Airline Distribution

Within the airline's distribution overall process, IATA participates in the activities listed below. For a better understanding of the overall process: Airline Distribution Diagram (pdf): 

New Distribution Capability (NDC)

NDC is an IATA-led initiative that is looking at providing passengers with personalized choice of products and services. This will be done through the definition of a messaging standard that will enable retailing opportunities through the indirect (GDS/travel agent) channel.
More on NDC.

The Future of Airline Distribution

An IATA-commissioned independent study identified the major trends transforming the travel distribution landscape

 A look ahead to 2017 - highlights

• Travel is the largest e-commerce category, led by airline ticket sales.
• The typical travel shopper visits 22 websites in multiple shopping sessions before booking a trip
• Passengers are more likely than the general population to own smartphones and tablet devices
• By 2017, 50% of online direct bookings will be made on mobile devices with even more ancillary purchases made through these devices. This new approach will be supported by the emergence of “value creation hubs” (VCH). 

Download the Future of Airline Distribution report (pdf).