NDC and shifts in airline retailing have been a trending topic in business travel for years. In 2025, NDC perfectly aligns with another trend in the industry: catering to Travelers’ desire for unique and personalized experiences.

NDC is hardly anything new, and it’s a topic that comes up in industry discussions again and again. NDC adoption has been mostly slow-growing. However, it is becoming more widely accepted among Travel Managers- a trend that will continue in 2025. More uniquely for this year, though, is how NDC perfectly aligns with another business travel industry trend. That trend is the demand for personalization.

No longer is business travel a one-size-fits-all offering. Business Travelers expect their Travel Managers to anticipate their needs and fill them. This might be, for example, through using Traveler profiles to compile data on not just Travelers’ emergency contacts and ID details but also on Travelers’ airline preferences or loyalty programs.

When it comes to airline retailing, NDC is one tool that Travel Managers can use to better personalize the Business Travel Experience.

How NDC Personalizes Airline Retailing for the Traveler’s Benefit

As we’ve discussed in the past, at the heart of NDC is airline continuous pricing. This mode of airline retailing differs from set or dynamic pricing. The latter is based on contextual information related to the airline and its fare availability. In contrast, continuous pricing, available when booking through an NDC channel, allows airlines to offer infinite fare possibilities. They’re all based on the individual Traveler’s unique needs, flight histories and other data points gathered and processed by AI.

It may automatically appear that the ones to benefit from this airline retailing model will be the airlines. They can raise prices, in some instances, for some Travelers. However, that’s not always the case, and it’s not as cut and dry as all that. In fact, many Travelers will find discounts they might not have access to otherwise. They may find fares that bundle certain amenities that they personally would find valuable.

In short, when it comes to Traveler-personalized airline retailing, NDC outranks GDSs every single time. In fact, one Business Travel News article even redefined NDC as “Nourish, Delight and Choice” — an apt description. The article noted that NDC allows Travel Managers particularly to balance Traveler demands with cost. They can go beyond just the demand for more personalization overall.

For instance, as the article above pointed out, one study found that more than a third of business Travelers prioritize business Travel options that allow them to put their well-being first. This suggests a growing focus overall on employees looking for work experiences, travel or otherwise, that allow them to protect their well-being. In fact, studies have found that nearly 90% of employees would consider leaving a company that does not care about their well-being. More than 90% call their well-being just as important as their salary. As such, this is something that Travel Managers and Executives cannot ignore if they want to retain and attract talent.

Luckily, NDC could help Travelers achieve the work-life balance and wellness-related perks they desire without incurring additional costs. For example, with more and more tailored airline retailing options. Travelers may be able to find a flight that gets them home from a business trip before the weekend or a holiday at an agreeable price point. Allowing them a greater work-life balance. Or, they may be able to bundle together their airfare with upgrades and perks that allow them to better care for their well-being and productivity. Such as an upgrade to a higher class. Along these lines, airlines are offering an array of bundles to Travelers booking through NDC, with inclusions such as priority check-in and boarding, club access, WiFi and more.

Whatever Travelers prioritize, though, Business Travel News noted that giving your Travelers choices will be crucial moving forward. Again, this is where NDC can come in handy. It can allow you to give Travelers choices that they need while putting parameters around booking airfare that ensures Travelers remain compliant with your travel policy.

But is a Change in Airline Retailing an Immediate Concern?

All of the good reasons to adopt NDC aside, you may be wondering if this truly is an immediate concern. Do you really need to prioritize changing your mode of airline retailing in 2025. Particularly given how slowly NDC has been rolling out over the last several years? After all, as Business Travel News reported, in 2024, according to Airlines Reporting Corp, NDC transactions only accounted for 2% of business transactions in 2024.

However, the rate of adoption differs highly depending on who you ask and where you look. Business Travel News also said that other reports have shown that NDC bookings across a wider data set take up a larger majority of the industry, at just under 20%. A Global Business Travel Association report noted that just over 40% of travel buyers in North America have started to implement NDC. Meanwhile, around 70% of travel buyers in Asia Pacific have begun to implement NDC. In mid-2024, TravelAgeWest said that 24% of all flight bookings in the United States made through Navan were made via NDC. That number jumps to 31% in Europe. The report further detailed this resulted in savings of up to 16.6% for large travel programs.

Certainly, there are challenges to the wide adoption of NDC. Those challenges are being addressed, though, and adoption is increasing. Savvy Travel Managers need to keep this in mind.

JTB Business Travel and NDC

JTB Business Travel makes the switch to NDC as convenient as possible. As announced in the latter half of last year, JTB Business Travel clients enjoy full NDC content across online and offline sales channels for carriers that offer it. Including American Airlines, United Airlines, Lufthansa Group, Air Canada, Hawaiian, LOT Polish, Finnair and Scandinavian Airlines, Etihad, Qatar, Avianca, Singapore Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas, KLM Air France and British Airways, with Iberia soon to join.