Air Canada has renewed and expanded its distribution agreement to include New Distribution Capability content and servicing for Travelport-connected agencies globally, the companies announced on Wednesday (11 October).
The anticipated launch of the carrier's full NDC solution on Travelport Plus is expected "in the coming months," which will include end-to-end servicing of NDC bookings to assist with trip changes and exchanges, according to the companies.
Jason Clarke, chief commercial officer, Travel Partners at Travelport, said agency customers will have continued access to Air Canada offerings during the NDC rollout, "including personalised offers and the ability to easily manage all aspects of their customers’ travel within a single view of product features and ancillaries".
Once Travelport has enabled Air Canada's NDC content, those bookings would be exempt from the carrier's distribution cost recovery fee that it currently places on EDIFACT bookings, Air Canada confirmed.
Mark Nasr, executive vice president, marketing and digital for Air Canada, added: “Together, we will enable the delivery of the full range of content and fares that Air Canada provides to our travel trade partners, as well as access to the many upcoming products and services that are focused on improving travel for our customers.”
The carrier earlier this year signed a deal with Sabre to distribute Air Canada's NDC content.