NDC for personalised offerings

Amadeus is bullish on the Indian market. The company is committed to support and provide solutions to airlines, airports, and travel agencies to automate processes like check-in and baggage handling for airlines and airports, while enhancing passenger experience, says Jyothi Plappara, Head of Engineering, Airport and Airline Operations, Amadeus Labs.

Nisha Verma

India is a crucial market for Amadeus and the travel technology company is keen to offer different products and solutions in the market regularly. Sharing the company’s plans for the India market, Jyothi Plappara, Head of Engineering, Airport and Airline Operations, Amadeus Labs, said, “As India’s travel sector evolves in 2024, we remain committed to support and provide solutions to airlines, airports, and travel agencies to automate processes like check-in and baggage handling for airlines and airports, while enhancing passenger experience; leverage AI (Artificial Intelligence) to refine search technology; explore innovative solutions like integrated payment gateways and digital wallets; support airlines in adopting the New Distribution Capability (NDC) standard for personalised offerings through travel agencies; provide tools and technology to help airlines, hotels, and travel agencies track and reduce their carbon footprint. By focusing on these areas, we aim to be a valuable partner in the Indian travel ecosystem, contributing to a more efficient, personalised, and secure travel experience for passengers while driving the industry’s growth.”

Year gone by

Plappara said that Amadeus witnessed significant growth in the Indian market in 2023. “We further grew our team and product offerings. We partnered with Paytm to integrate our travel platform into their systems, providing a smoother booking experience with AI. Our partnership with Air India expanded to include local domestic content and NDC distribution capabilities, to offer greater flexibility and retailing options. To empower travel sellers, we partnered with Akbar Travels, allowing them to access over 600,000 hotels and content from over 400 airlines through the Amadeus Travel Platform,” she elaborated.

Vision-Box

Sharing details on the recent acquisition of Vision-Box and Amadeus biometric solutions for airports and airlines, she commented, “The acquisition of Vision-Box is an important step towards achieving biometrics interoperability between airports, airlines, and border control authorities. Amadeus biometric solutions are built on a single, cloud-based platform, which can seamlessly integrate with existing systems. This enables instant deployment at airports, connecting them to airline DCSs (Departure Control Systems), third-party identity managers, and all passenger servicing points from enrolment to check-in, bag drop, security, lounge access, and boarding. We firmly believe that biometrics will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of travel, and this strategic move will further help Amadeus with new capabilities for biometric hardware and software, including border control solutions, ensuring a comprehensive end-to-end passenger experience.”

Air India content

Amadeus has been working closely with Air India to support its growth and deliver a seamless and convenient travel experience for its passengers. “In 2022, Air India embraced the complete Amadeus Altéa Passenger Service System Suite (PSS) to enhance its customer interfaces. Building on existing agreement for international content, Amadeus now offers both domestic and international Air India content through the Amadeus Travel Platform,” she shared.

NDC in India

Stressing that Amadeus is dedicated to supporting airline innovation and modernising travel retailing in India through NDC to help travel sellers and corporations’ shop, buy and service airline travel offers, Plappara said, “Widespread NDC adoption requires strong infrastructure and collaboration between airlines and travel agencies. However, India’s rapidly growing air travel market and tech-savvy consumers offer immense potential for NDC adoption. Our cloud-based booking platform, Amadeus Selling Platform Connect (SECO) allows travel sellers to leverage NDC connectivity to seamlessly shop and compare, order, pay, and service airline offers.”