Flight Centre Travel Group and Qantas lead corporate Australia’s NDC shift, unlocking savings that help businesses grow

Qantas NDC: The numbers so far

Adoption is accelerating fast. Across the program, the numbers now speak for themselves:

• 92% of FCTG’s corporate customers have opted in to Qantas NDC
• 500,000+ Qantas NDC segments booked since January 2026
• A case study reveals an annual saving of more than $140,000 for one customer.

“We’ve reached a point where NDC isn’t an experiment - it’s becoming the default for corporate Australia,” said 

“In a market where seats are harder to come by, and fares are under pressure, full NDC access means our customers aren’t leaving value on the table. Every dollar we save them is a dollar they can put back into growing their business.”

The partnership represented two years of deliberate, collaborative work to move NDC from concept to scalable reality. 

“This isn’t just about distribution plumbing - it’s about giving customers more choice, more value, and a smoother journey from search to service”, said Nathan Smeulders, Head of Offers and Orders Transformation, Qantas.

Cross-functional teams across technology, commercial and operations at both organisations worked closely to ensure a strong customer experience throughout the transition, with rigorous testing that enabled consultants to service customers confidently from launch.

“There were lots of multi-party calls in the lead-up to go-live,” added Ping. “The focus wasn’t just on connecting systems, but on making sure consultants could service customers confidently from day one.”

- Nikki Ping, Global Manager of Travel Distribution, FCM Travel and Corporate Traveller

Momentum is building internationally, too. In mid-June 2026, international Qantas NDC adoption doubled month on month after online connectivity went live, while Australia and New Zealand remain the most-booked destinations through the channel.

What’s next: AI, personalisation and smarter self-service

With strong adoption established in Australia, the focus is on scaling these learnings globally and unlocking the next phase of modern airline retailing - including deeper personalisation and expanded AI-enabled self-service to reduce friction for travellers and consultants alike.

“By pairing order-level data with AI virtual assistants and agent-assist tools, we can automate routine changes and keep consultants focused on complex cases,”

“The result is a faster, smarter experience for the traveller - and greater savings that customers can channel straight back into growth.”

- Nikki Ping, Global Manager of Travel Distribution, FCM Travel and Corporate Traveller