New Singapore Airlines Deal Signals a More Flexible Travelport on Distribution Tech

Travel agencies that use Travelport's ticketing tools will be able to book new content from Singapore Airlines without paying a new, upcoming surcharge, the companies said. "Singapore Airlines' KrisConnect program is the carrier's NDC [new distribution capability] initiative and is designed to give agencies immediate access to the widest range of its fare products, including personalized content and the ability to offer customized products," Kyle Moore, global head of product propositions at Travelport told Skift on Thursday. "As a leading NDC partner of Singapore Airlines, we are working closely with Singapore Airlines in its global rollout of KrisConnect." Travelport agents stay within the company's Smartpoint reservation system to book Singapore's special content after signing agreements. "Our integration with Singapore Airlines NDC interface allows agents to seamlessly book KrisConnect NDC content alongside all other types of content supported by Travelport," Moore said. "The end-to-end booking process is integrated into Smartpoint, meaning there are no new formats for agents to learn. For any questions about commission terms or other specific details, we do ask that agencies reach out to their account manager." In July, Singapore Airlines said it would coax travel agencies to use its new KrisConnect channel for tickets by adding a $12 surcharge for bookings made on classic agency reservation systems instead, as Skift reported. "To facilitate agencies' adoption of the program, we have worked with multiple tech partners, including global distribution systems [GDSs], such as the one you mentioned [Travelport], to make our program available on their platforms," a Singapore Airlines spokesperson said. "Agents can sign up for the program and elect any of the SIA-certified tech partners to start transacting in the channel." The deal represents a concession by Travelport over its position a few years ago under previous management, when it insisted it wanted airlines to use its branded fares and rich content technology to deliver the improved selling method. Now they're letting the airlines use their own technology. Travelport is the first of the so-called global distribution systems to have signed a deal with Singapore for a workaround that enables its agents to stay within its platform and book the tickets without paying more. Amadeus declined to comment. Sabre said it is prompting its agency partners to sign up and transact in the Kr