The reigning buzzword in the business travel world is NDC, or the effort from airlines to change the technology behind bookings. New partnerships between travel management companies, global distribution providers, and airlines are regularly being announced, and all in the name of this new distribution technology.
Yet nothing much has changed about the actual experience of business travel. In large part, these announcements have been about drumming up press.
At the GBTA Convention in Chicago this week, we talked to top industry execs, and much of the rhetoric around NDC remained unchanged. Companies continue to emphasize how important it is to improving business travel and how committed they are to updating their software. We take a look behind these comments, and try to get a sense of where the industry is really at.
Meanwhile, Southwest announced new deals with global distribution systems Amadeus and Travelport, a major turning point for the airline.
Check out these stories and many more below.
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