While large travel management companies (TMCs) are seeing the value of adopting Qantas’ new distribution model, many independents and smaller players have called the Jul rollout “premature and costly”, with some electing to keep more complex bookings on GDS.
The observation was made in a blog post penned by Country Manager, ANZ, Derek Sadubin, who also stated that smaller TMCs are struggling with major inefficiencies, failed bookings, tech gaps, & more manual work.
Common problems encountered so far include limited servicing, mixed system compatibility, content visibility issues, and longer Qantas support wait times.
One anonymous TMC told Sadubin they are “getting pretty frustrated” by agencies “pretending that everything is perfect and they are 100% NDC”.
The story is very different for larger companies however, with that business cohort reporting strong NDC adoption rates, as well as savings of between 8-17% for their customers.
Businesses like Corporate Travel Management and Flight Centre Travel Group’s corporate brands indicated that Qantas NDC adoption has led to solid savings and efficiencies for clients.
However, Flight Centre’s Corporate Global COO and MD ANZ Melissa Elf said there are still some wrinkles to iron out.
These include difficulties with changing itineraries, managing credits, adding ancillaries, and growing Qantas call centre wait times for 20% of bookings.
“Our teams and NDC ninjas are actively engaged and working collaboratively with the likes of Qantas and Sabre to find solutions, and we expect this to resolve quickly,” Elf said.
