PALO ALTO, Calif., June 11, 2019 – TripActions, the fastest-growing business travel platform trusted by the world’s most innovative companies, announced the launch of its fully-scalable, end-to-end flight shopping and booking experience as one of the first to deliver on the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) New Distribution Capability (NDC) industry standard. Launching first with United Airlines, and adding other carriers in the upcoming months, TripActions’ NDC-enabled platform is expected to be one of the most comprehensive, transparent shopping experiences available in the industry.
Business travelers will receive unprecedented levels of visibility into United’s cabin fares, bundles and ancillary product offerings, including premium seating, checked baggage, club access, and more. These new capabilities will enable corporate travel managers to customize the United content that their employees receive, leveraging United’s new Dynamic Bundled Fares, which simplifies the shopping and booking process by combining a base fare with a curated selection of ancillary products and services into a single offer. In addition, TripActions’ industry-leading AI and machine learning capabilities will further personalize the display and content based on individual preferences and booking history. Coupled with TripActions’ global 24x7 live human support, the new offering will deliver a best-in-class travel experience to delight road warriors.
Organizations of every size, industry, and geography will benefit from increased traveler satisfaction and travel program adoption, as well as the resulting reduction in out-of-system expensing and improved spend visibility and control. The enhancements will further empower organizations to seize travel as a strategic lever for growth.
“TripActions is dedicated to working with a variety of channels to maximize choice and provide the best experience in business travel,” said Daniel Finkel, vice president of booking experience and supplier strategy at TripActions. “Our announcement with United Airlines delivers on our mission to power the in-person connections that move people, ideas, and businesses forward while demonstrating our commitment to collaborate with our airline partners to reflect the ongoing, massive investments they’ve made in their offerings, from new seat products to branded fares to entirely new cabin classes, such as premium economy.”
“Our goal at United is to provide the easiest and best experience for customers from the moment they book a flight to the moment they arrive at their final destination,” said Glenn Hollister, vice president of sales strategy and effectiveness at United. “We’re committed to making the booking and shopping experience the best it can be on a variety of channels, and in working with TripActions to offer NDC, we’re able to provide a more seamless experience for our customers.”
“Through the NDC standard, IATA collaborates with the entire value chain to advance the journey towards true airline retailing including product differentiation, rapid time-to-market, and full rich air content,” said Yanik Hoyles, industry distribution programs director, IATA. “Organizations such as TripActions, which have recently achieved NDC level 3 certification as a seller, are facilitating that journey by using the NDC standard to support transparency and a comprehensive shopping experience alongside increased travel program satisfaction, adoption, and spend control for organizations.”
The TripActions-United partnership will display content enabled by IATA’s NDC industry standard. NDC aims to facilitate a more transparent relationship from airline to traveler by offering a richer, deeper breadth of content. The partnership launches with certain United flights available within TripActions’ search results and any associated booking fulfilled and serviced through this NDC connection. TripActions is currently piloting its industry-leading NDC experience with a small group of customers with plans to roll it out to all customers in the coming weeks.
Benefits to the traveler include:
New travel bundles such as United Club access, Wi-Fi, premium seating, and a United flight would be available as part of a single fare.
Upgrades to Economy Plus for business travelers without a separate purchase.
Standalone ancillary purchase opportunities, such as checked baggage, premium seating, and more.
Seamless traveler servicing with access to United’s waivers in TripActions channels.
Benefits to the organization include:
Higher adoption rates of the business travel program by travelers.
Increased employee satisfaction with the business travel program.
Increased visibility into business travel spend and savings.
TripActions’ NDC certification complements the company’s February 2019 launch of a radically new booking experience developed in collaboration with United Airlines, American Airlines, and Delta Air Lines, and inspired by the newly unveiled Next Generation Storefront (NGS) standards under development by industry association ATPCO. From one simple and intuitive platform, travelers can now easily consider company policy and an increasingly diverse suite of products offered by airlines, including branded fares and new seat products.
For more information, visit https://tripactions.com/blog/tripactions-implements-ndc-united.