Travel tech firm Sabre Corporation has released its very first collection of New Distribution Capability (NDC) APIs with carrier United Airlines.

The much-anticipated functionality will give companies signed up to Sabre’s Beyond NDC programme to run live NDC bookings and, according to Sabre, give the customers a better shopping experience. United is the first major airline to launch with Sabre’s NDC capabilities.

Kathy Morgan, vice president of NDC for Sabre, said: “Sabre remains committed to releasing scalable, NDC-enabled offerings that support end-to-end workflows and integrated content. This new NDC-enabled world we are bringing to life requires close collaboration and a common vision with entities from every corner of the industry. Working with United and all of our Beyond NDC Partners to deliver integrated NDC content is the result of the great collaboration we are proud to have led over the last 18 months.”

“United is thrilled to be the first airline to partner with Sabre to offer NDC capabilities through their booking platform as we continue to advance the travel industry,” said Dave Bartels, vice president of revenue management for United Airlines. “We strive to provide the best experience for our customers at each step of their travel journey, including when they shop for flights. Working with Sabre to improve the booking process is another way we are able to enhance the experience for our customers.”

“Fundamental to preparing for a successful future,”

“NDC is an important component of a wide-ranging evolution in air content distribution. Testing Sabre’s NDC-enabled shopping APIs and working with United to find ways to bring incremental value to clients while maintaining or enhancing full end-to-end capabilities is fundamental to preparing for a successful future,” said John Bukowski, director of distribution for American Express Global Business Travel.

Bukowski went on to add: “Access to NDC content, alongside other new and existing content, would allow us to expand what we offer travellers in a scalable way. Modern business travellers have specific expectations: they want access to all content and they want to know they’re getting the best personalised fares and servicing in an omni-channel environment. This is why our collaboration with Sabre and United, which is entirely focused on value creation, is so important in driving the industry forward.”