NDC fares continue to reshape how companies buy and manage airfare. What will continued adoption (or lack thereof) mean for you, operationally, as a Travel Manager trying to control costs and enforce policy?

New Distribution Capability (NDC) has moved from industry debate to operational reality. Airlines are shifting more fare content to NDC channels, and the implications for managed travel programs are becoming harder to ignore. The way Travel Managers have traditionally controlled costs—through preferred fare agreements, GDS-based policy enforcement and consolidated reporting—is changing. 

Whether your program is fully connected, partially adapted, or still running solely on legacy GDS infrastructure, NDC is already affecting what fare content appears in your booking tool and what it costs you when it doesn’t.

Let’s take a look at the current status of all things NDC. Then, see how you can prepare as NDC adoption continues to accelerate.

Key Takeaways Travel Managers Need to Know About NDC Fares

• NDC isn’t going anywhere, but it is changing and AI is joining the conversation.
• You’re most likely to see NDC’s impact in your budget and policy compliance.
• Being ahead of the game and becoming accustomed to NDC now will better position you for the future.

How NDC Fares Are Changing Managed Travel

Let’s address the big question first. What does NDC adoption mean for business travel program cost and policy management, right now? 

Currently, NDC makes dynamic, retail-style airline pricing available to your Travelers and, while this could mean access to exclusive (and better) fares and bundles, it can also lead to more complex policy management. For Travel Managers who approach NDC correctly, though, they could find that NDC prevents travel booking leakage.

One of the top reasons for leakage is that Travelers feel they can find better fares through direct booking channels. NDC provides similar fares, directly from the airline (one of its major benefits), as well as continuous pricing. As such, NDC gives Travelers the fares they want, preventing them from automatically going elsewhere. They stay within the company-compliant NDC channels.

For years, the business travel industry has been talking about NDC fares and that chatter only continues. In a recent article in The Company Dime, they took an honest look at the successes and failings of NDC, as well as the more recent introduction of Model Context Protocol (MCP) and how AI is playing into the NDC argument. Check the NDC updates on Business Travel News and you’ll see recent story after recent story related to airlines’ NDC content. 

No matter the amount of chatter, one thing is clear. NDC is no longer a future consideration. It is an active distribution shift that is affecting what fare content appears where, and how airlines price and present it. Airlines are moving preferred and bundled fare content to NDC channels. GDS fare availability is narrowing in some markets. As a Travel Manager, you may also be seeing differences in your managed booking tool, dependent upon that tool’s NDC connectivity. 

How NDC Affects Travel Manager Cost Control and Policy

There are a few ways that the expansion of NDC content will impact Travel Managers’ cost control and policy compliance in the near future. 

Preferred fare agreements negotiated based on traditional GDS channels may not automatically carry over to NDC content. That means Travel Managers may be paying more for the same routes if their booking tool is not connected to their NDC offers. They could lose visibility surrounding bundled ancillaries that affect true trip cost. A preferred carrier’s best fares may only be available through that NDC. Meanwhile, a bundled NDC fare may appear cheaper at first glance but could include ancillaries that affect your Travelers’ per diems.

As for policy enforcement, booking tools that are not fully NDC-capable may not surface all compliant options. This could push Travelers toward workarounds or direct booking. This can lead to travel program leakage. While leakage is typically not a malicious act on the Travelers’ part, it can still be costly and risky. As mentioned, though, with proper care, a Travel Manager can use NDC to their advantage, mitigating travel leakage. 

What Travel Managers Should Do About NDC Now

So what should you, as a Travel Manager or Travel Arranger, do about NDC right now?

Start by assessing your current situation and NDC exposure. 

Ask yourself: 

• Is my booking tool NDC-enabled and if so, with which airlines? Connectivity is not uniform. A tool may have NDC access with one carrier and none with another.
• Are preferred fare agreements with key carriers configured for NDC content? A GDS-side agreement doesn’t automatically extend to NDC fares.
• How does NDC content appear in my program reporting? Are NDC bookings tracked consistently alongside GDS bookings or are there gaps in spend data?
• How does my reporting capture ancillaries bundled into NDC fares? If bundled content isn’t recorded, your cost-per-trip data may be understating actual spend.
• What is my TMC doing to manage NDC connectivity on my behalf? Your TMC’s NDC strategy directly affects what your Travelers can access inside your managed program.

Ideally, you’d partner with a TMC whose technology can naturally handle NDC content. Programs that address NDC readiness now will be better positioned as airline direct content continues to grow and as the next generation of distribution connectivity, including AI-driven standards like MCP, begins to take shape.

NDC is Nothing to Fear—But It Does Require Your Attention 

Don’t treat NDC as a disruption to be contained. It’s a structural shift in how airline content is distributed. Travel programs that adapt early will have more options, better data and stronger cost control than those that wait. 

The question is no longer whether NDC affects your program. It is whether your program is configured to handle it well.

With Teal, JTB Business Travel’s modern booking platform, NDC fares, ancillaries and reporting stay within the managed environment, giving Travel Managers better visibility, policy control and Traveler support. Learn more and talk to a member of our team today. 

Northstar Travel Group is a JTB Corp company. JTB Business Travel may reference reporting or research published by Northstar; however, all commentary and recommendations in this article are independently developed.