OpenPad

The airline retailing industry has long relied on the outdated Global Distribution System (GDS), which demands extensive technical knowledge from travel agents due to its terminal-like interface that requires manually inputting commands.

OpenPad adopts the New Distribution Capability (NDC) to modernize airline retailing. This transformation enables greater product differentiation, faster time-to-market, improved personalization and enhanced flexibility for both agents and customers, making airline booking processes more efficient and user-friendly.

Travel agents face significant challenges when managing bookings due to an overwhelming amount of information and unclear workflows. The primary pain points identified include:

• Unclear Steps: Agents often struggle to determine when and where specific actions are required.
• Vague Error Messages: Errors lack clear guidance, causing frustration and delays.
• Poor Information Visibility: Critical details are difficult to locate quickly.
• Excessive Scrolling: Navigating long pages disrupts workflow and efficiency.

Focused on optimizing the workflow for travel agents by:

• Streamlined Information Structure: Information was rearranged to provide a clearer and more intuitive flow without requiring users to relearn the platform.
• Consistent UI Patterns: Efforts were made to establish visual and functional consistency across the entire web application to improve usability and reduce user errors.
• Enhanced Error Messaging: Clearer, actionable error messages were implemented to guide agents seamlessly through booking tasks.

After conducting several user interviews and onboarding sessions with both experienced and novice agents, key insights emerged.

• Resistant to change: Veteran agents accustomed to GDS systems are often reluctant to adopt new platforms.
• Performance over aesthetics: Speed and functionality in booking are prioritized above design or interface style.
• Efficiency-focused: Agents consistently seek automation solutions to reduce repetitive tasks and improve workflow efficiency.

Direct Competitors

Aaron Group leads globally in adopting NDC-based solutions, their Symphony platform offers a range of products which provides access to flight content from more than 580 airlines, encompassing NDC, GDS and low-cost carriers, while Aeronology focuses on the Asia-Pacific region with advanced tools emphasizes automation and efficiency, allowing users to book, change, reshop, reissue, cancel and refund on a single screen.

Indirect Competitors

Amadeus and Sabre continue to dominate the market with their traditional GDS systems, which remain widely adopted by airlines despite their complexity.

The improvements focused on simplifying travel agents' workflows while maintaining the core structure:

• Round Trip Combination: Merged round trips into a single line to eliminate redundant information.
• Enhanced Filters: Redesigned filter spaces and added new ones, including the option to select providers before searching.
• Simplified Overview Table: Removed unused options and provided the possibility to hide the overview table for a cleaner interface.
• Error Messaging: Added visible error messages for cases where airlines encounter issues returning results.
• Itinerary Updates: Introduced expandable itinerary views, allowing agents to see additional details without hovering over icons.

Significant improvements were made to enhance clarity and navigation during the booking process:

• Persistent Step Navigation: Booking steps are now displayed at the bottom of the screen, allowing agents to move back and forth without scrolling.
• Collapsible Information Sections: Elements such as "Itinerary Details" and "Fare Rules" can now be minimized, benefiting agents familiar with certain airlines or cabins.
• Full-Width Itinerary Display: Improved itinerary layout to better showcase all flight information.
• Passenger Information Input: Sections are clearly defined, highlighting mandatory fields based on airline requirements.
• Enhanced Remarks: Updated remarks to more accurately reflect information sent to the back-office.
• Payment Overview: Improved representation of booking details, including added services, to ensure agents have a comprehensive understanding before finalizing payment.

Updates focused on providing travel agents with better tools for managing orders:

• Passenger Names in Orders List: Added passenger names to help agents quickly locate specific orders.
• Consistent Booking Details: Updated the order details page to align with booking updates, including expandable sections and compacted passenger information.
• Flexible Seat Selection: Introduced color-coded seats based on price, helping agents quickly find suitable options for customers.

The rebooking process was reimagined to provide a more intuitive experience:

• Segment Clarity: Improved display of segments being changed to reduce confusion.
• Unified Selection Process: The rebooking flow now mirrors the shopping and booking process, creating a consistent and familiar experience for agents when selecting and paying for new segments.

Further improvements were made to features such as the presets functionality, settings panel, corporate section, login flow, profile management and the onboarding experience. However, the primary focus of this case study remains on the areas most frequently used by travel agents, as these have the greatest impact on their day-to-day tasks.