DULLES, Va., Sept 5 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ATPCO and Blockskye today released a white paper describing the key features of blockchain and its applicability to airline distribution. In addition, the companies, along with SITA, announced a proof of concept (POC) on blockchain and how it could potentially be utilized in next-generation airline offer management. As part of this POC, ATPCO, Blockskye, and SITA are advancing a discussion on how the industry might create value for the market using decentralized airline offer generation based on International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) New Distribution Capability (NDC) and ONE Order initiatives. The concept would enable airline and channel partners to handle the exponentially increasing volumes of data accurately and securely. The POC leverages NDC Exchange, built by ATPCO and SITA, because it is a neutral platform that facilitates real-time connectivity, on SITA’s global IT infrastructure, between airlines and travel sellers so that they can exchange messages easily and cost-effectively.

As airlines and sellers deliver greater value and choice through NDC, it becomes increasingly important for offers to be consistently and accurately managed. NDC Exchange provides the ability to seamlessly integrate fulfilment and data sources from shopping through settlement across all actors in the value chain. The POC will explore augmenting NDC Exchange with blockchain technology, providing a trusted and secure offer authority that can reduce integration costs and transaction risk for airlines and sellers alike.

“Blockchain is an undeniable transformative force. With the support of Blockskye, we wanted to ask the question, ‘How could this technology be implemented to support the future-state airline distribution ecosystem, and where can ATPCO add industry value?’” said Head of ATPCO Research & Development Gianni Cataldo. “The concept of a persistent offer managed by a neutral authority addresses many of the coming challenges of direct distribution. We hope this paper spurs discussion on how technology can drive paradigm shifts and in turn lead to industry alignment,” he continued.

“The travel ecosystem has been searching for a way to engage NDC, build a dynamic marketplace, and empower airlines — blockchain changes the game on all of these,” said Blockskye CEO & Co-Founder Brook Armstrong.

For further information contact:

Michael Mazzocco
Corporate Communications Strategist
ATPCO
Office: +1 703 661 7503
Email: mmazzocco@atpco.net

Notes to Editors:

About ATPCO

Uniquely positioned at the center of the airline distribution ecosystem, ATPCO enables seamless management of the airfare data that makes our entire industry run more efficiently. We hold more than 189.6 million fares for 439 airlines in 160 countries and manage an average of 5.3 million daily fare changes. Because ATPCO is owned by airlines, we serve as a neutral and trusted partner for our airlines with travel agencies, search engines, global distribution systems, governments, and many other industry partners. Every day, these organizations rely on our thought leadership and portfolio of technology and data solutions to help millions of travelers get where they need to go. Learn more about us at atpco.net.
 
About Blockskye

Blockskye is the founding travel member of the Enterprise Ethereum Alliance. We develop on STRATO with BlockApps, the leading provider of enterprise solutions in Ethereum. Our solutions are custom, scalable, and designed for integration across the Ethereum ecosystem.

Source : ATPCO

--BERNAMA