Amadeus and Flight Centre Travel Group, have today unveiled an enhanced graphical user interface of the NDC-enabled Amadeus Selling Platform Connect .
In an important milestone for Amadeus’ NDC -X program , Flight Centre Travel Group are poised to begin testing the enhanced interface and will start making NDC bookings via the new integrated solution in Selling Platform Connect in the coming months. As one of the largest global travel companies, with more than 40 brands and equity-owned operations in 23 countries Flight Centre’s feedback will be key to driving adoption.
The new design incorporates feedback from Flight Centre and Amadeus’ other NDC-X program partners and creates an intuitive user experience that caters to the diverse retailing needs across different markets.
The user interface is one element of the ongoing development of Amadeus’ NDC-enabled solutions. Amadeus has been working hand-in-hand with its airline and travel seller partners to design and develop an efficient end-to-end workflow to meet the needs of all constituents.
Mick Heitzinger, Product Director Flight Centre Travel Group – EMEA said: “One of the biggest factors influencing the travel industry in 2019 will be distribution as NDC content becomes more of a reality. Our goal has always been to balance the short-term priorities of NDC with building a long-term sustainable booking solution with our technology partners.”
Heitzinger added, “It has been very rewarding to work collaboratively with Amadeus within the NDC-X program to provide input to the NDC-enabled solution. We have made great progress, particularly since Flight Centre, established a dedicated global distribution team at the beginning of this year to drive the NDC roadmap forward. Our priority is to ensure that our customers benefit positively from the opportunities that NDC presents and Amadeus’ enhanced interface will ultimately enable our travel consultants to access an even richer choice of fares and NDC content in an already familiar technology environment, personalizing the booking experience for their clients.”
Rudy Daniello, Executive Vice President, Customer Operations, Travel Channels, Amadeus, said: “We are extremely proud to showcase the results of our partnership with Flight Centre and other NDC-X participants, marking an important milestone for our program. As a driver customer, Flight Centre has been a key contributor to the success of our program since its inception and we are excited as we move closer to NDC industrialization. As we prepare for the global deployment of our NDC-enabled solutions and move to further digitalize the travel industry, this thoughtfully designed end-to-end workflow and enhanced user interface will greatly improve the booking and servicing experience for our travel seller customers.”
Amadeus Selling Platform Connect, which Amadeus has deployed globally in 12 languages, will be enriched with NDC content and the upgraded interface will be rolled out in a phased approach that will start in the second quarter of 2019. The upgraded solution will drive incremental value to travel sellers by enabling users to access an extensive range of content and easily compare flights and bundles from multiple sources. Importantly, the more intuitive user interface will make it easier to train and upskill travel sellers around the world.
Also, thanks to the seamless integration of multiple content sources and the enhanced interface, it will offer airlines greater flexibility to merchandise their products and will support better and faster adoption of NDC.
Amadeus’ NDC-X program brings all its NDC activities together under one roof, both as an aggregator and as an IT provider. Amadeus is actively working on integrating NDC content into the Amadeus Travel Platform so travel sellers around the world can access all types of content and serve travelers simply, quickly and accurately.
