Singapore Airlines and Travelport Put NDC into Action

(03 Dec 2020)
Singapore Airlines’ (SIA) has
welcomed on board the first passengers whose tickets were booked
using NDC technology.

Star Cruise Travel Services, one of Travelport’s partner agencies for the implementation of NDC
capability, made the NDC bookings through Smartpoint, Travelport’s
agency desktop solution.

The passengers took international
flights, arriving into Singapore Changi Airport in early November
2020.

“NDC Booking is made easy
via Travelport Smartpoint. We are now able to access more content
and offers, all in a single workflow, maintaining our efficiency,”
said Lynn Ong, Assistant Vice President, Star Cruise Travel
Services.

Since Singapore Airlines’ (SIA) KrisConnect
program was
first launched in late 2018, Travelport has been working to
improve how NDC content is integrated into the agent workflow.

Agencies connecting to KrisConnect through Travelport have access
to customized offerings that are tailored to traveler needs and
preferences. SIA has advised that they will also benefit from a
wider range of fares and other content.

As part of
Travelport’s program of continuous improvements to the NDC booking
process, using this functionality agents can manage NDC ticket
exchanges, essential for efficient handling of customer servicing
needs. With the addition of this key servicing feature Travelport
will continue the roll out of its NDC capability to agencies
signed up to KrisConnect.

“Singapore Airlines is
pleased to be working closely with Travelport on our KrisConnect
program,” said Bryan Koh, Divisional Vice President E-Commerce and
Distribution, Singapore Airlines. “By leveraging new technology, SIA and our partners can
better meet the evolving expectations of our customers.
Expectations about how, where and when they can access
information, their ability to quickly and efficiently execute
desired actions, and the demand for greater personalization, are
all influenced by their experience with companies beyond the
travel sector. The KrisConnect Program, and the technology upon
which it sits, is key to meeting those expectations, and SIA is
pleased to be leading the change in Asia. This milestone
achievement with Travelport is critical in ensuring the program’s
success.”

NDC is a critical part of
Travelport’s multisource content strategy. The company was the first GDS to
make a live NDC booking in October 2018 and is already connected
to a number of airlines’ NDC content.

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