In this blog, we’ll take a deep dive into how OpenNDC works behind the scenes, empowering smarter airline connectivity through full NDC integration. You’ll learn what is OpenNDC, the infrastructure it relies on, and how OpenNDC identifies key market challenges and solves them with precision.
What is OpenNDC?
OpenNDC is a next-generation airline distribution platform that transforms the way airlines construct, distribute, and manage offers. OpenNDC is natively developed on New Distribution Capability (NDC) standards, providing airlines with the flexibility, control, and intelligence they need for today's retailing.
Unlike being just a bridge to NDC, OpenNDC is an end-to-end solution — offering a complete set of functionalities like real-time offer construction, dynamic pricing, rich content presentation, order management, and post-booking services.
Understanding the Role of NDC in Contemporary Airline Distribution
Prior to an explanation of OpenNDC's inner functioning, it is necessary to know the reason for NDC. IATA launched New Distribution Capability to allow airlines to distribute their complete product offerings more effectively and precisely across sales mediums.
NDC allows airlines to:
Construct dynamic offers with contextual pricing
Provide rich content such as seat maps, branded fares, and ancillary services
Improve direct connectivity between airlines and sellers
Transition towards retail-style merchandising, instead of static fare distribution
OpenNND is the answer that places all of this into action in a scalable, efficient, and copyright-friendly way.
How OpenNDC Works Behind the Scenes
OpenNND isn't a black box — it's an API-based, modular platform that handles every aspect of airline distribution with flexibility and precision. Here's what goes on behind the scenes:
1. Unified API Gateway
At the heart of OpenNDC lies its robust API gateway. This endpoint is one point of contact for several systems and partners to talk to airline content. Regardless if it's talking to websites, mobile apps, or corporate travel systems, OpenNDC offers repeatable output and real-time communication.
Talks to internal airline systems: PSS, revenue management, loyalty
Talks to external platforms for smooth distribution
Handles versioned APIs to ensure compatibility and scalability guarantee
2. Dynamic Offer Creation Engine
The offer engine is where OpenNDC truly excels. Instead of employing static fares, the platform generates customized offers in real-time, based on rules defined by the airline. They are:
Fare packages by route, traveler type, or booking behavior
Add-ons like seat choice, meals, and baggage
Rule-based promotions and seasonal fare logic
What results is a customized, profitable shopping experience for each customer.
3. Content Enrichment and Brand Control
Perhaps the greatest challenge for airlines is not being in control of the presentation of their products. OpenNDC does the opposite by enabling:
Visual branding (logos, images, fare highlights)
Detailed service descriptions (seat legroom, meals, availability of Wi-Fi)
Consistent presentation on all connected channels
This enhances transparency and customer confidence, which has a direct effect on conversion.
4. Order and Fulfillment Management
When a customer accepts the offer, OpenNDC manages the full order life cycle — payment and booking to servicing and cancellation — in one fluid sequence.
Issues tickets and stores orders according to NDC Order Management specifications
Processes post-sale services, changes, and refunds
Remains compliant with airline policies and inventory systems
Everything is traced and updated in real-time, reducing operational friction.
- Reporting and Analytics Layer
With built-in dashboards and data streams, OpenNDC enables airlines to examine performance at every point. From offer acceptance to ancillary selling and conversion, decision-makers are provided with insights to refine strategy and improve profitability.
How OpenNDC Identifies the Most Critical Market Challenges
One of the most significant strengths of OpenNDC is that it is customizable to accommodate market-specific issues. Let's look at how OpenNDC identifies and solves the most important pain points in airline distribution:
Challenge 1: Disjointed Connectivity
Problem: Airlines are faced with siloed systems that fail to communicate well with each other.
OpenNDC Solution: On an aligned API structure, there is potential for effortless inter-operability across PSS, pricing engines, and third-party sales platforms — eliminating inefficiencies and reducing tech debt.
Challenge 2: Limited Offer Personalization
Problem: One-size-fits-all price offers from legacy systems lead to lost revenue opportunities.
OpenNDC Solution: Data-driven, real-time personalization provides targeted offers, maximizing upsell potential and customer joy.
Challenge 3: Inflexible Ancillary Sales
Challenge: Airlines are unable to market or package add-ons like seats, meals, or baggage effectively.
OpenNDC Solution: Modular bundling solutions enable airlines to generate dynamic bundles based on customer preference and historical behavior.
The global airline industry is constantly challenged to modernize, personalize, and simplify how it interacts with travelers. While historical systems have dominated airline distribution for decades, they are more and more inappropriate for today's real-time, data-rich, and personalized retail environments. IATA created its New Distribution Capability (NDC) to bridge this gap — but it's OpenNDC platforms that make it a reality.
In this blog, we’ll take a deep dive into how OpenNDC works behind the scenes, empowering smarter airline connectivity through full NDC integration. You’ll learn what is OpenNDC, the infrastructure it relies on, and how OpenNDC identifies key market challenges and solves them with precision.
What is OpenNDC?
OpenNDC is a next-generation airline distribution platform that transforms the way airlines construct, distribute, and manage offers. OpenNDC is natively developed on New Distribution Capability (NDC) standards, providing airlines with the flexibility, control, and intelligence they need for today's retailing.
Unlike being just a bridge to NDC, OpenNDC is an end-to-end solution — offering a complete set of functionalities like real-time offer construction, dynamic pricing, rich content presentation, order management, and post-booking services.
Understanding the Role of NDC in Contemporary Airline Distribution
Prior to an explanation of OpenNDC's inner functioning, it is necessary to know the reason for NDC. IATA launched New Distribution Capability to allow airlines to distribute their complete product offerings more effectively and precisely across sales mediums.
NDC allows airlines to:
Construct dynamic offers with contextual pricing
Provide rich content such as seat maps, branded fares, and ancillary services
Improve direct connectivity between airlines and sellers
Transition towards retail-style merchandising, instead of static fare distribution
OpenNND is the answer that places all of this into action in a scalable, efficient, and copyright-friendly way.
How OpenNDC Works Behind the Scenes
OpenNDC isn't a black box — it's an API-based, modular platform that handles every aspect of airline distribution with flexibility and precision. Here's what goes on behind the scenes:
1. Unified API Gateway
At the heart of OpenNDC lies its robust API gateway. This endpoint is one point of contact for several systems and partners to talk to airline content. Regardless if it's talking to websites, mobile apps, or corporate travel systems, OpenNDC offers repeatable output and real-time communication.
Talks to internal airline systems: PSS, revenue management, loyalty
Talks to external platforms for smooth distribution
Handles versioned APIs to ensure compatibility and scalability guarantee
2. Dynamic Offer Creation Engine
The offer engine is where OpenNDC truly excels. Instead of employing static fares, the platform generates customized offers in real-time, based on rules defined by the airline. They are:
Fare packages by route, traveler type, or booking behavior
Add-ons like seat choice, meals, and baggage
Rule-based promotions and seasonal fare logic
What results is a customized, profitable shopping experience for each customer.
3. Content Enrichment and Brand Control
Perhaps the greatest challenge for airlines is not being in control of the presentation of their products. OpenNDC does the opposite by enabling:
Visual branding (logos, images, fare highlights)
Detailed service descriptions (seat legroom, meals, availability of Wi-Fi)
Consistent presentation on all connected channels
This enhances transparency and customer confidence, which has a direct effect on conversion.
4. Order and Fulfillment Management
When a customer accepts the offer, OpenNDC manages the full order life cycle — payment and booking to servicing and cancellation — in one fluid sequence.
Issues tickets and stores orders according to NDC Order Management specifications
Processes post-sale services, changes, and refunds
Remains compliant with airline policies and inventory systems
Everything is traced and updated in real-time, reducing operational friction.
Reporting and Analytics Layer
With built-in dashboards and data streams, OpenNDC enables airlines to examine performance at every point. From offer acceptance to ancillary selling and conversion, decision-makers are provided with insights to refine strategy and improve profitability.
How OpenNDC Identifies the Most Critical Market Challenges
One of the most significant strengths of OpenNDC is that it is customizable to accommodate market-specific issues. Let's look at how OpenNDC identifies and solves the most important pain points in airline distribution:
Challenge 1: Disjointed Connectivity
Problem: Airlines are faced with siloed systems that fail to communicate well with each other.
OpenNDC Solution: On an aligned API structure, there is potential for effortless inter-operability across PSS, pricing engines, and third-party sales platforms — eliminating inefficiencies and reducing tech debt.
Challenge 2: Limited Offer Personalization
Problem: One-size-fits-all price offers from legacy systems lead to lost revenue opportunities.
OpenNDC Solution: Data-driven, real-time personalization provides targeted offers, maximizing upsell potential and customer joy.
Challenge 3: Inflexible Ancillary Sales
Challenge: Airlines are unable to market or package add-ons like seats, meals, or baggage effectively.
OpenNDC Solution: Modular bundling solutions enable airlines to generate dynamic bundles based on customer preference and historical behavior.
Challenge 4: Brand Visibility Shortfall
Problem: Fare display is often lacking in meaningful content, contributing to airline product commoditization.
OpenNDC Solution: Rich media capabilities and visual branding options ensure products are differentiated, visually stimulating, and value-centric.
Why Choose OpenNDC
Airlines that are looking to future-proof their distribution stack ask themselves: why OpenNDC? The answer is its unmatched combination of flexibility, scalability, and control.
The OpenNDC Advantage: More Than Connectivity
OpenNDC is more than a connector. OpenNDC is a strategic change driver. It helps airlines to:
Speed product to market
Deliver more ancillary revenue
Simplify technical complexity
Respond quicker to market changes Reduce distribution costs without reducing reach
It brings the power of NDC into everyday operation — not only theoretically, but practically and measurably.
Final Thoughts
With the air transportation market moving into the era of digital retailing, connectivity alone is no longer enough. Airlines need smarter distribution, real-time control, and scalable personalization. That's exactly how OpenNDC works behind the scenes — enabling the capacity to be competitive in a changing world.
Whether regional copyright or global airline, OpenNDC offers the basis to transform your distribution strategy — from patchwork legacy systems to cohesive, intelligent retailing powered by NDC.
Problem: Fare display is often lacking in meaningful content, contributing to airline product commoditization.
OpenNDC Solution: Rich media capabilities and visual branding options ensure products are differentiated, visually stimulating, and value-centric.
Why Choose OpenNDC
Airlines that are looking to future-proof their distribution stack ask themselves: why OpenNDC? The answer is its unmatched combination of flexibility, scalability, and control.
The OpenNDC Advantage: More Than Connectivity
OpenNDC is more than a connector. OpenNDC is a strategic change driver. It helps airlines to:
Speed product to market
Deliver more ancillary revenue.
Simplify technical complexity
Respond quicker to market changes
Reduce distribution costs without reducing reach
It brings the power of NDC into everyday operation — not only theoretically, but practically and measurably.
Final Thoughts
With the air transportation market moving into the era of digital retailing, connectivity alone is no longer enough. Airlines need smarter distribution, real-time control, and scalable personalization. That's exactly how OpenNDC works behind the scenes — enabling the capacity to be competitive in a changing world.
Whether regional copyright or global airline, OpenNDC offers the basis to transform your distribution strategy — from patchwork legacy systems to cohesive, intelligent retailing powered by NDC.