It is probably fair to say that the first instinct for anyone when facing a choice between similar alternatives, is to go with the lower price. But data told us that the customers are willing to pay extra for a better experience. The travellers have never been more connected, empowered and informed as they are today. And it’s not only their behaviour that is changing, but also their priorities when it comes to aspirations and loyalty. And once you add up the evolving shifts in technology, you understand even better why distribution is on the verge of extraordinary change.

It is quite challenging for travel brands to deliver value and differentiate. Staying focused only on price and having a purely transactional relationship with the customers is not going to cut it on the long run. To succeed, agencies need to first make sure they have the right technology in place, so they can afford the freedom to allocate resources to understand what matters to their customers and engineer an experience architecture around it.

After 16 years of working closely with travel professionals, we know the challenges they are facing, and we are working relentlessly together with our partners to deploy the relevant technological upgrades.

As a direct consequence of embracing the NDC standard, in 2018 we have released an important update to our travel booking engine, IRIX. By accessing the branded fares/ fare families and ancillaries available in the system along with corporate codes and negotiated fares, travel agencies can go beyond basic air fare rules and deliver the ultimate booking experience to their customers.

This upgrade works in perfect symbiosis with other main attributes to emphasise the value of IRIX:

• The largest travel services suppliers integrated
• Quick offering process – the content can be accessed via XML, in only 2 seconds
• Multiple selling channels available: B2B/ resellers, Corporate accounts, B2C, white label
• Multiple search options: by map/ city/ address/ POI
• Attractive & intuitive user interface
• Mobile friendly
• A proven track record - the system is used by major travel agencies worldwide

And we won’t stop here. We will carefully continue to deploy new technology, so we can influence and help travel agencies evolve and differentiate in the competitive travel landscape.