Air France-KLM and Amadeus Announce NDC Distribution Deal

Photo source: Amadeus Travel Platform

The Air France – KLM group and Amadeus have signed an innovative distribution deal providing travel agents with access to the NDC  (New Distribution Capability) services of Air France – KLM through the Amadeus Travel Platform.

To access Air France-KLM content distributed via NDC, travel agents will need to sign bilateral agreements with Air France – KLM and Amadeus.

Over the last few years, Air France – KLM has been working with Amadeus to connect its NDC services to the Amadeus Travel Platform. The prime booking flow of shop, order, pay has already been integrated, meaning pilot travel agents will be able to book via NDC through the platform in Q4 this year.

The full integration with servicing capabilities is expected to complete in the first half of 2021.

“We’re pleased that our NDC content will soon be accessible to Air France – KLM partner agents via the Amadeus platform,” said Pieter Bootsma, chief revenue officer of Air France – KLM.

According to Bootsma, NDC is a key innovation for Air France – KLM as it allows its customers to benefit from more attractive and customized offers, such as continuous pricing and tailor-made bundles.

“This agreement is an important step in our distribution strategy, completing our existing NDC distribution network, especially for travel agencies with a higher level of servicing needs, such as business travel agencies,” he added.

Agents will be able to search, compare, book, and service Air France – KLM content in one merged display through their go-to Amadeus solution, whether the Travel API or Selling Platform Connect.

“We are excited to expand our longstanding partnership with the Air France-KLM group, in order to deliver innovative retailing capabilities. This is a significant step on our NDC journey to enable adoption at scale,” Amadeus President Travel Unit Decius Valmorbida said.