In today’s dynamic travel marketplace, airlines face the dual challenge of delivering personalized retail experiences while maximizing revenue. The post-COVID era has seen both – overall travel growth and a significant increase in NDC offers and bookings. To meet these demands, airlines need distribution solutions that provide granular control of the offer, as well as agility, flexibility, and real-time responsiveness.
Astra NDC API Gateway has been designed to meet these challenges head-on—empowering airlines to regain control of their distribution, connect with travel sellers effortlessly, and obtain personalized offers effectively. As one of the industry’s first NDC Gateway providers, TPC has recently completed significant modernization of our platform to streamline API integration and connectivity while offering advanced Look-to-Book (L2B) controls and the scalability that airlines need today.
Why Your Airline Needs an Independent NDC API Gateway
Airlines today face mounting pressures: the demand for differentiated pricing, personalized bundles, and seamless omni-channel experiences – all while volumes increase and Look-to-Book ratios reach record highs. The challenges include:
- Fragmented content delivery: Limited ability to showcase full your product offerings
- Dependency on third-party systems: Loss of control over who receives your offers
- Restricted ancillary sales opportunities: Missed revenue potential from upselling
As an airline, you need direct control over who gets your offers and the ability to differentiate content for different channels. The API gateway is your access and control point – a mission-critical component for modern airline retailing.
Core Capabilities of the Astra NDC API Gateway
1. Prime Booking & Ancillary Integration
Astra streamlines booking workflows to maximize your revenue opportunities, with non-air integration coming soon.
- Seat Selection & Baggage Add-Ons: Enable passengers to select seats and purchase baggage during booking (e.g., priority seating or additional luggage)
- Real-Time Ancillary Offers: Integrate seat upgrades, Wi-Fi or travel insurance into the booking flow to boost ancillary attachment rates
2. Rich Media Content for Enhanced Retailing
Showcase your complete product range through high quality images and video, with granular control that replicates direct-channel retail sophistication across all distribution partners. While this component is part of our Astra OOSD Rich Content Module, it is enabled via the NDC API Gateway.
3. End-to-End Servicing & Post-Booking Upsell
Enhance post-booking experiences with:
- Post-Booking Ancillary Sales: Allow passengers to add services like baggage or Wi-Fi after booking
- Self-Service Tools for Agencies: Empower agencies to independently manage refunds, modifications, and order statuses via intuitive APIs – reducing your workload
- Detailed Terms & Conditions: Embed granular details in terms and conditions to avoid disputes and build trust
Why Your Airline Will Benefit From Astra NDC API Gateway
1. Complete API Gateway Control
Own and operate your distribution gateway—you decide exactly what content TMCs and agencies can access. Control which partners receive your offers and which ancillaries they can sell, giving you greater command over your distribution strategy.
In today’s increasingly modular landscape, Astra delivers true commercial independence from both your PSS vendor and distribution channels. No more restrictions on how your content is distributed or who can retail it. Break free from technology lock-ins while maintaining complete ownership of your customer relationships across every touchpoint. Your offers, your rules, your customers—exactly as modern airline retailing should be.
2. Rich Content Distribution
Deliver high-quality, branded content across all channels with consistency and precision. Showcase your complete product range with images, videos, detailed descriptions, and airline-specific branding that stands out in the marketplace.
3. Advanced Look-to-Book Management
Gain visibility and control through comprehensive Look-to-Book reporting and intelligent caching. Optimize distribution costs while maintaining performance through smart traffic management—especially critical as NDC volumes continue to grow.
4. Speed to Market
Astra’s plug-and-play architecture enables rapid implementation in just 10 weeks – accelerating your go-to-market timelines for new offers and capabilities.
5. Distribution Cost Reduction
Move beyond legacy systems to lower your distribution costs with Astra’s modular architecture, optimizing operations without relying on monolithic solutions. You can calculate the distribution cost comparison between traditional and NDC channels, helping you quantify the savings potential. Leading airlines have already shifted over 50% of their bookings to NDC.
6. Ease of Integration
Simplify travel seller onboarding with Astra’s user-friendly API, ensuring seamless connections through robust NDC API (XML or JSON) for real-time booking and servicing. Our extensive experience connecting to multiple PSS’ means your implementation proceeds smoothly regardless of your current PSS supplier.
7. Proven Scalability
With AWS cloud infrastructure, Astra handles high Look-to-Book ratios with real-time responsiveness – ensuring smooth operations even during peak demand periods.
8. IATA ARMi Certified Expertise
As a strategic IATA partner with ARMi certification, TPConnects ensures your full compliance with evolving NDC standards, reducing risks associated with regulatory changes.
Strategic Advantages For Your Airline
- Ancillary Sales Growth: Direct integration of ancillary services increases attachment rates
- Pricing Differentiation: Adjust fares in real-time based on demand surges or competitor actions – ensuring competitive pricing at all times
- Accelerated Time to Market: Rapid implementation allows you to realize benefits faster
- Distribution Cost Reduction: Transitioning to NDC APIs from legacy systems can reduce costs significantly
- Centralized Control: Manage offers, business rules, and channel permissions from one dashboard
- Simplified access via user-friendly APIs
- Real-time accuracy in content delivery
- Tools for personalized offers tailored to specific traveler segments
Embracing the Future: NDC Version 21.3 & Beyond
Astra is committed to supporting your airline with the most advanced NDC capabilities. Our upcoming product roll out includes:
1. Evolution
NDC Version 21.3 Implementation will provide enhanced compliance, better pricing support, and improved upsell capabilities. And beyond 21.3, we are already working on NDC 24.
2. Enhancement
Our Rich Media Content Manager will enable you to upload high-quality images and videos for improved traveler engagement, while Non-Air Content Integration will help diversify revenue streams with services like travel insurance or eVisas.
3. Innovation
Upcoming Look-to-Book optimization capabilities will help you control performance and costs through an advanced dashboard with customizable controls and a flexible pricing model.
Looking ahead, Astra’s roadmap includes transitioning to Offer-Order-Settle-Deliver (OOSD) – future-proofing your retail strategy. Read more about our OOSD journey here.
Conclusion: The Astra Advantage
The Astra NDC API Gateway isn’t just a technology upgrade – it’s a strategic enabler for your airline’s transition into dynamic retailing. With tools that empower agility, personalization, and cost efficiency, Astra positions your airline as a leader.
Ready to transform your retailing strategy? Schedule a consultation with our experts today to discover how Astra can help your airline reduce costs, unlock new revenue streams, and deliver exceptional passenger experiences.
