Can’t tell too soon! Announced in December 2022, American Airlines plans to make some of its content available only through NDC links. Effective from April 3, 2023.
A quick decision may have confused some agencies.
“We don’t have No feedback from unhappy customers. Then we explained the situation.”asserts Yorick SarveriadAmerican Express is GBT’s Vice President and France General Manager, in which the American company is a major shareholder.
“We’re not Still not in 40% content, but can’t say how much. But growing every week. This is worrying Mainly domestic flight And the best purchase rate with no refunds », he says. Corporate customers looking for flexibility will be less affected.
“Currently, we are not directly affiliated with American Airlines. Let’s go through the next NDC link of GDS. Shipping to the US accounts for 10% of our activity. We suffer a little”Note Maxim PialatCEO of Supertripper.
Same silence with Gregory Mavoian, President of Globeo Travel and President of GIE Manor: “American Airlines is a challenging player in France. For the dominant United States, it has a bombastic effect. »
And what is there! The speed of the process cost agencies time to improve their technology.
“Our position is clear. We are for NDC, but we don’t want to do it anyway. We got the American Airlines API very late, in March 2023, we have to test it”Yorick Charveriad remembers.
“We always use the same method: MMP “Minimum Marketable Product” (Minimum Marketable Product) “, he notes. It’A list of prerequisites that allow minimum performance To reach before using the link set by the GDS, in this case Saber in the USA.
” This is a multiplayer game. We want to work with GDS to use back office. Online tools, mainly Concur in the United States, and increasingly NEO, must be ready and the travel agency can process changes and cancellations using the tools available through the GDS, as they must necessarily go offline. A tool that we cannot change is not ready. », The boss of Amex GBT France explains.
“Travel aficionado. Incurable bacon specialist. Tv evangelist. Wannabe internet enthusiast. Typical creator.”