Travelport and Emirates Reach New NDC Distribution Agreement

Travelport on Thursday announced that it has reached a new agreement with Emirates that will allow its travel advisor users to avoid GDS surcharges when booking the carrier.

The “long-term” deal will also see Emirates keep its NDC content in Travelport and Travelport+.

All Travelport users will be automatically upgraded to a “dedicated channel” that will allow them to access content without the surcharge. Travelport-connected agencies will also be able to access Emirates’ NDC content and services via Travelport Smartpoint and the RESTful / JSON APIs once they sign their user agreements with both companies.

“We are pleased to have reached key agreements with Travelport that take our decades-long partnership to the next level. Supported by the recent launch of Travelport+, these new deals will further cement Emirates as the airline of choice for travelers that want highly personalized offers and access to the world’s best destinations,” Emirates CCO Adnan Kazim said in the announcement.

The agreement is the latest content agreement for Travelport, which also earlier this year extended its relationship with American Airlines. That agreement included American’s new codeshare and extended services relationship with Alaska Airlines and JetBlue Airways. 

Travelport, also earlier this year, revealed its first-ever rebrand. The rebrand, which was the company’s first-ever end-to-end rebrand, includes new logos, a refreshed website, and a strengthened commitment to its customers.