New Distribution Capability

New Distribution Capability (“NDC”) is a standard for the transmission of data between different actors in the air travel value chain. It is not an industry portal nor a commercial service but a data exchange standard providing basic definitions, structures and formats for the transmission of data, allowing a range of possibilities for the enhancement of the air travel shopping experience.

Nothing in the standard itself (based on IATA Passenger Services Conference Resolution 787) is specific to the uses to which the standard is put in practice. Accordingly, the NDC standard itself cannot be measured against data protection legislation. Rather the actual collection and use of data by relevant actors (for example, airlines, travel agents, TMCs, metasearch companies, GDSs and other technology companies) is the matter which must be evaluated, regardless of whether the NDC standard or another data exchange format is used. In other words, it is the responsibility of each NDC user to ensure that compliance with data protection legislation, including the GDPR, is achieved.

IATA has however developed privacy guidance, which forms a part of its NDC implementation guide. Because NDC is a standard, and flexible in its application, it is possible for airlines and other NDC users to achieve compliance with local data protection legislation in a number of ways. IATA does not prescribe one approach over another. Such a matter is for individual NDC users to make independent decisions on, after taking appropriate legal advice.