with corporate tools like Navan). British Airways now distributes exclusive NDC content (special fares, bundles) that are not available through legacy GDS feeds, making it attractive for corporate buyers to connect via NDC. According to industry observers, Lufthansa and BA were “ahead of the curve” as early NDC adopters, setting the template that others followed​ businesstravelexecutive.com.
• Air France–KLM (Europe): The Air France-KLM group has been actively rolling out NDC as well. They launched “Continuous Pricing” exclusively via NDC channels, which offers more granular fare options beyond the fixed GDS fare buckets. AF/KLM have struck deals with TMCs (e.g. American Express GBT in 2024) to expand NDC content without surcharge to corporate clients​ gbta.org. By partnering with large agencies and OBTs, Air France-KLM is ensuring its NDC fares (which can include tailored bundles or discounted offers) reach corporate travelers. Their engagement with NDC is seen in multiple markets – for instance, AF/KLM content is among the top used NDC content in France and Netherlands corporate bookings (each seeing ~31% NDC share via Navan)​navan.com.
• Emirates (Middle East): Emirates launched its NDC program and in July 2023 began imposing GDS booking fees ($14–$25 per ticket) for agencies not using NDC​ phocuswire.com. It also made NDC content (like special bundled fares) available through direct connections and select GDS partnerships. Emirates’ strategy signals a broader shift even beyond Europe/North America, pushing NDC adoption in the Middle East and Asia where many of its partners operate. Other Gulf carriers like Qatar Airways and Etihad have similarly developed NDC API offerings (and have been included in global TMC NDC rollouts​ jtbbusinesstravel.com).
• Qantas (Asia-Pacific): Qantas has announced a new NDC-enabled distribution model launching by mid-2025​ businesstravelnewseurope.com. This model will introduce tiered content access for agents, likely with surcharges on legacy channels and incentivized NDC connectivity (similar to the European carriers’ approach). Qantas had already established the “Qantas Channel” program requiring agencies to sign up for NDC access; the 2025 changes will deepen its NDC focus with multiple booking channels and potentially more content differentiation​ businesstravelnewseurope.com. Among Asia-Pacific airlines, Qantas is taking a leadership role to drive NDC adoption in the region’s corporate travel market.

Other airlines: Many other carriers worldwide are at various stages of NDC implementation. United Airlines and Delta Air Lines in the U.S. have NDC pilot programs and direct API distribution in progress (United, for example, is distributing some rich content via NDC and participated in JTB’s corporate NDC rollout jtbbusinesstravel.com). Other European carriers like Scandinavian Airlines (SAS), Finnair, and LOT Polish have been part of early NDC programs, often working closely with TMCs on pilots. In Asia, Singapore Airlines launched its “KrisConnect” NDC API and is partnering with travel tech firms to expand NDC content availability. As of late 2024, over 60 airlines globally have achieved IATA NDC certification at some level, and many are making NDC content available via either direct connections or through GDSs that have integrated NDC (Amadeus, Sabre, Travelport all now aggregate some NDC content). The airlines listed above stand out for actively pushing adoption (through policy or innovation), thereby leading their regions in NDC for corporate travel.

Challenges and Barriers to NDC Adoption in Business Travel

Despite the momentum, significant challenges have hindered the full-scale adoption of NDC in the corporate travel sector. Business travel has more complex requirements than leisure, and the transition to NDC has exposed several pain points:

• Technology Integration & Legacy Systems: A core challenge is that many corporate travel systems (both on the TMC back-end and corporate online tools) were built around legacy GDS technology. Integrating NDC APIs into these existing workflows is complex. Traditional booking and mid-office platforms are not all fully equipped to handle NDC’s richer, dynamic data, leading to fragmented workflows or duplicative systems when NDC is introduced​ yokoy.io. TMCs often have to invest in new middleware or rely on third-party aggregators to bridge GDS and NDC content. This integration complexity slows down adoption – especially for smaller agencies lacking big IT budgets. Business Travel News notes that TMCs’ “complex tech structures” are a major reason they lag behind simpler leisure platforms in NDC uptake​ businesstravelnews.com. In short, getting all the pipes and systems ready for NDC has been a non-trivial hurdle.
• Content Fragmentation & Gaps: In the interim phase of adoption, not all airline content is available in one place, creating fragmentation. Some airlines have NDC-exclusive fares or ancillaries that do not appear in the GDS, while other airlines (or certain routes) may still only be bookable via the old channels. This uneven availability causes “gaps in availability and consistency” across providers​ yokoy.io. For a global corporate program, this is problematic: travel arrangers might have to check multiple sources to find all options, undermining efficiency. Moreover, if a preferred agency/tool doesn’t have a particular airline’s NDC content, travelers might go directly to the airline site – causing program leakage. Corporate travel relies on uniform content access, and until NDC content coverage is near-universal in the standard tools, this fragmentation remains a barrier.
• Servicing and Workflow Challenges: Business travel bookings often require changes, cancellations, exchanges, and complex ticketing (multi-segment, multi-passenger, etc.). In early NDC implementations, servicing a booking made via NDC was often more cumbersome – e.g. some NDC channels didn’t support full automated exchanges or required agents to use separate interfaces for changes. This led to longer handling times and training needs for agents. While technology is improving (with some platforms now achieving 99% automation of itinerary changes even for NDC tickets​ w3.accelya.com), the perception remains that servicing NDC bookings can be difficult. Corporate buyers have cited concerns about whether their TMC can efficiently service an NDC booking, especially during irregular operations. This servicing gap is gradually closing, but it has been a reason some TMCs and buyers held back on NDC: they waited for more robust servicing capabilities and error reduction.
• Misaligned Incentives & Commercial Models: The legacy financial model of airline distribution (with GDS segment fees, agency commissions or incentives, etc.) doesn’t cleanly translate to NDC. In fact, some TMCs face disincentives: embracing NDC might mean losing GDS incentive income or incurring new costs for aggregator connections​w3.accelya.com. Likewise, airlines may offer better deals via NDC, but corporations often have contract clauses based on legacy booking channels. These misaligned commercial incentives have made certain players slow to push NDC – for example, smaller TMCs that rely on GDS revenue are reluctant to book outside the GDS. Overcoming this requires new economic models (e.g. airlines compensating agencies differently for NDC bookings, or TMCs charging corporate clients for the added value). Until the money aspect is sorted out, adoption isn’t purely a technical question – it’s a business one too.
• Policy Compliance and Duty of Care Risks: From the corporate buyer’s perspective, one of the biggest challenges has been maintaining policy compliance and duty of care when NDC content is not fully integrated. If an airline offers a cheaper NDC-only fare that is not visible in the company’s OBT, travelers may be tempted to book via outside channels (airline website or OTA) to get that deal. This results in “leakage” – travelers booking outside approved channels – which undermines both compliance and duty of care tracking​ linkedin.com. Travel managers have voiced that NDC content disparity has brought back the days of “I found it cheaper online”, creating friction with travelers​ linkedin.com. This is seen as a step backwards after years of striving for full content parity. When employees book off-channel, the company loses visibility into their travel plans, posing safety and security concerns. Thus, until corporate booking channels can display all relevant NDC fares, travel managers face a dilemma: allow outside bookings (risking duty of care) or potentially pay more via the legacy channel. Many are pushing their TMCs to integrate NDC precisely to avoid this scenario. Nonetheless, during the transition, duty of care coverage gaps remain a serious barrier for risk-averse corporate programs.
• Expense Management and Reporting Complexity: An often overlooked hurdle is on the back-end of corporate travel: reconciling and reporting travel spend. NDC’s dynamic pricing and ancillary bundles can complicate expense tracking. Traditional expense systems expect standard fare codes and charges, but NDC tickets might bundle multiple services or use formats the back-office isn’t used to. As one analysis noted, the customization of NDC offers can lead to “inconsistent data capture, making it harder for finance teams to reconcile costs”​ yokoy.io. Companies may need to update their expense management tools or use AI-based solutions to properly parse NDC travel data​ yokoy.io. Until that happens, finance departments might resist anything that makes reconciliation more difficult. Thus, ensuring the financial side (expense and ERP systems) can handle NDC transactions is another step required for smooth adoption in corporate environments.

In summary, the roadblocks to NDC adoption in corporate travel have been as much about process and policy as about technology. Legacy tech infrastructure, patchy content, servicing kinks, financial disincentives, and risk management concerns all contribute to a cautious pace. The good news is that industry stakeholders are actively addressing these barriers – through improved tech integrations, new partnership models, and communication between airlines, TMCs, and buyers. Each quarter seems to bring progress (for instance, more content gets added to GDS NDC, more servicing tools come online, more clarity on value). But these challenges underscore why, despite NDC’s promise, business travel has seen incremental rather than overnight change. As one 2025 industry report put it, widespread NDC implementation “remains slow” given these hurdles, and adoption will progress incrementally as technology and commercial models evolve to overcome them​ w3.accelya.com

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Future Projections and Emerging Trends

Looking ahead, the consensus is that NDC will continue to gain ground in corporate travel, eventually becoming the new normal for airline distribution. Experts envision several key trends and projections for the coming years:

• Majority of Bookings via NDC: Many in the industry predict that we are nearing a tipping point where NDC channels will handle the bulk of air bookings. For example, a travel executive forecasted that 2025 will be the year it “becomes normal that the majority of bookings are NDC ones,” moving beyond the pilot phase​ spotnana.com. This is an optimistic view, but the trajectory supports it: if NDC was ~20% of bookings in 2024 and growing fast, it’s conceivable that a majority (50%+) of indirect bookings could be NDC-based by the late-2020s. Airlines like American Airlines have explicitly targeted 80%+ of bookings via NDC or direct by 2025​ travelweekly.com, and others are following suit. As more carriers remove content from old channels and more agencies complete integrations, NDC volume will naturally surge. We can expect a steadily increasing percentage of corporate tickets to come through NDC as content parity issues are resolved.
• Incremental Progress vs. “Big Bang”: The transition to NDC will likely be gradual rather than a single turning point. Industry reports suggest there won’t be one magic cut-over; instead, adoption will ramp up incrementally, fueled by ongoing tech advancements and expanding content​ w3.accelya.com. Each improvement (e.g. a GDS enabling exchange functionality for NDC tickets, or a new airline adding rich content) will expand usage. This means 2025 will see more progress, 2026 more after that, and so on. Some large market events could accelerate adoption spurts – for instance, if another major airline alliance makes a coordinated NDC push or if a GDS announces an end date for certain legacy content. But absent those, the expectation is a steady climb in adoption rather than an overnight switch.
• Improved Integration & Tech Maturity: Over the next couple of years, the technical challenges of NDC should be largely ironed out. The GDSs have all committed to scaling up NDC capabilities: Amadeus, for one, indicated that fully implementing all its NDC airline agreements will “take several years” more to complete​ businesstravelnews.com, but progress is ongoing. By 2025-2026, we should see GDS platforms offering more seamless access to NDC offers, integrated alongside traditional content. This will make it easier for TMCs to adopt NDC (many will use GDS aggregators as their primary source once NDC content there is robust). Additionally, newer travel tech stacks (such as those used by Spotnana, Navan, etc.) will be battle-tested and proven at scale. As these technologies mature, the operational “hiccups” with NDC should diminish, making it a routine part of corporate booking. In essence, time is on NDC’s side: every quarter brings better integration, which in turn boosts adoption in a virtuous cycle.
• Consolidation of Distribution Players: The distribution landscape might undergo consolidation due to NDC. We could see a smaller number of aggregators and tech intermediaries surviving as the dominant platforms. One vision is that the big GDSs evolve to aggregate both legacy and NDC content (becoming hybrid distributors), and some specialized aggregators merge or exit once their functionality is replicated by larger players​. Industry experts anticipate “multi-source content aggregation”will be key – meaning tools that can pull from GDS, direct NDC, and other APIs all into one workflow​. We already see alliances. By a few years from now, corporate buyers might not need to care how the content is sourced (GDS vs direct API); their platforms will just seamlessly provide all options. This consolidation and convergence trend will likely make NDC more invisible (in a good way) – just part of the plumbing of travel booking.
• “Offers and Orders” and Retailing Evolution: NDC is one part of a larger transformation toward airline retailing modernization. A related future trend is the One Order concept (unifying tickets, EMDs, etc. into a single order record) which IATA is championing. As NDC adoption grows, the industry is expected to gradually move toward Order-based workflows where bookings are managed more like e-commerce orders than GDS PNRs. This could simplify a lot of back-end complexity by the late 2020s, further improving servicing and data reconciliation. Additionally, airlines will continue to refine their retailing strategies: expect more dynamic offers, personalization, and bundling as they learn from NDC data. We may see airlines tailoring bundles for corporate clients on the fly (e.g. automatic inclusion of preferred seat and Wi-Fi for a certain company’s travelers) and offering them via NDC channels. The future trend is personalized, dynamically constructed offers rather than filing static fares – something NDC enables. Corporate programs might even tap into continuous dynamic pricing to get bespoke corporate rates in real time, replacing some of the fixed negotiated fares.
• Greater Collaboration and Standards: To reach its potential, the ecosystem must collaborate. Future years will likely bring closer partnerships between airlines, TMCs, OBT providers, and even competitors. We’ve seen the formation of working groups (e.g. ARC’s NDC working group in the US) to solve pain points collectively. This collaborative trend should continue, yielding industry standards for things like NDC servicing codes, data formats for reporting, or usage of loyalty/status in NDC offers. As those standards solidify, adoption by late-adopters will become easier. Essentially, the early adopters are working through the kinks now, so that by the time the late majority of airlines/companies join NDC, the path will be smoother.

In summary, the future of NDC in corporate travel looks bright and accelerating. By 2025 and beyond, we expect NDC to be widely normalized. Some, like JTB Business Travel’s leader, even see 2025 as the point NDC stops being a buzzword and just becomes how bookings are done​s. Not everyone is that bullish on timing – but virtually all agree NDC (or its evolution) will dominate airline distribution in the coming years. The transition period is likely to continue for a few more years, but the direction is one-way. Corporate travel programs can anticipate a world where their travelers have richer content and more choices, and where the distinction between old GDS and NDC channels fades away into a unified, modern infrastructure. In practical terms, this means corporate buyers should prepare now: those who invest in NDC capabilities early “will be best positioned to reap its rewards” as the shift solidifies​ w3.accelya.com

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Impact of NDC on Corporate Travel Programs, Policies, and Booking Experience

The rise of NDC is not just a back-end change; it is already having significant impacts on corporate travel management practices, travel policies, and the end-user booking experience. Here’s how NDC is reshaping these facets:

Impact on Corporate Travel Programs and Policies

Cost Savings and Program Economics: Perhaps the most tangible impact of NDC on corporate travel programs is the potential for cost savings. By accessing NDC fares, companies can avoid certain GDS fees/surcharges and tap into lower-priced content. Studies of early-adopter corporates show savings ranging from ~3% up to 16% per ticket when booking via NDC versus traditional channels​ w3.accelya.com. For large travel programs, these incremental savings add up to significant dollars – some have reported six-figure annual savings attributable to NDC access​ w3.accelya.com. These savings come from a combination of sources: airlines often offer slight discounts on NDC-exclusive fares, omit the GDS surcharge for those bookings, or provide special bundled offers. Over time, such savings can directly lower a company’s travel spend or at least offset the cost of new technology needed to obtain NDC content. As a result, travel managers are increasingly aware that NDC can drive meaningful ROI for their program’s budget. Many are now pushing TMCs to unlock these fares, and some are renegotiating airline contracts to ensure corporate negotiated rates are available via NDC channels (to maximize the benefit). In essence, NDC is becoming a factor in supplier negotiations and sourcing strategies – corporate buyers can ask airlines about NDC-exclusive deals or expect better pricing if they commit to an NDC booking path.Access to More Content and Deals: NDC empowers airlines to provide more tailored products, and corporate programs that consume NDC content gain access to these. This means travel managers can suddenly see fare products that were previously not in the GDS: e.g. continuous price points, premium economy bundled with lounge access, etc. With NDC, the corporate program’s inventory expands, which can improve traveler satisfaction (more choice) and potentially travel policy compliance (travelers are less likely to go rogue if they find what they need in-policy). However, as noted earlier, if a program doesn’t have NDC access, they risk missing content, implying a company not using NDC might be consistently overpaying. This dynamic is forcing travel managers to adapt their policies: many are updating travel policies to explicitly encourage or mandate booking channels that include NDC content, so that employees get the widest array of options. Additionally, procurement teams are adjusting RFPs to ask TMCs and OBT providers about NDC capabilities – it’s becoming a checkbox for selecting travel partners.

Travel Policy Compliance and Duty of Care: On the flip side, NDC’s introduction has complicated policy compliance in the short term. As discussed in challenges, travelers finding better fares outside official channels can undermine policy compliance and duty of care. Travel managers are responding by revising policies to address this. Some measures include: reiterating that all bookings must be made through the company’s tool (and educating employees that the tool now has NDC deals, if applicable), or in some cases, temporarily allowing use of airline direct booking if it’s the only way to get a certain fare – but only if tools like Traxo are used to capture that booking for duty of care​ blog.traxo.com. This is a stop-gap solution. Ultimately, the goal is to bring content in-channel. Many corporates have had to engage in change management and communication with travelers, explaining that the fare difference they see online is due to NDC and that the company is working to integrate those fares. It’s a delicate balance: companies don’t want to encourage going outside, but they also don’t want travelers feeling like they must book a higher fare internally. In terms of duty of care, travel risk teams have raised flags on this issue – hence the push for tools that can capture off-platform bookings. In the near future, as NDC content integration improves, this problem should recede. Travel policies may then incorporate language about NDC as a positive – for example, “our approved booking channels provide all available content, including NDC-exclusive offers, to ensure you get the best options while remaining in policy.” We are already seeing policy addenda in some companies clarifying how to handle bookings if an NDC fare is seen elsewhere (some require contacting the TMC to assist rather than booking direct). In summary, NDC is forcing policy evolution: travel policies and corporate booking rules are being updated to maintain compliance in the new distribution landscape.

Supplier Management and Contracts: Corporate travel managers are also revisiting their airline supplier strategies due to NDC. Historically, a company might have two or three primary carriers with fixed discounts. With NDC’s arrival, airlines are offering new value-adds: for instance, an airline might promise a company that if they book via NDC, they’ll get access to bundles that include free Wi-Fi or priority boarding for their travelers. These sorts of perks can be baked into corporate deals via NDC channels. Airlines are even using NDC as a differentiator when bidding for corporate accounts (e.g. “choose us, we have more robust NDC offerings that will give your travelers a better experience”). Therefore, travel managers need to understand each airline’s NDC capabilities and consider them in their program strategy. Some travel managers are partnering in pilots with airlines to shape corporate-focused NDC offerings (for example, working with an airline to ensure their negotiated fare is packaged with an extra bag at no additional cost via NDC). Also, as mentioned, managers are insisting that their contracted fares be visible in NDC channels – which means working closely with airlines and TMCs to test that. The overall impact is a more complex, but potentially more beneficial, relationship with suppliers: NDC is an opportunity for corporate travel programs to innovate their supplier deals, but it requires more proactive management to ensure nothing falls through the cracks in this new distribution method.

Impact on the Traveler Booking Experience

From the business traveler’s perspective, NDC can significantly enhance the booking experience – making it more akin to modern retail e-commerce rather than the old agency matrix of fares. 

Several impacts are notable:

Richer Content and Personalization: NDC enables airlines to display and bundle content in ways the old systems could not. Corporate travelers using an NDC-enabled tool will notice more information and choices at their fingertips. For instance, with NDC, a booking interface can show multiple fare offers for the same flight that include different ancillaries (e.g. one fare has standard legroom, another a seat with extra legroom + meal, another includes lounge access, etc.). Travelers can see visuals (like seat maps with product photos), promotional bundles, and special add-ons as part of the shopping flow. This is a big shift from the spartan text displays of legacy GDS. Airlines are indeed offering “an array of bundles” to NDC bookers, including things like priority boarding, lounge access, Wi-Fi, extra bags, etc., as part of the fare​ jtbbusinesstravel.com. For a business traveler, this means a more transparent value proposition – they can choose a package that best fits their needs and travel policy. For example, a traveler on a long-haul trip might opt for a bundled fare that, for $100 more, gives them lounge and Wi-Fi access, which they know is in policy and will make their trip more productive. In the past, such add-ons might require separate steps or might not be available at booking time at all.Consistency with Leisure/Consumer Experience: Today’s travelers are used to rich online shopping experiences. NDC helps bring the corporate booking experience closer to what travelers see on airline websites or OTAs, thereby improving satisfaction. Business Travel News jokingly redefined NDC as “Nourish, Delight, and Choice” because of the way it can cater to traveler preferences​ jtbbusinesstravel.com. 

Travelers get more choice and flexibility, which can be seen as “delightful” compared to the one-size-fits-all fares of old. Personalization is key – airlines can tailor offers if they recognize the traveler (through frequent flyer number or corporate ID). This could mean a loyal traveler sees an upgrade offer at a special rate during booking, or a policy-compliant fare is highlighted for them. Over time, as AI and data are applied, we may see increasingly personalized suggestions via NDC channels (similar to Amazon’s recommendations, but for travel add-ons). For the traveler, this means the booking tool might surface “relevant” options more intelligently, simplifying decision-making in line with both their preferences and company policy​ jtbbusinesstravel.com. 

Improved Self-Service and Disruption Handling: Another experiential benefit emerging from NDC is smoother self-service. Because NDC is modern API-based, it can allow travelers to more easily make changes or special requests through the online tool or app without agent intervention (assuming the tool has implemented those features). The Garner/Accelya report noted fewer booking errors and shorter call wait times for companies using NDC, as well as some platforms automating 99.5% of itinerary changes during major disruptions​ w3.accelya.com. Essentially, NDC is paving the way for more resilient and automated trip management. For example, if a flight is canceled, an NDC-connected platform might automatically re-book the traveler on an alternate flight (using the rich data to find comparable seats/ancillaries), whereas older systems might require manual travel agent work. This reduces stress for travelers during irregular operations. Additionally, travelers can more easily add ancillaries post-booking through self-service if the platform supports NDC modification messages. Overall, a more seamless trip management experience is on the horizon, which business travelers will surely appreciate – less time on the phone with agents and more empowerment through the app.

Challenges in User Experience (Transition Period): It’s worth noting that during the transition, travelers and arrangers have experienced some confusion or inconvenience too. For instance, if a particular fare isn’t found in the usual tool (because it’s NDC-only and the tool doesn’t have it), the user faces an odd scenario of inconsistent content. This can erode confidence in the tool. Some early NDC implementations within OBTs also had UI quirks – e.g., limited ability to select seats or compare bundles side by side. These are being ironed out. Training and change management are also needed: travelers may need to get used to new fare brands or bundle names that NDC brings. Travel managers have noted the importance of making sure the content travelers want is available in the tool to ensure compliance and safety​ linkedin.com, which is fundamentally about user experience – if the tool is comprehensive and easy, employees will use it happily. Therefore, companies rolling out NDC content often accompany it with communications to travelers highlighting new features (like “you’ll now see more fare options on this route, here’s what they mean…”).

Traveler Satisfaction and Well-being: By offering more choices and the ability to select options that matter to them, NDC can improve traveler satisfaction and even well-being. For example, a traveler concerned about work-life balance could choose flights that get them home earlier, even if it costs a bit more, because they see a fare family that includes flexibility to take a better-timed flight. Or a traveler who values wellness can pick a bundle with a lounge access to rest or Wi-Fi to stay connected rather than being stressed about productivity. A study noted that a significant number of business travelers prioritize options that support their well-being​ jtbbusinesstravel.com. NDC’s richer content allows travel programs to accommodate those priorities without breaking policy or budget, by balancing cost with value-adds​ jtbbusinesstravel.comjtbbusinesstravel.com. In other words, NDC gives travel managers levers to satisfy travelers (through choice) while still keeping an eye on cost – a win-win that leads to happier travelers who feel their needs are being considered.In sum, the booking experience under NDC is evolving to be more informative, flexible, and user-centric. Travelers get more of a “retail” feel with detailed product info and choice of ancillaries, which can lead to a more positive booking process compared to the old uniform fare model. There may be a learning curve as travelers adjust to new options and as companies integrate everything properly, but the end state is a smoother, more customizable travel booking journey. The corporate traveler of the near future could have an experience where booking a business trip is as easy as booking a personal vacation online – with rich visuals, clear value propositions, and tailored recommendations – all while staying compliant with company policy. That is essentially the promise of NDC in the corporate context: marrying the consumer-grade experience with the controls and content of a managed travel program​ w3.accelya.com

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