ARTA takes aim at ASTA, BTC on NDC

While the Association of Retail Travel Agents (ARTA) and the Association of Retail Travel Agents – Canada (ARTA Canada) rarely see eye-to-eye with IATA, the two agency associations say they believe that IATA’s New Distribution Capability (NDC) will “embrace travel agents and listen to their input and concerns.” In a statement, the two associations said that the NDC will create a set of open XML standards to modernize airline retailing by enabling innovation in the way airline products are distributed, and making possible personalized offers to passengers who will have access to all airline products and services regardless of distribution channel. ARTA notes that IATA requested travel technology companies to submit XML schemas, a way to define the structure, content and, to some extent, the semantics of XML documents. Farelogix (through the Open Axis Group), Open Travel Alliance, and others participated in the submissions. Airlines will be able to differentiate and personalize their product and service offerings across all channels while ensuring that passengers will have full visibility of airline fares and services. It will facilitate new entrants into the distribution sector, resulting in increased competition. Historically competition leads to lower prices and increased choices for consumers. Both ARTA and ARTA Canada are allied members of the Open Axis Group. However, in its statement, ARTA points out that during the better part of three years, neither ASTA nor BTC “sat down with proponents at the many available forum,” instead they “lambasted alternative distribution systems.” ARTA observes: “Now comes ASTA and BTC wanting a ‘seat at table’ to discuss the NDC, and IATA is on guard for a disruptive climate from staunch naysayers. No one is defending IATA’s tactics, but you can certainly see its point. In the end, ARTA and ARTA Canada have every confidence that the NDC will embrace travel agents and listen to their input and concerns. It may just not be with ASTA and BTC which had no interest in listening when they had the chance.” Go to http://www.arta.travel for more.