It was early days for the airline industry’s New Distribution Capability (NDC) when U.S. authorities gave the new booking protocol their official stamp of approval – with conditions.
The headline for this edition of ‘It Happened This Week’ is: ‘U.S. DOT gives approval of IATA’s NDC but ‘anonymous shopping’ required’
NDC hit a wall of opposition when it was first introduced – and even now, years later, not everyone in the retail travel industry is onboard. While IATA and airlines have long advocated for the adoption of NDC, some in the retail travel sector are concerned the NDC format is too restrictive, and will require a major upheaval with their booking systems.
When this story came out, the U.S. Department of Transportation had just tentatively approved Resolution 787, the foundation document for NDC. But there were stipulations. The DOT accepted new conditions from IATA – as well as the retail travel association known as Open Allies for Airfare Transparency – that no traveller should have provide personal information to receive a fare offer. The organizations also agreed that the NDC standard should remain voluntary.
The first set of NDC official standards was released on Sept. 1 the following year. For better or worse, a new era in air booking technology had begun.
Did the headline appear in Travelweek in 2014, 2018 or 2022?
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