Content from all IAG airlines, which also include Aer Lingus, Vueling and Iberia, will in future be available to the trade through the Amadeus Travel Platform, with BA promising the move would create more choice for trade partners, including greater personalisation of content and access to new offers.
The two partners confirmed the arrangement on Friday (26 February), stressing work was already under way to make IAG’s NDC content available through the platform.
NDC stands for New Distribution Capability, a modern standard certified by Iata allowing airlines to make products, content and ancillaries available to travel sellers.
IAG and Amadeus hope to complete NDC connections for British Airways and Iberia in the second half of the year, with Vueling following in 2022.
No date has yet been set for when this will be achieved for Aer Lingus, with the partners stating further information about implementation for the Irish carrier would follow in due course.
Agents will be able to access the content through their "go-to" Amadeus solution.
"This agreement is another milestone in Amadeus and British Airways’ strategy to embrace digital retailing practices," said IAG and Amadeus in a statement.
"It allows for an improved user selling experience and access to current and future personalised offers such as additional price points (continuous pricing).”
Javier Laforgue, Amadeus executive vice-president of airline distribution and content sourcing, hailed the partnership an "important moment" for the travel industry that would "push forward" NDC adoption globally and "bring NDC to scale".
Rogier Van Enk, head of distribution at British Airways, added: “NDC is the future of retailing for our industry and we’re excited about the possibilities that it is enabling.
"It is encouraging to see key players in the travel eco-system like Amadeus sharing this vision by supporting the rollout of NDC. This deal will create more choice for our trade partners, including personalised content and new exciting offers to come in the future.”
