HOW DOES NDC FAIL YOU? AND WHAT WOULD FIX IT?

After over a decade of industry conversations around New Distribution Capability (NDC), many Travel Buyers are still facing real-world challenges when it comes to adoption, usability, and trust.

This short survey is designed to move beyond theory and uncover where NDC is not working in practice — across booking, servicing, comparison, and commercial value.

Your input will directly shape the content of an upcoming industry webinar on 21 May, focused on addressing these gaps — with the goal of delivering clear, practical answers to the questions that still remain.

The survey will take 4–6 minutes to complete. All responses are anonymous, and we welcome input from all Travel Buyer perspectives — whether you are actively using NDC, or less so.

Question Title

1. How would you best describe NDC? (Required.)

A new booking channel that replaces the GDS

A technology standard that enables richer airline content

A way to access cheaper airfares

A direct connection to airlines

I'm not sure

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2. Do you believe NDC will replace traditional GDS systems? (Required.)

Yes, completely

Partially

I don’t know

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3. How confident are you in your understanding of NDC? (Required.)

Not confident at all

Neutral

Very confident

Clear

i We adjusted the number you entered based on the slider’s scale.

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4. Have you booked or managed NDC content in the past 12 months? (Required.)

Yes, frequently

Yes, occasionally

Not knowingly

I'm not sure

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5. How would you rate your overall experience with NDC bookings? (Required.)

Very positive

Somewhat positive

Neutral

Somewhat negative

Very negative

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6. What challenges have you experienced with NDC? (Select all that apply) (Required.)

Difficulty comparing fares

Lack of transparency in pricing

Inconsistent content between airlines

Issues with changes/refunds

Limited reporting or data visibility

Booking process is more complex

Traveller experience issues

N/A - I've had no major challenges

Other (please specify)

Question Title

7. Where does NDC most disrupt your current travel process? (Select all that apply) (Required.)

Booking process

Approval workflows

Policy compliance

Reporting

Duty of care

Servicing (changes/cancellations)

Reconciliation / finance

N/A - It doesn’t disrupt our process

I'm not sure

Other (please specify)

Question Title

8. Do you believe NDC delivers better pricing or value? (Required.)

Yes, consistently

Sometimes

Rarely

I'm not sure

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9. What are your biggest commercial concerns with NDC? (Select all that apply) (Required.)

Hidden or unclear costs

Loss of negotiated fares

Reduced incentives/rebates

Increased servicing fees

Difficulty tracking total spend

Lack of cost transparency

N/A - I have no concerns

I'm not sure

Other (please specify)

Question Title

10. How confident are you that you can compare NDC vs non-NDC content fairly? (Required.)

Very confident

Somewhat confident

Neutral

Not very confident

Not confident at all

Question Title

11. What makes comparing fares difficult? (Select all that apply) (Required.)

Different fare structures (bundled vs unbundled)

Ancillaries not clearly included

Fare rules are unclear

Content not displayed in one place

Too many options/overload

Inconsistent airline offerings

N/A - It is not difficult

Other (please specify)

Question Title

12. How consistent is your NDC experience across airlines? (Required.)

Very consistent

Somewhat consistent

Inconsistent

Very inconsistent

I'm not sure

Question Title

13. In your opinion, who is currently best to least equipped to manage NDC effectively? (Required.)

	Best Equipped	Equipped	Less Equipped
Airlines	Airlines Best Equipped	Airlines Equipped	Airlines Less Equipped
TMCs	TMCs Best Equipped	TMCs Equipped	TMCs Less Equipped
Technology providers	Technology providers Best Equipped	Technology providers Equipped	Technology providers Less Equipped
Corporates themselves	Corporates themselves Best Equipped	Corporates themselves Equipped	Corporates themselves Less Equipped
No one yet	No one yet Best Equipped	No one yet Equipped	No one yet Less Equipped
I'm not sure	I'm not sure Best Equipped	I'm not sure Equipped	I'm not sure Less Equipped

Question Title

14. What is stopping you from fully adopting NDC? (Select all that apply) (Required.)

Lack of understanding

Poor user experience

Servicing concerns

Lack of trust in pricing

Internal resistance

Technology limitations

Policy/compliance concerns

Waiting for industry maturity

N/A - Nothing, we are fully adopting

Other (please specify)

Question Title

15. What would give you confidence to adopt NDC more fully? (Select all that apply) (Required.)

Better education/training

Clearer commercial benefits

Improved servicing capabilities

Better comparison tools

Standardisation across airlines

Stronger TMC support

Proven case studies

N/A - Nothing, we are fully adopting

Other (please specify)

Question Title

16. How effectively does your Travel Management Company (TMC) and its technology support your ability to navigate and use NDC content? (Required.)

Very effectively - seamless experience

Mostly effectively - minor challenges

Adequately - but noticeable gaps

Poorly - significant challenges

Very poorly - creates more complexity

I'm not sure

Question Title

17. Where does your TMC or its technology fall short in supporting NDC? (Select all that apply) (Required.)

Limited access to NDC content

Poor comparison between NDC and non-NDC options

Booking process is not intuitive

Servicing (changes/refunds) is difficult

Lack of visibility/reporting

Inconsistent experience across airlines

Insufficient guidance or support from the TMC

N/A - We have no major gaps with our TMC

I'm not sure

Other (please specify)

Question Title

18. During recent travel disruptions (e.g. geopolitical events, airspace closures, or regional crises), how effectively did NDC-supported bookings perform compared to traditional bookings? (Required.)

Significantly better than traditional bookings

Slightly better

About the same

Slightly worse

Significantly worse

I'm not sure / did not experience this

Question Title

19. What challenges, if any, did you experience with NDC during disruption periods? (Select all that apply) (Required.)

Difficulty making changes or rebookings

Delays in receiving updates or notifications

Limited visibility of alternative options

Inconsistent support from suppliers

Lack of integration with duty of care systems

Traveller tracking challenges

Increased manual intervention required

N/A - No noticeable issues

I did not use NDC during disruptions

Other (please specify)

HOW DOES NDC FAIL YOU? AND WHAT WOULD FIX IT?

Question Title

* 1. How would you best describe NDC? (Required.)

Question Title

* 2. Do you believe NDC will replace traditional GDS systems? (Required.)

Question Title

* 3. How confident are you in your understanding of NDC? (Required.)

Question Title

* 4. Have you booked or managed NDC content in the past 12 months? (Required.)

Question Title

* 5. How would you rate your overall experience with NDC bookings? (Required.)

Question Title

* 6. What challenges have you experienced with NDC? (Select all that apply) (Required.)

Question Title

* 7. Where does NDC most disrupt your current travel process? (Select all that apply) (Required.)

Question Title

* 8. Do you believe NDC delivers better pricing or value? (Required.)

Question Title

* 9. What are your biggest commercial concerns with NDC? (Select all that apply) (Required.)

Question Title

* 10. How confident are you that you can compare NDC vs non-NDC content fairly? (Required.)

Question Title

* 11. What makes comparing fares difficult? (Select all that apply) (Required.)

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* 12. How consistent is your NDC experience across airlines? (Required.)

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* 13. In your opinion, who is currently best to least equipped to manage NDC effectively? (Required.)

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* 14. What is stopping you from fully adopting NDC? (Select all that apply) (Required.)

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* 15. What would give you confidence to adopt NDC more fully? (Select all that apply) (Required.)

Question Title

* 16. How effectively does your Travel Management Company (TMC) and its technology support your ability to navigate and use NDC content? (Required.)

Question Title

* 17. Where does your TMC or its technology fall short in supporting NDC? (Select all that apply) (Required.)

Question Title

* 18. During recent travel disruptions (e.g. geopolitical events, airspace closures, or regional crises), how effectively did NDC-supported bookings perform compared to traditional bookings? (Required.)

Question Title

* 19. What challenges, if any, did you experience with NDC during disruption periods? (Select all that apply) (Required.)

Question Title

* 20. What is the ONE thing you would want explained clearly at an NDC-focused event, or do you have anything else to add?

1. How would you best describe NDC? (Required.)

2. Do you believe NDC will replace traditional GDS systems? (Required.)

3. How confident are you in your understanding of NDC? (Required.)

4. Have you booked or managed NDC content in the past 12 months? (Required.)

5. How would you rate your overall experience with NDC bookings? (Required.)

6. What challenges have you experienced with NDC? (Select all that apply) (Required.)

7. Where does NDC most disrupt your current travel process? (Select all that apply) (Required.)

8. Do you believe NDC delivers better pricing or value? (Required.)

9. What are your biggest commercial concerns with NDC? (Select all that apply) (Required.)

10. How confident are you that you can compare NDC vs non-NDC content fairly? (Required.)

11. What makes comparing fares difficult? (Select all that apply) (Required.)

12. How consistent is your NDC experience across airlines? (Required.)

13. In your opinion, who is currently best to least equipped to manage NDC effectively? (Required.)

14. What is stopping you from fully adopting NDC? (Select all that apply) (Required.)

15. What would give you confidence to adopt NDC more fully? (Select all that apply) (Required.)

16. How effectively does your Travel Management Company (TMC) and its technology support your ability to navigate and use NDC content? (Required.)

17. Where does your TMC or its technology fall short in supporting NDC? (Select all that apply) (Required.)

18. During recent travel disruptions (e.g. geopolitical events, airspace closures, or regional crises), how effectively did NDC-supported bookings perform compared to traditional bookings? (Required.)

19. What challenges, if any, did you experience with NDC during disruption periods? (Select all that apply) (Required.)

20. What is the ONE thing you would want explained clearly at an NDC-focused event, or do you have anything else to add?