NDC API Integration: A Step-by-Step Guide

Avatar photo Tripgic Team,

NDC API integration lets your platform sell rich airline content. This includes seats, bags, meals, and bundles. As a result, you show offers that a basic feed cannot. This guide explains NDC API integration in plain English.

First, you will learn what NDC is. Then, you will see how the integration works. Finally, you will get a step-by-step path to connect it.

What Is NDC?

NDC means New Distribution Capability. It is a data standard from IATA. It lets airlines send rich, branded offers straight to sellers.

For a full primer, read our guide on what NDC is and how it works. You can also see the standard on the official IATA NDC page.

Why NDC API Integration Matters

Old channels show plain fares only. NDC shows much more. Therefore, your travelers see better choices.

  • Rich offers with seats, bags, and meals.
  • Personalized prices for each traveler.
  • Direct content from the airline.
  • New revenue from ancillary sales.

As a result, NDC API integration can lift both choice and revenue. Moreover, it future-proofs your platform.

Plain fare card versus a rich NDC offer card with seat, bag, meal, and bundle

How NDC API Integration Works

  1. A traveler searches on your platform.
  2. Your system sends an NDC request to the airline.
  3. The airline builds a rich, branded offer.
  4. The offer returns with full details and price.
  5. The traveler books, and the airline confirms.

The flow looks simple. However, the data behind it is complex. Each airline can shape its offers in its own way.

NDC integration flow: search, NDC request, airline builds offer, rich offer returns, book

What You Need Before NDC API Integration

You need a few things in place first. So check this list before you start.

  • A clear list of airlines you want to sell.
  • A way to handle many offer formats.
  • A booking and payment flow that fits NDC.
  • A test sandbox for each connection.

Step-by-Step NDC API Integration

  1. Pick your target airlines or an aggregator.
  2. Get sandbox keys and read the docs.
  3. Build the search and offer requests.
  4. Map each offer into one clean format.
  5. Test booking, payment, and ticketing.
  6. Go live and watch error rates closely.

Direct links to each airline take time. In contrast, one aggregator gives you many NDC connections at once.

NDC API Integration: Direct or Aggregator?

Direct integration gives full control. However, it needs a large team and long timelines. An aggregator is faster and easier.

To weigh both paths, read our guide on travel API vs GDS. It also helps to review how to choose a travel API provider.

NDC API Integration FAQ

What is NDC API integration?

NDC API integration connects your platform to airline NDC content. It lets you sell rich offers like seats, bags, meals, and bundles.

Is NDC hard to integrate?

Direct NDC links are complex because each airline shapes offers differently. An aggregator hides this complexity behind one clean API.

Should I use NDC directly or through an aggregator?

Direct gives full control but needs a large team. An aggregator is faster and connects many airlines at once, so most teams choose it.

How long does NDC API integration take?

A single direct airline link can take months. Through an aggregator, you can reach many NDC airlines in weeks.

Final Thoughts

NDC API integration unlocks rich airline content and new revenue. The flow is simple, but the data is hard. Therefore, many teams choose an aggregator to move faster.

Tripgic gives you NDC and more through one travel API. You connect once and reach many airlines. Talk to our team to start your NDC API integration.

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