Flight disruption - NDC schedule changes
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The new NDC Schedule Change process introduces a streamlined approach for handling flight disruptions:
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Travelport+ (1G) receives an NDC schedule change notification from the airline for an NDC booking.
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Travelport+ automatically updates the flight information, and adds, updates, or removes any new segments related to the change.
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Travelport+ continues to store the original and new segment details in the DI lines.
These enhancements aim to reduce manual intervention and improve the overall efficiency of disruption handling for travel agents and agencies.
New NDC airline schedule change workflow
As of November 20, 2025, Travelport implemented a new NDC airline schedule change workflow.
Important information:
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The new NDC airline schedule change workflow requires each agency to opt in to this functionality. To opt-in, contact your CSM or Account Manager.
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To fully service NDC booking files for carriers launched after November 19, 2025 (e.g., All Nippon Airways and Saudia Airlines), agencies must opt in
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Agencies who previously opted for the NDC Normalization ZK to HK segment status will automatically be included in this new flight disruption - NDC schedule change processing.
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Non-opt in agencies continue to see only ZK segments and still require PNR Sync to process schedule changes. However, for airlines such as All Nippon, Saudia Airlines, and future carriers, the PNR Sync process will not work. It is therefore essential to opt in to the new feature capability. All agencies will eventually default to the new flow.
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Agencies using automation to service bookings should review the automation for compatibility.
Agencies consuming NDC content now have airline flight disruptions and schedule changes automatically reflected in their NDC booking file.
When an NDC schedule change notification is received from the airline, Travelport+ updates the flight segment status accordingly. This includes:
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Changing UN (Not Operating) to TK (Schedule Change).
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Updating TK (when used alone, indicates a Time Change).
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Adding UN or HX (Have Canceled) segments to the itinerary.
After the itinerary is updated, the booking is routed to specific queues based on the type of schedule change received:
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Queue 11 – For schedule changes, including flight number changes, route changes, retiming, and partial involuntary cancellations.
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Queue 23 – For full involuntary cancellations, TTL expiry, no-shows, and voluntary changes made outside the NDC channel.
Action involuntary changes
Agents must accept, modify, or cancel the airline schedule change either by using Smartpoint Cloud or Smartpoint Desktop through the NDC capabilities within Flight Search.
Accept involuntary changes
To accept involuntary changes:
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Select the amber N icon.
In this example, segment 1 is the original flight and no longer operating. Segment 2 is the new flight the customer is re-accommodated on.
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The booking file displays with a Schedule changed warning in the Reservation information. Schedule change information displays on the right panel, with UN segment status for the original flight which is no longer operating and TK segment status for the new flight the customer is re-accommodated on.
If the customer is satisfied with the re-accommodation, select the Accept changes button.
If the updates are successful, a Schedule change accepted toast message displays. The Schedule changed warning and the UN status segment are removed, and all segments now show HK status.
Note: The airline may revalidate or reissue tickets (varies by airline) depending on the type of disruption.
Example - Time Change (TK)
An airline sends a schedule change notification with a time change on segment 1, SIN to MEL.
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The original flight was departing at 2330 arriving at 0856. Now the flight is departing at 2340 and arriving at 0904.
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Segment 1 status changes to TK and the new flight times are shown in the itinerary.
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The booking file is placed on Q11 and the DI lines are updated with the original and new flight information.
Follow the Accept involuntary changes steps above to process the flight time change.
Example 3 - Flight no longer operating (UN or HX)
The outbound flight, segment 1, is no longer operating and the airline has not rebooked the customer on an alternative flight.
The airline has not offered an alternative. Airlines can send either the status of UN or HX.
In this example, the booking file can be modified to search for an select an alternative flight, or canceled if no suitable alternative is available.
If supported by the airline, if the customer decides not to travel,
Modify involuntary changes
If the traveler is unsatisfied with the new flight options returned by the airline, the agent can look for alternatives. Provided the airline's business rules for involuntary changes are satisfied by the new flights selected, the penalties are waived.
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Select the Change flights button.
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The NDC Air Search (Modify) panel on the left is pre-populated with the current flights. Change the date/time for the undesired flight to something more suitable.
In this example, the airline changed the outbound from 11 NOV to 12 NOV and the user has decided to search for 10 NOV:
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To look for alternative flights, select Search. Alternate flight options display with the price difference showing as $0.00 if the penalties have been waived by the airline.
Note: certain airlines do not support rebooking via the NDC API after flight disruption with penalties waived. If this is the case, the price differences shown for the flight options will not be $0.00. A warning banner displays advising the user they may need to contact the airline directly to rebook without penalties.
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Select the new flight option. The Review and confirm screen displays confirming the flight selections and again displaying that the penalties have been waived.
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After reviewing, select Ticket.
The confirmation screen displays, indicating that the new flights have been booked successfully. If the airline has reissued the ticket, the new tickets are displayed.
Waiver code
Certain airlines may require the user to enter a waiver code to have the penalties waived. If this is the case, the Apply waiver to flight results check box is automatically selected and the user enters the waiver code in the text box.
Cancel involuntary changes
If the traveler is unable to find a suitable alternative, or no longer wishes to travel, he/she may request a refund with penalties waived. Each airline defines its own rules for when and how refunds are allowed, including whether penalties are waived and whether refunds can be processed via Smartpoint Cloud or the Smartpoint Desktop Flight Search NDC plugin.
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In this example, the airline has canceled the outbound entirely and not provided a suitable alternative.
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Select Cancel flights.
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A dialog box displays indicating the original fare and tax and the refundable amount. In this case, the total amount paid is being refunded, so all penalties have been waived.
Select Cancel and refund tickets.
A toast message displays indicating if the cancellation was successful.
Note: Certain airlines do not support rebooking NDC flights after flight disruption with penalties waived. If this is the case, the refundable amount will not be equal to the original fare and taxes, and a warning banner displays advising the user they need to contact the airline directly for refund without penalties. Close the Cancel and Refund window and contact the carrier for a refund request.
Important note: If all the segments in an NDC booking are canceled by the airline, no segments are added back to the booking. No banner is added, and the booking file is placed on Queue 23 for processing.
