myRiva’s Tech Leap Pushes Airlines Into Modern Retail Era

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – May 01, 2026 – A quiet revolution is reshaping how airline tickets are bought and sold, and AI-driven travel marketplace myRiva is positioning itself at the epicenter of this change. The company announced that nearly 82% of its flight bookings on participating airlines are now powered by New Distribution Capability (NDC) Direct Connect, a modern data standard designed to overhaul the industry's antiquated booking systems. This figure is more than double the average adoption rate across the broader travel sector, marking a significant milestone in the long-promised digital transformation of air travel.

For decades, travelers and airlines have been constrained by legacy Global Distribution Systems (GDS), technology rooted in the 1960s that presents a limited, static view of flight options. myRiva, in partnership with airline software leader Accelya, is accelerating the move away from this model, leveraging direct connections that allow airlines to function less like simple transportation providers and more like sophisticated digital retailers.

"We're at a turning point in how travel is distributed and experienced," said Michael Kubasik, myRiva President, in a statement accompanying the announcement. "NDC allows us to move beyond static, outdated systems and deliver a more modern, connected experience for both airlines and travelers."

From Static Fares to Dynamic Offers

The shift to NDC is about more than just a new technical standard; it represents a fundamental change in the philosophy of airline retailing. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) developed NDC to enable airlines to transmit richer content and personalized offers through an XML-based data language, much like how modern e-commerce sites operate.

Under the old system, a flight search would typically return a list of fares with cryptic codes and limited information, making it difficult for consumers to compare the true value of different tickets. Ancillary products like checked bags, seat selection, Wi-Fi access, and lounge passes were often handled in separate, clunky transactions.

NDC dismantles this fragmented process. By connecting directly to airline systems, platforms like myRiva can present travelers with a comprehensive, transparent view of what each fare includes. Airlines can dynamically create and bundle offers in real-time, tailoring them to a traveler's loyalty status, travel history, or specific needs. A business traveler might be offered a bundle with priority boarding and Wi-Fi, while a family might see an offer that includes pre-selected adjacent seats and extra baggage. This allows consumers to make more informed decisions, comparing not just the base price but the entire value proposition of their journey.

A Catalyst in a Slow-Moving Industry

While the benefits of NDC are clear, the airline industry's transition has been notoriously slow. Implementing the new standard requires significant investment in technology and a complex re-architecting of core systems. Recent industry analyses suggest that while many carriers are making progress, only about a quarter of airlines have begun a full-scale transition to modern order and offer management. This context makes myRiva's 82% adoption rate for its partner carriers particularly noteworthy.

The company’s success highlights the critical role of agile, tech-forward intermediaries in accelerating industry-wide change. By building its platform around this modern standard from the ground up, myRiva provides a ready-made solution for airlines eager to modernize their distribution without undertaking the entire technological overhaul themselves.

This effort is bolstered by its partnership with Accelya, a powerhouse in airline software whose FLX platform processes over 50% of all global NDC transactions. "As airlines continue modernizing their retail and distribution strategies, it's increasingly important that corporate travel environments can support richer airline content and modern offers," commented Tye Radcliffe, Accelya's Chief Customer Success Officer. He noted that platforms like myRiva are essential for surfacing this direct content, while Accelya's technology enables airlines "to create, manage and distribute modern offers and orders at scale."

The Future of the Flight Aisle

myRiva's achievement is a significant indicator of where the industry is heading. The momentum is building toward a future where the concepts of NDC are just the beginning. The next frontier is already taking shape with initiatives like IATA's ONE Order, which aims to consolidate the multiple records associated with a single booking—like the Passenger Name Record (PNR) and e-ticket—into a single, simplified customer order. This would streamline everything from accounting to post-booking service and fulfillment.

Parallel to this simplification is the rise of continuous and dynamic pricing. Powered by AI, this model moves beyond the rigid, pre-set fare classes of the past. Instead, prices can be adjusted in real-time based on a vast array of data points, including demand, competitor pricing, and individual customer profiles. This allows airlines to optimize revenue with unparalleled precision while potentially offering more personalized price points to travelers.

As these technologies mature, the act of booking a flight will increasingly resemble a personalized, interactive shopping experience. The success of platforms like myRiva in rapidly deploying NDC demonstrates that the technology to power this future is not only viable but is actively delivering value today, pushing a legacy-bound industry toward a more dynamic and customer-centric digital age.