Accelya Launches BIG Forum to Drive NDC Adoption

Miami, USA – July 17, 2025

Accelya launches Business Travel Innovation Group (BIG) – in strategic partnership with temoji and Paul Tilstone – to give corporate buyers a stronger voice in modern airline retailing

Accelya, in partnership with temoji, the travel consultancy led by Paul Tilstone, today announces the launch of the Business Travel Innovation Group (BIG), a new initiative designed to give corporate travel buyers a stronger voice in shaping the future of airline retailing and distribution. The group is created by Accelya, with temoji consulting playing a lead role in shaping and managing the initiative.

The BIG initiative brings together 20 enterprise and mid-market travel buyers from across the corporate travel landscape. BIG aims to foster open discussion, spotlight best practices, and support cross-industry collaboration as modern retailing becomes a reality. Members will explore how New Distribution Capabilities (NDC) can unlock richer content, smarter pricing, and better traveller experiences, while addressing the specific needs of managed travel.

Accelya, a global leader in airline technology, is working alongside BIG members to help translate their insights into actionable recommendations. This collaboration begins with the release of a new guide, ‘Making Modern Airline Retailing a Reality for Corporate Travel’, which outlines seven key enablers buyers say are critical for mainstream NDC adoption in corporate travel programmes and three case studies of buyer implementations of NDC.

NDC adoption continues to surge despite coordination challenges

Findings from the guide highlight steady progress among BIG participants: half report full NDC implementation within their managed travel programs, 22% are actively rolling it out, and just 11% have yet to engage. Participants rated the overall difficulty of implementation at 7.1 out of 10 (where 10 indicates high complexity), reflecting the real challenges still faced across the ecosystem.

Despite this momentum, 76% cited coordination, not technology, as the primary barrier to scaling adoption. Yet confidence in the model remains strong: buyers rated their ability to communicate NDC’s value internally at 7.9 out of 10, pointing to a growing belief in its commercial and traveler benefits including richer content, smarter pricing, and a better end-user experience.

A platform for dialogue and aligned delivery

Paul Tilstone, Founder of temoji and co-lead of the BIG initiative, said:

“Many buyers are already moving towards modern retailing – piloting NDC, integrating with trusted partners, and rethinking how content and servicing are delivered. BIG was created to bring those voices together, identify what’s working, and define what’s needed. Coordination is the biggest challenge, and it’s one we can only solve together. This is a great example of action needed in our industry and I applaud Accelya for leading this effort with us.”

Tye Radcliffe, Chief Customer Success Officer at Accelya, added:

“Corporate travel buyers are proving every day that NDC can deliver real value. But the industry still needs alignment to scale that success. Through BIG, we’re listening closely to buyer feedback and using it to collaborate with our airline customers to shape a more consistent, connected, and modern retailing experience.”

Setting the stage for what’s next

Insights from the BIG group will help shape a new industry-wide effort launching at GBTA later this month, aimed at addressing the core barriers identified in the guide. This upcoming initiative will focus on closing implementation gaps, improving coordination between stakeholders, and making it easier for airlines, sellers, and buyers to scale NDC adoption with confidence.

👉 Download the guide and learn how to get involved with BIG.

About Temoji

Temoji is a consulting & marketing specialist in the global corporate travel and meetings industry.  

You’re the engine that makes this industry go, a travel supplier who thrives on continually improving how you serve your clients and their travellers. temoji is the special ingredient to help you connect deeper and deliver better to your clients, prospective customers and wider stakeholders. We’re your secret sauce. 

And we believe that every challenge faced by our industry is solvable through the creation of better “Social and Intellectual Capital”. 

For travel’s emotive journey, find out more at temoji Website 

Media Relations: [email protected] 

About Accelya

Accelya is a global leader in airline software, powering over 200 airlines with an open, modular platform that enables them to drive growth, enhance customer experiences, and take control of their retailing. Our FLX ONE platform empowers airlines to transform across Offer, Order, Settlement, and Delivery (OOSD), in line with IATA’s standards for modern retailing.  

With a cloud-native infrastructure powered by AWS, Accelya processes more than 30 billion unique offers daily, settles over $100 billion annually, and delivers more than 50% of global NDC volumes. Our solutions span the entire retail lifecycle, both above and below the wing, giving airlines the flexibility, performance, scalability, and reliability they need.  

Backed by 40 years of industry expertise, long-term support from Vista Equity Partners, and 2,500 employees across 10 global offices, Accelya has the scale and proven track record to meet the evolving needs of the airline industry.

For more information, visit the Accelya Website.