The process of booking business flights is changing. Airlines are moving away from legacy distribution systems and adopting a new industry standard: NDC, or New Distribution Capability.
Developed by IATA, NDC is designed to modernise how airfares and associated services are offered, booked, and managed. For corporate travel programmes, this means greater visibility, better alignment with policy, and access to more complete fare options.
What does NDC stand for?
NDC stands for New Distribution Capability. It’s a modern airline distribution capability developed by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). Its goal? To replace outdated, rigid systems with smarter, more dynamic content distribution.
Historically, airlines have used Global Distribution Systems (GDSs) to share fare information with travel agencies and booking platforms. But those systems weren’t designed to support things like fare bundles, personalisation, or dynamic pricing. They were built decades ago, and as travel tech advances, it shows.
NDC offers a way to modernise that experience, both for airlines and the businesses booking through them.
What does NDC mean in travel?
In a word: visibility.
When you book an airline ticket through traditional systems, you’re often getting just the base fare. Want to select a seat? That’s extra. Want to check a bag? That’s not always obvious until checkout, or worse, until you arrive at the airport.
NDC changes that by allowing airlines to present more complete offers directly in your booking tool. Where supported, this includes bundled fares, flexible rules, and add-ons like meals, seat upgrades, or lounge access, all visible before you hit “book.”
It makes travel booking feel less like a mystery box and more like a complete transaction. NDC ensures travellers receive all relevant booking details, including flight information and ancillary services, in their confirmations.
What is the NDC standard for distribution capability?
A distribution capability refers to the system or standard airlines use to deliver their fares and products to third parties, like travel management companies, booking tools, or corporate platforms.
Legacy distribution (based on EDIFACT) is static, limited, and doesn’t allow airlines to control how their offers appear. The new distribution capability changes that by giving airlines more flexibility in what they sell and how they present it.
It’s the difference between buying a basic item off a spreadsheet and shopping from a modern e-commerce storefront.
What’s the difference between NDC and GDS?
The GDS (Global Distribution System) is a traditional middleman between airlines and booking platforms. It’s reliable, well-established, and covers nearly all global carriers, but it’s limited in what it can display.
NDC is a new distribution capability that works alongside or in place of GDSs to deliver richer content. It supports:
That said, this isn’t an either-or situation. Most modern booking platforms now use a hybrid of GDS and NDC content to show the best available options.
What are the benefits of NDC for corporate travel?
The NDC benefits for businesses are significant, especially when you have a travel management company (TMC) that knows how to implement it. For your business:
NDC also presents new opportunities for companies to stay competitive and address changing traveller demands. For your travellers:
Important note: Not all NDC content is created equal. Some features – like one-click upgrades or automatic loyalty recognition – depend on the airline and booking system in use.
How does Corporate Traveller support NDC?
While many travel management companies are still catching up, Corporate Traveller has been supporting NDC from the start. We’ve achieved IATA certification and are listed in their Airline Retailing Maturity (ARM) Index.
More importantly, we’ve built our approach around real-world travel needs, not just tech compliance. Collaboration with airlines and technology providers is central to supporting effective NDC implementation.
Our NDC strategy includes:
- Rigorous testing with real travel scenarios
- Full servicing capability before rollout (we don’t activate content we can’t support)
- Integrated booking and reporting across GDS and NDC content
- Strict quality control on what NDC content goes live
Whether you’re booking through our platform or with a travel manager, you won’t have to “learn NDC.” It just works behind the scenes.
What does booking with NDC actually look like?
Here’s a side-by-side comparison to highlight the differences between traditional bookings and NDC-enabled ones:
| Business travel before NDC | Business travel with NDC at Corporate Traveller |
| Basic fare options only | Broad fare types with bundles available (where supported) |
| Hidden charges for seat selection, baggage discovered later | More inclusions visible upfront during booking |
| Upgrades required separate transactions | Upgrade options shown at time of booking (if provided by airline) |
| Limited visibility of loyalty perks when booking | Status-based offers and seat options clearly displayed (where supported) |
| Delayed updates when disruptions occurred | Fast access to alternatives at your fingertips (where airline systems allow) |
The bottom line: NDC doesn’t replace your current booking process – it works behind the scenes to offer more fare options, better visibility, and a more seamless experience.
Do I need corporate airline agreements for NDC?
Most new distribution capability content is available without requiring a direct corporate agreement. However, if you already have negotiated deals in place, Corporate Traveller ensures those rates and perks are recognised and applied through NDC-enabled channels.
Sometimes, NDC can even make it easier to access and apply negotiated benefits than older systems.
Can NDC fares be approved like traditional ones?
Absolutely. Our platform applies your policy rules and approval flows to NDC fares just like it does for GDS fares. You get all the flexibility of richer content with none of the compliance gaps.
From the travel manager's perspective, it’s seamless.
What should you ask your TMC about NDC?
If you’re unsure whether your current provider can support the new distribution capability, here are five questions to ask:
If the answers aren’t crystal clear, it might be time for a conversation.
NDC isn’t just another airline tech acronym—it’s a real evolution in how business air travel is priced, sold, and managed.
With the right travel partner, the benefits of NDC are clear:
At Corporate Traveller, we make sure you get all of that, without disruption or complexity.
It's time for better business travel management
With Corporate Traveller, you get a travel management company that blends the best in tech with over 30 years of travel expertise, plus:
- A team of travel managers that grow with your business
- An all-in-one travel platform for desktop and mobile
- 24/7 emergency support
- Easy access to itineraries and analytics to assess areas of travel risk
- Exclusive deals, negotiated rates, linked loyalty programmes, and more
