Travelport is the first operator of a global distribution system to be granted the highest certification by IATA for its New Distribution Capability (NDC) airline distribution technology.
Travelport, a leading travel commerce platform, announces the signing of a multiyear agreement with Qantas Airways that includes distribution of the Australian national carrier’s content and integration into Qantas’ recently announced NDC platform, the Qantas Distribution Platform (QDP).
Travelport’s Rich Content and Branding merchandising solution has been deployed, giving over 65,000 of Travelport-connected travel agencies globally access to images of cabins and meals. These agents will also be able to book ancillaries such as extra legroom seating.
Travelport is the first operator of a global distribution system to be granted the highest certification by IATA for its New Distribution Capability (NDC) airline distribution technology. With this, Travelport is well-positioned to support the QDP, improving the flexibility of content distribution, as the airline becomes one of the first to deploy NDC content later this year. It is the only such company to be cited by Qantas as an early adopter.
Stephen Shurrock, Travelport’s Chief Commercial Officer, commented, “This agreement is testament to Qantas’ commendable forward-looking vision. Travelport is proud to be a global pioneer of NDC connections with the airline. Whether it’s the deployment of Rich Content and Branding or our new NDC capabilities, Travelport is uniquely equipped to support Qantas in optimizing content distribution globally.”
Air France and Qantas renew partnership
Also, Qantas and Air France customers will now have more options to travel between Europe and Australia via Asia following a renewed codeshare agreement between the two carriers.
Available for booking from 5 June for travel from 20 July 2018, Air France will add its code to Qantas flights between Hong Kong and Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane and between Singapore and Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth.
Air France customers will also be able to access codeshare services from Sydney to five cities on the Australian airline’s domestic network including Canberra, Hobart, Adelaide, Cairns and Darwin.
Under the reciprocal deal, Qantas will add its code to flights operated by Air France between Singapore and Hong Kong and Paris-Charles de Gaulle, as a continuation of flights from Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth.
The new agreement will see the two airlines codeshare on a total of more than 200 flights per week.
Customers will benefit from more seamless travel experiences with single ticket itineraries and through-checked baggage as well as the opportunity to earn points on the new codeshare services.
Air France eligible customers(3) will also be able to access Qantas lounges in Hong Kong, Singapore and Australia, as well as Qantas eligible customers to Air France lounges in Paris, Hong Kong and Singapore.
Patrick Alexandre, EVP Commercial Sales and Alliances at Air France-KLM, said: “We are very pleased to be re-establishing a partnership with Qantas. Thanks to this agreement, the Air France-KLM group will be able to offer one of the best possible travel solutions for its customers from Europe to Australia. It will also deliver a better travel experience for our Business customers, with connections in Singapore and Hong Kong, two of the most popular airports in the world. This new cooperation confirms our group’s desire to expand in the Asia-Pacific region.”
Alison Webster, CEO of Qantas International, added: “This is great news for our customers who want to travel to Europe via Asia, giving them another option to get to Paris and more opportunities to earn Frequent Flyer Points. The return of this popular codeshare delivers on our strategy of partnering to provide customers with access to an expanded network and more seamless travel experiences wherever they want to fly.”
Tatiana is the news co-ordinator for TravelDailyNews Media Network (traveldailynews.gr, traveldailynews.com and traveldailynews.asia). Her role includes to monitor the hundrends of news sources of TravelDailyNews Media Network and skim the most important according to our strategy. She holds a Bachelor degree in Communication & Mass Media from Panteion University of Political & Social Studies of Athens and she has been editor and editor-in-chief in various economic magazines and newspapers.
