Travel Industry Unites Behind Accelya’s NDC FastTrack to Grow NDC Adoption and Accelerate Modern Retailing

Denver, USA – July 21, 2025

Accelya launches new cross-industry NDC adoption program with Sabre and American Express Global Business Travel (Amex GBT) as the inaugural partners and advocacy from SAP Concur.

Accelya, a global leader in airline technology solutions, today announces the launch of NDC FastTrack, a cross-industry enablement program designed to accelerate practical adoption of the New Distribution Capability (NDC). Launched with Sabre and American Express Global Business Travel (Amex GBT) as the inaugural partners, NDC FastTrack equips travel sellers, technology providers, and corporate buyers with practical resources to accelerate NDC success. SAP Concur welcomes the initiative and the collaborative approach it represents.

With Accelya experiencing 146% year-over-year growth in corporate NDC volumes for 2024 compared to 2023, it’s clear NDC adoption is gaining pace. NDC FastTrack – open by invitation to major travel sellers, corporate platforms, and technology providers with proven reach and implementation at scale – accelerates modern airline retailing through regular activities fostering collaboration, openness, and a customer-first mindset.

Sabre will bring its global reach, trusted agency relationships, and a demonstrated commitment to expanding NDC through cross-industry collaboration. In addition, Amex GBT brings its technical expertise and superior service in delivering an end-to-end NDC experience for corporate customers. Accelya, powering over 50% of all NDC transactions globally, leads the industry-wide effort, making NDC adoption simpler, faster, and more effective.

NDC FastTrack equips major travel sellers, technology providers, and corporate buyers with practical resources to accelerate their success with NDC, including:

• Shared roadmap coordination to align timelines, close functionality gaps, and increase delivery transparency
• Implementation frameworks and technical guidance to streamline and accelerate deployments
• Dedicated buyer engagement via the Business Travel Innovation Group (BIG), giving corporate travel programs a stronger voice in shaping NDC adoption and aligning solutions with real-world managed travel needs
• Use cases, case studies, and proof points to highlight real-world adoption and outcomes
• Joint enablement and training resources to support ecosystem-wide alignment and readiness

“NDC is growing fast, bringing real benefits to airlines, travel sellers, and the broader ecosystem,” said Sam Gilliland, CEO of Accelya. “We’ve long believed NDC would become the mainstream standard for airline retailing, and now, the industry is coming together to accelerate it. NDC FastTrack, with its focus on enablement and coordination, will help the travel ecosystem modern retailing faster and better.”

“We’re thrilled to welcome Sabre and Amex GBT as our first program partners. With their distribution reach and strong relationships across the travel seller community, both are well placed to help drive real-world adoption. We’re also encouraged by the support and endorsement of SAP Concur, further aligning the industry around a more modern, connected retailing experience.”

Sabre leads the industry in NDC content breadth among global GDS providers and has consistently demonstrated success in scaling adoption in real-world agency settings. Its SabreMosaic™ Travel Marketplace is built for openness, enabling seamless integration with third-party technologies, offering modular APIs, and supporting content from a wide range of sources. This flexibility, combined with strong partnerships across the travel ecosystem, makes Sabre a natural fit to help NDC FastTrack participants accelerate implementation while maintaining control, interoperability, and future-ready adaptability.

“We’ve built the foundations and proven the success of NDC in real-world environments,” said Kathy Morgan, Senior Vice President, Product Management, Distribution Experience at Sabre. “Now it’s time for speed and growth, cementing the shift toward smarter, more personalized retailing experiences for travel agencies and buyers worldwide. From day one, Sabre has taken a deeply collaborative approach to implementing NDC. Partnering with Accelya and future FastTrack partners is the natural next step in further removing friction and delivering tangible benefits to all players in the travel value chain.”

“NDC FastTrack reflects the kind of collaborative innovation our industry needs to advance NDC capabilities,” said John Bukowski, VP of Content Acquisition and Strategic Sourcing at Amex GBT. “By aligning with Accelya, we’re working with leading airlines to deliver enhanced content and capabilities, beyond basic NDC, that creates value for both our customers and airline partners.”

“Accelerating NDC in the corporate travel space depends on greater alignment across the ecosystem,” said Charlie Sultan, President, Concur Travel at SAP Concur. “Accelya’s NDC FastTrack fosters the kind of collaboration that helps bridge functionality gaps, improve transparency, and ultimately deliver better experiences for travelers and buyers alike.”

The program will formally launch at the GBTA Convention 2025 in Denver with key parts of the program including enablement activities and workshops, rolling out through the group in the coming months.

NDC FastTrack is not a commercial arrangement; rather, it is a shared commitment to accelerate modern airline retailing through collaboration, openness, and a customer-first mindset. More information can be found at https://w3.accelya.com/ndc-fast-track/

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.

Media Relations: [email protected]