Travel agents have reacted with concern to Qantas’ new distribution strategy, saying it is over-complicated in an already complex NDC environment.
From July 1, 2025, the airline will offer several ways to access Qantas content, each with varying costs, (including surcharge-free options), depending on the chosen booking channel, of which there are four.
- Traditional indirect booking systems (also known as EDIFACT - ie GDS)
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Standard NDC via a GDS interface
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Standard NDC via Certified Tech Partner and QDP (Qantas Distribution Platform) portal
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Premium NDC (by invitation only) following EOI (Expression of Interest)
An agent, who requested anonymity, told Travel News that the tier system and charges of the Qantas model were difficult to understand. “NDC is terrifying and for good reason. Each airline has its own system, making the process laborious. I will only book NDC on airlines where it is easily accessible or via the GDS.”
She added: “The time spent trying to unravel NDC fares is not worth the money I charge for service fees.”
Riaan van Schoor, CEO of Agentivity, believes airlines are over-complicating NDC by developing their own products. He spoke to Travel News about the new Qantas NDC options.
"Like most, I was really surprised by the Qantas announcement on its future distribution plans and must question why it wants to make things so complex, like introducing a 'premium NDC' channel by invitation only,” he said.
He added that information on premium NDC was scarce and he questioned whether it offered services really needed by the market. “Qantas is ending up with at least four platforms now to access NDC and one of those has three different layers for the indirect channel.”
“You don’t need to be a ‘techie’ to know that is not a sustainable technological approach, nor is it a customer-centric one,” he said.
Michi Messner, Qantas Regional Manager Africa, recommends that agents who are part of a consortium or who are ticketing through one, engage the consortium directly to understand the overarching roadmap. She added that independent agents who are not part of a consortium should contact the Qantas sales team to discuss the new model.
"Qantas will provide ongoing training sessions and learning modules via the Agency Learning Hub (where available) to support agents' readiness to access Qantas NDC content. Key resources and updates will also be made available on our Qantas Agency Connect (QAC) website,” said Messner.
The table below provides a summary of Qantas NDC booking channels and any costs which may apply.
