Eastern Airlines invests in New Distribution Capabilities

The NDC standard allows Eastern to efficiently create, deliver, and control inventory that is both reliable and secure for the passenger

• Eastern Airlines achieves IATA’s New Distribution Capability (NDC) Level 4 Certification
• Certification enables a dynamic and cost-effective distribution model for Eastern Airlines
• Eastern Airlines’ NDC Level 4 Certification was facilitated through its partnership with TPConnects

Eastern Airlines, historically known as one of the “Big Four” carriers in the United States, announced that it has achieved the New Distribution Capability (NDC) Level 4 Certification from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). The certification enables a dynamic and cost-effective distribution model for Eastern Airlines as it further improves the airline’s communication capabilities with its travel partners using rich content. 

Eastern Airlines‘ NDC Level 4 Certification was facilitated through its partnership with TPConnects, an IATA NDC Dual Level 4 Certified IT Provider and Aggregator. Additionally, as its travel technology partner, TPConnects revamped Eastern Airlines’ recently launched Internet Booking Engine (IBE). Along with the IBE the airline’s Travel Agency booking portal is also powered by TPConnects NDC Offer and Order Management Solution. It enables the airlines to control various interfaces through a single Middleware and provide Offers to customers in real time.

Steve Harfst, President & CEO, Eastern Airlines, said, “IATA’s NDC Level 4 Certification is a pivotal investment that assists Eastern’s mission in providing underserved markets with direct, nonstop flights at the best value. We can now ensure that our passengers have direct access to relevant content across both direct and indirect distribution channels that are unique to their wants and expectations. The NDC standard allows Eastern to efficiently create, deliver, and control inventory that is both reliable and secure for the passenger. Our travel partners can now benefit from access to our full range of product offerings, merchandising, and servicing capabilities and the end-to-end order lifecycle from booking to completion. We look forward to our continued partnership with TPConnects, a proven technology expert in the field, as we transform the way we go to market and deliver enhanced customer experiences as part of the Eastern Promise.

Rajendran Vellapalath, CEO, TPConnects, said, “Our latest partnership with the American carrier Eastern Airlines is a milestone with many firsts, much to the credit of the collaboration and the expertise it brought to the table. It is indeed a testimony to our follow-the-sun approach where teams across time zones collaborated successfully to simultaneously deliver multiple NDC-enabled products for the airline. This is especially significant for TPConnects as we expanded our product portfolio with the delivery of the Internet Booking Engine within TPConnects Airline Solutions. Given the scope of the partnership, we are committed and well-positioned as the partner-of-choice to support Eastern Airlines with a gamut of industry-leading services and innovative travel technology solutions.”