Delta Air Lines remains on track to launch its New Distribution Capability solution by the end of the year, the carrier said during a digital Delta Business Showcase event on Thursday and added that agencies in 2027 would gain access to an enhanced Delta Business site with features specifically for them. The carrier rolled out Delta Business, formerly Delta Professional, earlier this year.
The initial NDC release will "deliver the core capabilities needed to support U.S. point-of-sale activation," Delta director of sales and distribution innovation Patrick Crowley said.
At launch, agencies will be able to shop flights, access private fares, use Airlines Reporting Corp. settlement, receive order change notifications, process voluntary changes on wholly unused tickets, and apply corporate priority benefits, he said. A Delta slide also noted the ability to cancel unticketed and ticketed orders and select free seats.
Delta's roadmap for first-quarter 2027 includes adding international travel documents, changes to bookings involving private fares and UATP payments. Second-quarter plans include an unused-ticket solution, paid seats, enhanced bag allowances and the ability to add SkyMiles for Business identifiers to NDC orders, ensuring enrolled companies can earn miles for their travelers' flights, according to Delta. Third-quarter goals include post-purchase upgrades, adding international points of sale and the ability to modify passenger information. The latter will allow travelers or agencies to change an existing ticketed NDC order by adding, modifying or deleting passenger-related information without affecting the price or ticketing status.
"Customers and partners can expect ongoing quarterly releases as we continue to expand functionality, improve servicing and deliver additional value over time," Crowley said, adding that Delta will "add functionality based on customer and partner feedback."
Agency Features
When introducing the new Delta Business platform, the carrier noted that features for agencies would follow. Those enhancements currently are scheduled for 2027, though the airline did not offer a more specific timeline. Planned agency features include a "streamlined experience that makes it easier to manager users, permissions, access and agency structures from a single place," Delta managing director of sales and distribution innovation Sara Reid said.
The carrier also is looking to make "branch, company and group management more intuitive, giving agencies greater visibility into how their business is structured and making it easier to group and manage permissions and view available capabilities for user roles," she added.
Other priorities are to provide greater visibility into Global Sales Solutions operations, including service status and support availability to help agencies make more informed decisions during disruptions, and to expand self-service capabilities for "everyday agency operations."
GSS Proactive Servicing
Delta on Thursday also introduced GSS Proactive Servicing, which is an "evolving set of capabilities designed to help customers and agency partners stay ahead of potential disruptions," Delta director of global sales solutions Will Strattner said. Features include real-time customer monitoring, enhanced operational visibility, faster routing to specialized support during disruptive events, and a "new suite of proactive communications" from the GSS team.
Individuals can opt in to receive an operational forecast for the week ahead, delivered each Monday. The communications will highlight weather events, airport and airspace constraints, major industry events and travel advisories among other features, Strattner said. In addition, customers may receive targeted operational updates throughout the week when significant events have the potential to affect travelers. These communications also will be available through Delta Professional, he said.
Simplified Discounts, Agreements and APIs
Delta VP of sales development and distribution Mike Owen noted that the carrier is "moving beyond traditional fare class-based discounting toward a model that aligns discounts more closely with products your travelers purchase."
What that means is Delta is transitioning existing corporate agreements from discounts based on fare class. Instead, discounts will be based on the product purchased—Delta Main, Comfort, First, Premium Select and Delta One. "This makes our agreements easier to understand and easier for travel managers to calculate their savings since no additional work is needed to match the fare classes with their respective discounts," Delta said in an email.
Owen also noted that Delta is "simplifying agreements to focus on the outcomes that matter more," making programs easier to manage and more aligned with client goals. Historically, Delta's contracts included goals for every market in which a customer travels. With the new approach, the carrier aims to "spend its time and attention only on what is the most mutually impactful, which streamlines not only our contracts, but also meeting time and energy," according to Delta.
Compared with 2019, Delta has reduced the number of goals in its agreements by 30 percent to 50 percent, Owen said.
Corporate clients also "soon" will be able to submit requests digitally for additional Delta Wallet funds, Owen added. Currently, clients typically reach out to their Delta Business account team to discuss the appropriate wallet funding for them to reach their goals, according to the carrier.
The carrier also plans to introduce "new Delta experience APIs," Reid said. "These capabilities are designed to make it easier for travelers to engage with Delta, access the benefits they value most and enjoy a more connected experience through their preferred booking channels."
An example she gave is that travelers will be able to enroll in SkyMiles with a one-click experience directly within their channel of choice. The same framework also will support fast-track enrollment, "giving eligible corporate travelers great visibility and a simpler path to accelerating Medallion status," she said.
The carrier did not provide a timeframe for when the APIs would be available.