Finding a balance between airlines’ NDC plans and corporate travel needs

By the time of last month’s Phocuswright Europe conference in Barcelona, the need for a balance between a more modern approach that would meet customers’ evolving expectations for online retailing while giving businesses the control they need to manage travel expenses was clear to Puck Voorneveld, senior director of distribution and payment transformation at Lufthansa Group, and Michael Harbin, president and CEO of travel tech provider Traverse Technologies.

“From a Lufthansa Group perspective, we haven’t changed our strategy or road ahead,” Voorneveld said during an discussion with Harbin in the PhocusWire studios. “We are committed to NDC and modern airline retailing as such. … Of course, we cannot leave business travel behind.”

Harbin agreed. “You’ve got to meet the traveler, the customer, the corporation, where they are,” he said. “You can’t make them jump through hoops or over different bridges.”

The discussion also covered artificial intelligence, airlines’ approach to coping with an increase of disruptive weather events, among other topics. When asked about the best use cases of AI in the sector, both experts pointed to customer service.

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