Trip.com Group has signed up LATAM Airlines Group to its ticketing platforms, including Skyscanner and Ctrip. 

The firms said the tie-up would “streamline” customer online ticketing experience through a New Distribution Capability (NDC) standard agreement. The “tech solution” will allow LATAM to better communicate its offers and availability with customers, according to Trip.com’s Juan Villanova, its Spain and Latin America regional sales manager. 

“With this tech solution, our passengers will have access to an improved and more competitive selection of flights and products,” he explained. 

Andreas Schek, Vice President of Sales and Branding of LATAM Airlines Group, added: “We are proud of this collaboration with Trip.com Group on the implementation of the NDC standard, as it allows us to explore ways to enhance its efficiency further. This is a significant milestone in the future of distribution that will benefit our global customers.”

LATAM operates in five domestic markets in South America: Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, along with international operations within Latin America and to Europe, US and the Caribbean. 

The deal shows the varied opinions of online travel agents (OTAs) in the aviation industry. While many, if not most, airlines work with OTAs to advertise and sell tickets, others have raised issues with the third party sites’ business practices. 

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Low-cost Irish airline Ryanair, and its outspoken CEO Michael O’Leary, has been particularly clear in its opposition to what it refers to as “OTA Pirates”. It accused sites including Booking.com of “scrapping” information from the airline website and selling tickets and inflated prices. 

Booking Holdings and Ryanair are engaged in legal proceedings in the US District Court in Delaware over the allegations, which Booking Holdings refuted.