CTM “goes live” with Qantas Distribution Platform

27 November, 2018

Corporate Travel Management (CTM) announced as the first Travel Management Company to enable a selection of its corporate customers to access live content from a new technology platform launched by Qantas.

Launched in May-2018, the Qantas Distribution Platform (QDP) utilises the International Air Transport Association's (IATA) New Distribution Capability (NDC), to enhance the airline's retailing, booking and servicing capabilities.

Qantas is making "a very big investment" in NDC and is 100% confident it can meet a target of pushing 20% of its third-party (agent) transactions via NDC by the end of 2020, according to its senior manager distribution operations, Nathan Smeulders.

"We are very committed to our 20% target by 2020", Mr Smeulders said at the Travelport Live conference in Jul-2018. "In fact, we would love to exceed that target." For Qantas, Mr Smeulders explained that NDC gives the airline the ability to control its offering and create an appropriate offering to potential customers, including more fare options and products.

Agents should benefit as they will have a more comprehensive offering than what they currently are able to provide. "This is actually quite game changing…. It is very exciting when you think about the sort of things an airline can provide back to the agent as part of an offer", Mr Smeulders said.

The QDP will enable select users of CTM's proprietary online booking tool, Lightning, to access enhanced Qantas content seamlessly integrated into the Lightning fare display.

CTM Global Chief Operating Officer Laura Ruffles said: "We are delighted to be an early adopter of the QDP, which enhances Qantas' service offering across a range of channel. CTM is committed to ensuring our customers have seamless access to the best travel content and a rich user experience through our technology, including Lightning. This partnership with Qantas is allowing our flexible technology to interact with the QDP and provide options to our customers that haven't been possible in the past."

"We are excited to be partnering with Qantas to produce great technology and efficient processes that will best service our customers' needs across the globe," Laura Ruffles said. The QDP enables CTM to present travellers with options that are tailored to their preferences, including reward and recognition of Qantas frequent flyers, and ensures customers are always presented with the richest airline content available.

Both Qantas and CTM are represented at this year's CAPA-ACTE Global Summit & Corporate Lodging Forum in Sydney on 3 & 4-Dec-2018. Hear from Qantas Chief Customer Officer Vanessa Hudson who will deliver an important keynote to close Day 1, while CTM General Manager NSW Glenn Wilcox will form part of an exciting roundtable discussing "The future of corporate travel, the evolving role of the TMC and the impact of NDC".