NDC (New Distribution Capability) is being implemented or considered across the entire airline industry. Its implementation and continued development require in kind development by all downstream travel technologies in order to normalize the content at scale. The resulting development timelines may lead to delays in functionality and inconsistencies between the corporate program and consumer sites.
What is NDC?
NDC (New Distribution Capability) is an airline-led initiative launched by IATA (International Air Transport Association) for the development and market adoption of a new, XML-based data transmission standard (NDC Standard). An iteration of APIs, NDC is intended to “modernize” airline retailing capabilities to further enable personalized offers, dynamic pricing and product differentiation.
There are various versions of NDC Standards being adopted and implemented by airlines globally. Complementary technologies are working to incorporate this content as new iterations are implemented.
How NDC Could Impact Your Travel Program
NDC fares are often priced lower than their legacy (EDIFACT) counterparts. These pricing discrepancies can vary widely depending on market pair, class of service, and other factors. In addition, NDC allows airlines to dynamically price their offerings rather than having to publish fares on a set cadence.
While lower prices are the primary benefit today, airlines may incorporate other incentives to encourage market adoption of NDC content such as leveraging corporate agreements or traveler loyalty programs.
The trade-off for these lower fares may come in the form of overall program compatibility. As airlines continue to transition the distribution of their content to NDC channels, technologies supporting the wider managed travel industry will be evolving in concert. Each airline is operating under its own strategic plan. Therefore, the pace of change will vary by airline as will the potential for certain content to be unsuitable for the managed travel program.
This could lead to:
- Temporary disruptions to normal servicing capabilities or downstream processes.
- An increase in the average servicing time for complex customer issues.
- Loss in agency control of, or exposure to, a customer’s booking.
- Inconsistency in content availability or fare price between online (SAP Concur Travel) and offline (advisor-supported) booking channels.
- Frequently fluctuating fares or offerings distinct to an individual customer.
How The Travel Team is Approaching NDC
The Travel Team is committed to a sustainable adoption of NDC that balances traveler experience with the preservation of key value drivers of a managed travel program. Though trade-offs do remain, NDC is a focal point of the future for airline content distribution and as such, The Travel Team is taking a proactive approach to its inclusion. This includes the booking of NDC content when it is lower than its legacy (EDIFACT) equivalent in the offline environment.
In doing so, we endeavor to minimize any traveler-facing impacts that may occur. Each airline is operating on its own time horizon when it comes to NDC adoption. As an airline releases or updates its schema for NDC, downstream platforms develop and incorporate those capabilities. The Travel Team, in turn, tests and validates these solutions at scale before enabling them for customers.
NDC Strategy and Status Across Major North American Carriers
Air Canada
Air Canada has deployed one of the most structured and economically defined NDC programs in North America. The airline is actively steering bookings toward NDC channels through a combination of expanded content access, financial incentives, and Distribution Cost Recovery (DCR) fees applied to legacy EDIFACT bookings.
Air Canada NDC is maturing rapidly and will be sustainably incorporated into corporate travel programs in 2026.
- Basic Economy “Basic” fares are only available through NDC channels.
- AC adds a small fee to any EDIFACT channel bookings.
- There is a potential for small variances in availability between the two channels across AC’s branded fares.
- Air Canada Flight Pass and Air Canada for Business offers can only be booked through NDC channels.
- Additional amenities and seat offers are exclusive to NDC channels.
Alaska Airlines
Alaska Airlines is taking a measured, technology‑led approach to NDC adoption. The airline has made NDC APIs available and is focused on building reliable, scalable distribution infrastructure rather than using NDC as a commercial pressure mechanism.
There are no publicly stated mandates, surcharges, or content withdrawals tied to NDC adoption. Following Alaska’s acquisition of Hawaiian Airlines, NDC efforts are increasingly aligned with broader systems integration and long‑term platform consolidation rather than near‑term distribution change.
American Airlines
American Airlines remains one of the most active proponents of NDC in North America. After an aggressive initial push in 2023 that restricted some fare content to NDC channels, American has adjusted its approach based on feedback from corporate customers and travel management companies. Today, the airline is driving adoption through improved content, expanded servicing capabilities, and pricing incentives, with NDC capabilities being largely stable for corporate travel programs.
Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines is pursuing the most cautious and customer‑centric NDC rollout among the U.S. network carriers. Delta has been explicit; it does not intend to force adoption through GDS surcharges or content withdrawals, instead prioritizing servicing parity, program integrity, and partner readiness.
Delta views NDC as a necessary evolution to support future merchandising and offer creation, but is implementing it iteratively and collaboratively. The airline continues to emphasize that corporate travel remains core to its business and that NDC will only scale once it meets Delta’s standards for reliability, servicing, and customer experience.
Additional updates are expected later in 2026.
JetBlue Airlines
JetBlue is actively developing and expanding its NDC capabilities, but remains in an earlier, more measured phase of adoption compared to other large U.S. network carriers. JetBlue has not announced financial incentives, content withdrawals, or forced migration timelines tied to NDC adoption.
Initial capabilities are expected in 2026, with program sustainability expected sometime in the months following release.
Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines is actively accelerating NDC development, with additional updates expected later in 2026. Southwest has communicated that NDC is being pursued as a technical enabler, not as a commercial lever to restrict content or force channel migration. Southwest has also asserted that they do not plan to create NDC‑only fares or content and does not view NDC as a mechanism to disadvantage traditional workflows.
United Airlines
United Airlines has taken a deliberate but commercially assertive approach to NDC adoption with a strategy that emphasizes personalized offers, continuous pricing, and richer ancillary merchandising, particularly for corporate travelers. United has selectively limited certain content (such as Basic Economy fares) in legacy EDIFACT channels to encourage NDC adoption. Pricing discrepancies are common between EDIFACT and NDC-sourced fares.
While administrative hurdles persist in the sustainable adoption of NDC content in travel programs, it is generally available and serviceable.
WestJet
WestJet is preparing for a formal NDC go‑live in mid‑2026, following several years of development. WestJet is emphasizing a “partner‑first” and “channel‑of‑choice” approach similar to that of Delta Air Lines, to ensure support for all major channels simultaneously rather than introducing NDC in a limited or disruptive manner.
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