Accelya wins IATA recognition across airline retailing

Accelya has been recognised under the International Air Transport Association's Airline Retailing Maturity Index for IATA 24.1 capabilities, covering four parts of the airline retailing process.

The software supplier's recognition spans Shop, Order, Pay and Account, four of the streams covered by the industry framework. The assessment sits within IATA's Capabilities Verification pillar, which is intended to show how companies are progressing towards airline retailing standards.

IATA has said the ARM Index replaces the earlier NDC and ONE Order certification registries. The change gives airlines and technology providers a broader industry reference point as carriers shift from older distribution and fulfilment models to retailing systems that link shopping, booking, payment and back-office processes.

According to Accelya, the latest recognition reflects work across the full retailing cycle rather than only the customer-facing shopping layer. Creating an offer is only one part of the process, it said, with airlines also needing to manage orders, payment, servicing, accounting, delivery and settlement in a consistent way.

Industry shift

Airlines have been trying to modernise retailing without rebuilding every system at once. Many carriers are attempting to connect newer offer and order management tools with long-established finance, servicing and settlement systems, making interoperability and standards compliance an important issue.

Within the ARM framework, IATA verifies capabilities across six streams: Shop, Order, Pay, Account, Settle and Setup. Recognition in four of those areas gives Accelya coverage across both commercial and financial workflows tied to airline sales and fulfilment.

Its FLX ONE platform is built on an open, modular model, allowing airlines to adopt parts of the system without moving to a single technology stack. The approach is aimed at carriers that want to update retailing processes progressively rather than replace core systems in one step.

Scale remains a central selling point in the airline software market, where providers are competing to support large transaction volumes while aligning with IATA standards. Accelya said FLX ONE supports about 50% of global NDC volumes, settles more than USD $100 billion annually and processes 8 trillion offers a year.

Executive comment

Tim Reiz, chief product and technology officer at Accelya, described the recognition as evidence of broader coverage across the airline retailing chain.

"Modern airline retailing does not stop when an offer is created. The value comes when airlines can connect offers to orders, payment, servicing, accounting, delivery and settlement. Accelya's IATA 24.1 ARM recognition reflects the breadth of our platform and our commitment to helping airlines modernize retailing as an end-to-end operating model, not a set of disconnected point solutions," Reiz said.

Accelya also linked the recognition to its wider strategy of letting airlines modernise without being tied to one system of record or a vendor-controlled stack. The position reflects a broader debate in airline technology, where carriers have sought more flexibility in how shopping, fulfilment and settlement functions are assembled.

The platform is structured to support Offer, Order, Settlement and Delivery through standards-aligned components, while allowing airlines to connect workflows covering offer creation, order management, payment, accounting, servicing, delivery and settlement at their own pace, according to the company.

Accelya also pointed to continued investment in newer areas of airline retailing, including AI-enabled workflows through FLX AIViator, work with AWS, and engagement with IATA and member airlines on the Modular Exchange Framework. These efforts show how software providers are positioning themselves for the next phase of standards-based retailing as airlines seek tighter links between customer sales channels and operational systems.

IATA's decision to consolidate older certification programmes into the ARM Index is likely to increase attention on comparative validation across a wider range of retailing functions, not just distribution messaging. For suppliers such as Accelya, recognition in several streams offers a way to demonstrate coverage across shopping, orders, payments and accounting as airlines continue to rework how they sell and service travel.