In short: the GDS is the long-standing network that aggregates, in a standardised format, fares from hundreds of airlines, hotels and car rental companies, while NDC is an IATA standard that lets each airline sell its full offer directly through an API, with bags, seats and dynamic pricing. For an SME, the real question is not which one to pick, but whether you book with a tool that gives you access to both and compares prices for you.
When you book a business flight, the ticket does not come straight from the airline: it travels through a distribution channel. Two channels coexist today.
The GDS (Global Distribution System) is the traditional channel. Networks such as Amadeus, Sabre and Travelport centralise flights, hotels and cars from hundreds of suppliers and make them available to travel agencies. Full definition in our glossary: GDS.
NDC (New Distribution Capability) is a standard launched by IATA, the International Air Transport Association, whose founding resolution was adopted in 2012. It lets airlines send their full offers through an API, with dynamic pricing and ancillary services. Full definition in our glossary: NDC.
Keep one nuance in mind: the GDS is a network, NDC is a standard. So you are not comparing two products, but two ways of getting an airline offer to your booking tool.
Airlines are pushing NDC: several of them add a surcharge to tickets booked through the GDS or keep certain fares for their NDC channel. As a result, the same flight can be cheaper through NDC. This is not always the case: on some routes, the GDS fare is the same or even lower.
With NDC, checked bags, seat selection and flexibility are bought at the time of booking, in the same transaction. Your travellers no longer pay for these extras separately, and you avoid expense claims piling up afterwards.
This is where NDC needs watching. The IATA standard covers changes, cancellations and refunds, but each airline decides which functions it actually opens up. The GDS relies on processes refined over decades, especially when strikes or flight cancellations hit.
NDC data is more detailed, but each airline structures it its own way. Without a tool to harmonise it, your reporting mixes different formats. The GDS provides more consistent data, which is easier to consolidate to track budget and CO₂ emissions.
Pitting NDC against the GDS is a common mistake. The major GDSs have become NDC content aggregators. Travelport, for example, states that its booking APIs return GDS offers and NDC offers in the same search, identifying the source of each one. Its Travelport+ platform returns traditional GDS fares or NDC offers alike.
An agency can therefore access NDC in three ways: by connecting directly to each airline, through a GDS, or through a specialised aggregator. For an SME, the useful question is not "NDC or GDS?" but "does my booking tool show me both, and compare them for me?"
Favour NDC content. On these short routes, price gaps and extras (bags, seats) make a big difference, and European airlines are among the most advanced in NDC.
Sales reps, technicians, consultants: if your travellers regularly change their tickets, flexibility matters more than a few euros. Check that the airlines you use handle exchanges through NDC; if not, a GDS ticket remains the safer choice.
Long-haul, trips combining several airlines, hotels and cars at destination: the GDS remains the backbone. Add the NDC content of your main airlines to get their best fares.
CFOs, office managers, travel managers: your priority is a single report. Choose a tool that consolidates NDC and GDS bookings in the same dashboards, with CO₂ emissions per trip.
You do not need to connect to airlines' NDC yourself. A new-generation business travel agency handles it and compares channels on every search. At Fairjungle, we chose NDC back in 2024 through our partnership with Duffel, to offer competitive airfares and avoid the GDS surcharge some airlines apply. To go further, read how NDC is transforming business travel.
Not on a set date. IATA leaves each airline to decide whether and when to adopt NDC, and the GDSs themselves now carry NDC content. Both channels will coexist for years to come.
Often, but not always. Some airlines add a surcharge to bookings made through the GDS or keep certain fares for their NDC channel. The right reflex is to compare both channels on every trip, which is what a booking tool that aggregates them does.
Yes. The IATA standard covers order changes, cancellations and refunds. In practice, each airline decides which functions it opens up, so check the conditions before booking if your schedules change often.
No. A direct connection, airline by airline, requires development work and agreements that few SMEs can take on. Simply use a business travel agency or booking tool that already aggregates NDC and GDS content.
No, NDC is an airline-only standard. Hotels, cars and part of rail are still distributed through GDSs and other connections, which is why a single tool for every part of the trip matters.
Your agency or booking tool knows: at a GDS such as Travelport, every offer is tagged with its source, GDS or NDC. Ask for this information to appear in your reporting so you can track savings by channel.
Take back control of your business travel! Discover the new-generation corporate travel agency.
