Reaping the benefits of NDC implementation

It has been a long and winding road, and we still have steps to take—but we clearly see that NDC enables us to accelerate our ambitions. Our brand is focused on excellent service, comprehensive content, and the best price, wherever and whenever. Customers trust us to continuously innovate and further develop our proposition, and for us, NDC was a clear game changer. That's why we made a conscious decision to go all in.

Did we think it would be plain sailing? Absolutely not. Do we still think it's the right approach? Without a doubt. Do we think we've found the right technology partner to bring us success? Without question. Let me explain.

Take the long road and walk it 

Although the possibilities and potential of NDC were clear early on, it was equally clear that it would require a significant investment of time and money to provide our customers with seamless access to valuable NDC content.

This is where Amadeus comes in. It is one of the few companies in the world capable of creating and integrating the technology we need to remain successful and relevant to our customers. Based on its robust approach to NDC, its expertise, technology, and vision, we signed up for the Amadeus NDC [X] program in 2019. And we have never looked back. Amadeus has supported us by ensuring that NDC content can be booked and served through intuitive flows alongside all other content already available in the Amadeus system. This gives us a best-in-class solution for all NDC and non-NDC content for both our business customers and our travel advisors. 

Our experience is that the impact of NDC on a travel seller's organization should not be underestimated. This is not a ‘plug and play’ operation. The integration of NDC has had an operational, commercial, and cultural impact on our organization and all our processes—and will continue to do so as it develops further. But Amadeus has proven to be a partner we can trust as we adapt and embrace this new technology to ensure the operational efficiency and continued productivity of our employees.

Reaping the benefits of NDC

Travelers are consumers, and today's consumers want tailored, relevant offers. NDC technology makes this possible in the travel industry—the benefits are now becoming apparent and will only increase over time. The introduction of the new technical protocol has been a ten-year process – and it is far from complete, but at Munckhof we try to think in terms of possibilities rather than impossibilities. I would encourage our partners in the industry to seriously reconsider postponing the implementation of NDC and to shift from a defensive stance to a more exploratory attitude toward the technology. NDC is here to stay. The new technology will help you improve your value proposition, build a stronger business case, and differentiate yourself from competitors who do not embrace NDC.

NDC has the potential to reshape the travel industry worldwide. We all need more and richer content to enable personalized travel experiences, optimize ancillary services and continuous pricing opportunities, as well as many other new attributes that travelers now expect from the travel purchasing experience. 

In a world where sustainability and environmental impact are becoming the primary drivers of decisions, NDC content will help travelers make the right choices. 

NDC is no longer an option—it is here to stay, and everyone at Munckhof is determined to continue the NDC journey. No matter how long and winding the road has been, the destination has always been clear: delivering relevance, choice, and value to our customers.

Tom Roefs was invited by Amadeus to write this blog, which was first published on amadeus.com.