American Airlines is continuing our commitment to deliver modernized retailing experiences to travel retailers and corporate customers utilizing New Distribution Capability (NDC) technology. Starting on April 3, 2023, we’ll begin to offer our best available third-party public channel content only through NDC connections.

Since our announcement last year, there have been a number of opinions on both the substance and timing of our move to modern retailing. Regrettably, much of it has not been based on fact, but on a desire to maintain the status quo, versus advancing capabilities that benefit customers. Travel retailers have asked what this means for them and why now.

The answer is simple. Our focus is on the customer.

Customers deserve information that help them make better buying decisions, regardless of where they shop. With our commitment and action toward modern retailing solutions, American can now serve customers better than ever before and offer access to the best network, provide tailored product offerings and connect them to our premier travel rewards program, AAdvantage^®. There are many contemporary examples where disruption in technology leads to transformative change, experiences and use cases – and it’s hard to imagine our lives now without them.

Here's what you need to know​

• We recently published our new fare basis code convention and starting Tuesday, travel retailers can view the exact fares in the precise markets that will be available only through NDC connections starting on April 3. Travel retailers can continue to view these fares in EDIFACT after April 3 but will need an NDC connection to book and ticket these fares.
• The three major Global Distribution Systems (GDSs) and several travel technology providers will be ready to provide connections to American’s NDC content by April 3. Like any significant technology transition, some providers will offer more servicing features and functionalities in their initial releases than others. The small number of servicing functionalities that won’t be available immediately either don’t affect a significant number of transactions or will become available shortly.
• We expect our travel retailing partners to continue to provide servicing to our customers who transact through indirect channels, as per their existing agreements. We understand there may be some growing pains through the technology transition and we’ll continue to maintain an industry-leading Sales Support team – that is complimentary to access – to further assist travel retailers with issues that may arise. Moving forward, we’re also placing an enhanced focus on building out self-servicing capabilities in all aspects of our business.

The time for modern retailing is now

For the past decade, we have been working with industry partners to implement NDC technology, an advanced technical standard that is widely supported throughout the travel ecosystem. We listened to travel retailers and online booking partners at our 2017 NDC Summit when they asked for NDC connections through GDSs and for time to make the transition. American will be the first U.S. carrier to complete NDC connections to all major GDS partners. Today, we have some of our largest retailing partners and booking tools connected to American’s NDC content, handling significant ticket volumes and powering a modern retailing experience for corporate and leisure customers.

There are many benefits that modern retailing brings to travel retailers and customers, such as increased customer choice, a more efficient booking experience and a greater ability to differentiate content on more than just schedule and price. For example, these benefits include:​

• Centralized access to American's comprehensive seat map, allowing travelers to book and select Preferred and Main Cabin Extra seats at the time of shopping for a more seamless, convenient shopping and booking experience.
• Access to Enhanced offers that are relevant and tailored to the customer. For example, an AAdvantage Executive Platinum^® customer will not receive a Main Plus fare since they already receive the benefits offered as part of the Main Plus fare package, whereas a non-AAdvantage^® customer would be offered Main Plus.
• Automated support and notification for involuntary schedule changes, work that has previously required manual processes for travel retailers.

Businesses that are proactive in adopting best-in-class technology benefit from those investments. And more importantly, so does the customer. The customer is at the center of what we’re doing, and this type of change is needed to drive forward better customer experiences even where significant investment is necessary.

There are many more facts on NDC.aa.com. So please take the time to familiarize yourself with this information. We’ll continuously update this site.

It’s been nearly 40 years since the launch of EDIFACT and it’s time to provide all travelers a retailing experience befitting the 21st century. We keep hearing this work is complicated and it just needs more time. We agree it’s complicated, but we’ve proven it can be done and there are partners ready now and resourced.

All of the steps we’ve taken and will take are about laying a foundation for a future we all know we must move toward. We have no doubt we’ll learn many things along the way, and we’ll adapt accordingly. We are excited to partner with many forward-thinking organizations to make this a reality and remain keen to have others join us on the leading edge. The future is now and American is proud to lead.