What it means in practice
New Distribution Capability, or NDC, is an XML-based messaging standard published by IATA that lets airlines send rich, personalised offers, including fares plus ancillaries such as seats and bags, directly to agencies and OTAs. It was designed to move beyond the limits of legacy GDS content, where offers were often reduced to a basic fare and schedule.
With NDC, an airline controls how an offer is built and presented rather than relying solely on intermediary formatting, so a travel seller can show branded fares, bundles, and merchandising that the older pipes could not carry. Sellers usually identify themselves with an IATA number when transacting, and airlines may connect NDC alongside a central reservation system and a channel manager within the wider distribution stack.
A travel brand running its own affiliate program gains cleaner offer and booking data through NDC connections, which helps it credit the partner or channel behind each sale and report revenue accurately.
How Track360 handles this
Track360 integrates with the distribution and booking layer so an airline or travel seller using NDC can attribute partner and channel-driven bookings correctly and measure affiliate revenue per channel against confirmed offers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about new distribution capability (ndc), how it works in affiliate programs, and where it shows up across Track360's supported verticals.
New Distribution Capability is an IATA XML-based data standard that lets airlines distribute rich, personalised offers, including fares and ancillaries such as seats and bags, directly to agencies and OTAs beyond the limits of legacy GDS content.
Related Terms
GDS (Global Distribution System)
A GDS, or global distribution system, is a network that distributes live travel inventory and pricing from suppliers to agencies and OTAs.
Central Reservation System (CRS)
A central reservation system is the hotel system that stores and distributes rates and availability across all booking channels.
IATA Number
An IATA number is a unique accreditation code that identifies a travel agency to airlines and suppliers, letting it book inventory and earn commission.
Channel Manager
A channel manager is software that syncs a property rates and availability across every booking channel, such as OTAs, the GDS, and the direct site.
Travel Metasearch
Travel metasearch is a model where a site compares prices across OTAs and suppliers, then refers the traveller to a third party to complete the booking.
OTA (Online Travel Agency)
An OTA, or online travel agency, is a website that sells hotel, flight, tour, and car-rental inventory from many suppliers inside a single booking flow.
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