With New Distribution Capability (NDC) the talk of Traveltown at the moment, unsurprisingly the topic was at the heart of the STX conference in Singapore this week. It seems airlines and hoteliers alike are excited about the potential the technology will have for their businesses.

Carlson Wagonlit Travel in particular are keen to get involved – and, after recently becoming launch partners (along with American Airlines, American Express Global Business Travel, and Flight Centre Travel Group) with Sabre on its Beyond NDC project – the TMC has also been confirmed by Amadeus as long-term business partner on the Spanish firm’s own NDC-X programme too.

“Gaining real traction”

Discussing that development at the beginning of August, Gianni Pisanello, VP of Amadeus’ NDC-X program, had said: “It’s great to have CWT on board as part of NDC-X. Working with innovative, forward-thinking partners such as CWT will allow us to ensure that our solutions provide the right content and functionalities for a wide spectrum of business needs.

“Our programme is gaining real traction, with a flurry of announcements so far this year as we bring leading travel sellers and airlines together to drive progress with NDC.”

Now, doubling down on their relationship, the companies have announced a multi-year renewal and expansion of their business partnership. As part of this agreement, CWT travel counselors around the globe will have access to extensive travel content on the Amadeus Travel Platform and the latest technology including Amadeus Selling Platform Connect.

“We are delighted to be deepening our business partnership with Amadeus as part of our CWT 3.0 strategy,” added Vince Chirico, SVP of global network and technology partners at CWT. “Working with Amadeus will help simplify our operating infrastructure, enable joint innovation, and accelerate our continued global growth.”

A key part of CWT’s strategy, branded as ‘CWT 3.0 strategy’, is to streamline its platforms and processes in order to be more efficient. The implementation of Amadeus’ latest technology will support CWT in executing its strategy.

“Consistency, transparency and choice”

Rajiv Rajian, EVP of business travel and travel channels for Amadeus, concluded: “Travellers today are looking for consistency, transparency and choice, and the right technology is key to meeting these needs.

“We are excited to expand our long-term partnership with CWT to ensure it has the leading technology supported by the richest content to serve the needs of business travelers today and tomorrow.”