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Finnair to expand EDIFACT surcharge into Asian markets to continue distribution transformation

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To accelerate the technology transformation and to recover cost of traditional distribution, Finnair will be introducing a surcharge in the EDIFACT legacy channel in Asian markets starting from December 2022. The surcharge will be applied for itineraries commencing in India, Israel, Japan, Korea, Qatar, Singapore, Thailand, United Arab Emirates and offline markets and will be based on fare component. Surcharge per fare component will be 12€ or equivalent in the local currency. 

Finnair has previously announced the ambitious target to end support for all legacy EDIFACT content across the travel sector by end of 2025 to drive a major change within the industry and boost further customer choice through NDC (New Distribution Capability). 

NDC is the new travel standard being adopted by the travel industry which enables airlines to offer more personalized products than traditional distribution channels through enhanced available content.  

Finnair has been actively developing NDC together with other industry partners since 2016, and as a constantly evolving capability new features are added on a continuous basis. 

In July 2022 Finnair introduced the following changes in distribution for travel starting from Europe:  

  • Removal of Finnair Light fare brand from EDIFACT 
  • EDIFACT surcharge for cost recovery (12€ per fare component) 

The same changes will now be applied to travel commencing in above mentioned markets in Asia and Middle East. 

Finnair is actively working on modern NDC-only content, e.g. additional price points and the ability to bundle consumer offerings to trade partners’ customers. 

Following the change, travel agents will have access to the best trade content via NDC. Partners have the possibility to source Finnair NDC content either by creating a direct connection to Finnair NDC APIs, by utilizing Finnair Agency Sales Tool FAST or by using one of Finnair´s Certified NDC Aggregators.  

More information about Finnair NDC can be found in Easy here and in top navigation bar.
We have also gathered most Frequently Asked Questions to support the change. 

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**UPDATE 03NOV** Hong Kong removed from countries impacted and notification added that also Light fare removal applies to markets mentioned.