NDC that shows you the money

Travel retailing has promised agents and airlines a revolution through NDC: richer content, personalised offers, higher revenues. The reality for many has been complexity, cost, and disappointment. In this session, Damian Hickey, Global Head of Travel Partners at Travelport, cuts through the noise to examine why NDC investment has so often failed to deliver measurable returns, and what it actually takes to make it profitable.

Drawing on Travelport's experience connecting airlines and agencies at scale, Damian sets out a clear framework for turning NDC from a technology project into a commercial advantage: identifying where value leaks out of the distribution chain, defining the conditions for a genuine breakthrough, and applying a profit formula that delivers for agencies, airlines, and travellers alike.

The session concludes with a direct challenge to the industry: achieving this requires not just smarter technology, but the courage to change entrenched commercial models.