What Is NDC and What’s PNDC?

And Why It Matters for Your Business Travel

You’ll likely start hearing the terms NDC and PNDC more often, especially if your team books flights regularly.

From 1 July 2025, Qantas and several major airlines are expanding their use of New Distribution Capability (NDC), a global airline standard that will fundamentally change how airfares are booked, priced, and accessed.

At ELK Travel, we’ve been preparing for this behind the scenes so you don’t have to. Here’s what you need to know, and how we’re making the transition smooth, simple and seamless for every client.

What Is NDC?

New Distribution Capability (NDC) is a technology standard developed by IATA (International Air Transport Association). It allows travel management companies like ELK to connect directly with airlines instead of going through traditional systems like GDS (Global Distribution Systems).

Why that matters: NDC enables access to

• More competitive fares
• Personalised bundles and offers
• Real-time pricing and seat availability
• Clearer visibility into what’s included in a fare

It’s a major step forward in airline booking, designed to give travellers more choice, transparency and control.

What Is PNDC?

PNDC (Premium NDC) is an invitation-only upgrade to standard NDC, and ELK has been invited.

This premium tier unlocks additional benefits for our clients, including:

• Access to all published Qantas sale fares
• Exclusive deals and bundles only available through approved TMCs
• Potential savings on domestic fares, on top of your existing corporate discounts
• Personalised offers based on your Qantas Frequent Flyer status
• No EDIFACT surcharges, which means savings of up to $11.50 per sector compared to traditional bookings

In short, it’s smarter, faster and better value. And only available through a select group of partners. ELK is one of them.

What’s Changing from 1 July?

From July, airlines like Qantas will begin offering more fares, bundles and optional extras exclusively through NDC and PNDC channels.

If your travel provider isn’t set up for this shift, you could be missing out on better pricing, key features or booking visibility.

How ELK Travel Has You Covered

We’ve done the groundwork to keep you ahead of this change.

✔ We’re fully PNDC-ready ✔ Our systems have been upgraded and our team retrained ✔ We’re integrated with NDC-ready platforms like Travelport and Sabre ✔ We’re working directly with airline partners to make the experience smooth from day one

For you and your travellers, this means no disruption. Just better fares, more transparency and a simpler booking process.

A Few Things to Note

With new systems come a few new rules:

• Lower fares may come with tighter conditions, such as limited flexibility and higher change fees
• Credits are not interchangeable between PNDC and traditional bookings
• Add-ons like baggage, seat selection and meals may no longer be bundled, but are still bookable through our team

We’ll flag the important details every time and help you make the best decision.

What This Means for You

Whether you’re managing budgets, coordinating executive travel or flying frequently yourself, PNDC offers real benefits.

With ELK, you get:

• Dynamic pricing and smarter fare options
• Richer, more tailored content
• A clearer view of what you’re paying for
• Personalised support and expert guidance from our travel team

You don’t need to learn the tech. That’s our job. You just need to know we’re ready.

Got Questions About NDC or PNDC?

We’ll be sharing more updates as this rolls out across July. If you’d like to talk through how this affects your travel program, our consultants are here to help.

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