AirGateway brings the next generation of travel distribution to Airlines, Sellers, and Tech Providers

NDC (New Distribution Capability) is a direct distribution channel introduced by airlines globally. NDC leverages technology to automate processes like refunds and date changes to avoid complicated manual tasks currently needed when using the GDS. Most importantly, it is the only way to access the best airline fares and their full fare family catalog.

Absolutely yes. Most major airlines have already introduced GDS surcharges making the fares in your GDS more expensive (on average 15€/segment), they limit the options in the GDS (e.g. Light Fares no longer bookable via GDS). On top of that, negotiated/private fares and incentive agreements are now usually offered only for the NDC channel. 

No, NDC and GDS are two different worlds with no connection whatsoever. Even if you use a GDS-offered NDC solution, the NDC bookings will not come to your GDS Terminal. These two technologies are incompatible by design and since NDC is replacing GDS EDIFACT, the Terminal will be discontinued in the near future and all agencies will have to move to a graphical interface. 

Moreover, utilizing GDS Passive Segments to bring your non-GDS bookings there is not advised and should only be a temporary solution. Some airlines are already penalizing agencies for such usage and this is another feature that will be discontinued relatively soon.

We recommend becoming Mid/Backoffice-centric rather than GDS-centric. Agencies already have multiple channels to access travel content (e.g. GDS, low-cost aggregator, NDC aggregator, etc.) and all your bookings should ideally meet in your Back-office. At AirGateway, we make this extremely simple by using AIR/MIR/IUR files with Remarks, so your current back-office solution accepts it seamlessly. 

BookingPad needs no implementation making the onboarding extremely quick. You request NDC credentials from the airlines of your choice (it usually takes them a few days to issue the credentials), we plug it in, run a quick test booking with you, and you are good to go! 

Why AirGateway? The most complete NDC content coverage on the market, full servicing of each airline available directly on the platform, and costs affordable by agencies of any size.

The great thing about NDC is the de-monopolization of the industry allowing new technology companies to enter. In NDC, the airline pays ZERO money to the aggregator (no matter if it's AGW or GDS) which means you need to pay for the solution. Since you need to pay, you need to select one that solves your needs. And you can easily compare the functionality, coverage, and costs of each solution. You can find all these details on our website, including the pricing.