Business travellers want the best travel experience possible. Their travel managers want that enhanced further with cost-effective, flexible air fare choices where duty of care to their travellers isn’t compromised. That’s where New Distribution Capability (NDC) comes in and the positive impact it can have on corporate travel.
Introduced more than a decade ago to allow for increased fare transparency and access to richer content, British Airways – as one of the first airlines to adopt NDC – has been an innovator and thought leader throughout its evolution.
“Then, as a trusted partner of British Airways over many decades, Reed & Mackay became the earliest travel management company (TMC) to identify with its NDC API in 2017 and we were eager to move forward with direct connects to that rich content,” Reed & Mackay Group CEO Fred Stratford says.
And it was Reed & Mackay’s own innovative approach to technology that put it in a distinct position to embrace the direct connection to British Airways’ NDC APIs from the outset, agrees British Airways Director of Global Sales David Oppenheim. “Plus, its customer-orientated approach enabled us to collaborate, to ensure we had the right capability in place for all corporate travellers,” Oppenheim adds.
Now one of the leading TMC consumers of British Airways NDC content in the UK – with more than 25% of British Airways bookings made through NDC as of August 2024 – we explore what this long-standing partnership between TMC and airline means for the corporate travel buyer and how it benefits their travel programmes, including substantial savings on air fares.
Access to the richest range of airline content and experiences
The bedrock of any enduring partnership is shared values, with both British Airways and Reed & Mackay committed to delivering the best content and experiences for travellers. Whether booking via the Reed & Mackay platform or with a consultant, Reed & Mackay presents a full range of content from British Airways to easily compare, choose and make the most cost-effective choices.
Furthermore, British Airways has made huge strides in its NDC capability in the last few years, going beyond the restrictions of legacy systems to deliver Additional Price Points, as well as an NDC-only Climate product, reflecting its commitment to sustainability through a BetterBA.
“And we’re continuing to innovate with £7bn investment, enabling further transformation of our commercial technology and therefore deliver even richer content,” British Airways Head of Distribution Sam Robinson adds.
Yet there even greater advantages for clients when a TMC and airline share a long-standing partnership, as Reed & Mackay Senior Director, Air Partnerships, Richard Lindsay explains.
“If any of our customers have any travel issue in any part of the world, we have a dedicated British Airways person to contact,” he says. “This partnership means we have support and agility from British Airways. Working so closely means our clients and their travellers can be confident we can get them anywhere.”
Cost savings and flexibility
With pressures on business travel budgets set to continue, finding cost-savings and added value in airline fares remains a priority for corporate travel buyers.
A direct connection to British Airways NDC means Reed & Mackay offers clients the best fares the airline has to offer. As of the end of August 2024, that has led to 25% of sales being made through the British Airways NDC channel – a figure that is consistently growing – demonstrating that clients are embracing the technology.
“We’ll be ramping up NDC and aiming to considerably increase adoption over the next year,” Stratford explains. “The speed and agility of delivering the best content and cost-efficiencies as soon as possible is also driven by our proprietary travel technology. It allows us to be nimble as we’re not reliant on third-party tech. So having a direct connection to British Airways NDC APIs means if the airline makes a change to its technology, we develop it directly into ours, ensuring clients always have access to the best content.”
Reed & Mackay Operations Manager Sam Smith highlights how offering clients British Airways NDC means accessing the most competitive prices available. “You sometimes hear travellers say they found their own lower-cost air fare online. With NDC, we’re accessing all these types of fares too,” Smith says. “Having NDC integrated also encourages travellers to stop booking outside of their travel policies. That’s because they know they’re getting the most cost-effective fares via their TMC and airline partner. Plus, booking through a TMC is more secure from a duty of care perspective.”
Trust and reliability through partnership
Robinson reiterates how the partnership with Reed & Mackay, as a trusted distribution channel for British Airways’ wide range of NDC fares, means delivering what customers need and want more rapidly.
“NDC is still an emerging technology. And, as we’ve built out capabilities, we can trust Reed & Mackay to share what is and isn’t working for its clients,” Robinson says. “This allows us to iterate faster. It then ensures all the functionality customers and agents need is available and reliable through NDC.”
This shared stance of engaging and moving forwards with tech innovation has led to bringing dynamic airline pricing to market more quickly. And this is a huge benefit for customers, agrees Lindsay. “Going through this NDC journey together means we can go to British Airways with our wish list or red flag issues and, by working together, we’ve overcome a number of hurdles along the way,” he says.
Smith, too, has witnessed this first hand and highlights the partnership’s benefits for clients.
“We’ve worked really hard with British Airways on NDC and the dialogue is always open between us,” she says. “Our teams, including our NDC Champions and our dedicated NDC admin desk, find this invaluable. In turn, it ensures clients receive the best service.”
And that trust between partners is pivotal. “British Airways trusted us to be their partner of choice on introducing NDC APIs. Our tech teams worked incredibly closely together to deliver NDC so our partnership piece runs deeply at all levels,” Stratford adds.
It’s no secret that NDC has faced some challenges from the business travel industry in its implementation. But, adds Robinson, this partnership helps ensure the British Airways NDC product reflects customer requirements. “By delivering the right product and capabilities, we can build trust throughout the industry. This enables us to overcome some of the preconceptions around the challenges with NDC,” he says.
Innovation at scale that benefits customers
Reed & Mackay and British Airways align in their commitment to continuous innovation. And that includes taking the next steps on the NDC journey together.
“British Airways will utilise the full benefits of technology to transition towards personalised and tailored offers,” Oppenheim explains. “Our focus is ensuring partners are connected to NDC. This is so they can continue to access the richest range of content, both in terms products and prices.
“Reed and Mackay has been at the forefront of TMCs connecting with, and adopting, NDC. We’re excited to continue ensuring what we build and deliver fulfils its customers’ needs. Especially as it grows and evolves as a business, both organically and through acquisitions. Working together and pushing boundaries might mean there are challenges. But, collectively, we are driving the industry forward to improve the customer experience. And, as NDC continues to grow, we want to continue to collaborate to make sure our platform reflects the requirements of Reed & Mackay’s clients.”
Likewise, Stratford stresses how Reed & Mackay regards British Airways as a global partner in all markets it operates in. “As part of the Navan group, our scale now – even versus when we announced this direct British Airways NDC connect – is different and that growth trajectory takes us into so many different points of sale. As we grow, we’re going to be booking British Airways in so many different locations and at greater volume.”
What clients say
“We have more than 1,000 travellers, British Airways is the primary airline for us in terms of volume and spend. We switched on British Airways NDC in March this year.
“Initially I was hesitant about NDC in general. That was because of the many flight schedule changes our travellers can have. If bookings are via a third-party aggregator, you hear about those schedule changes a little later. I wanted direct communication with my TMC about them. So when Reed & Mackay said the direct connect with British Airways was ready, I was keen to trial it.
“While we’re still in a trial phase, using British Airways’ NDC has delivered more fare options. And we’ve adopted our travel policy to take the lowest logical fare. Encouragingly, it’s knowing British Airways and Reed & Mackay’s long-standing partnership means any issues we may came across are heard and addressed. I definitely feel like I have a voice.”
Liberty Specialty Markets Travel Manager Rishi Patel
“I first heard about NDC seven years ago and had some initial concerns. My main concern was that bookings would be made directly by travellers on the airlines’ websites, resulting in a duty of care concern within our business. Yet Reed & Mackay has done exceptionally well in communicating the impact of NDC in simple non-industry language and has supported us throughout its wider rollout. Working closely with our TMC has contributed to confidence growing around NDC and travellers no longer have concerns surrounding it.
“My top tip is to embrace NDC. Acknowledge fares are lower on websites. And re-enforce with your travellers that working closely with your TMC is beneficial to securing all the content that’s out there.”
Client from the finance sector
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