Winning Multi-Vendor IATA POC: How Datalex & Partners Delivered End-to-End OOSD

Like-minded airline IT providers, including Datalex, Ink, PROS, Sutherland and Verteil, alongside third-party partners Allianz, Cavu and myclimate, tackled this Proof of Concept (POC) and were crowned the most relevant POC in the Best-in-Breed Multi-Vendor Modularity category by the representatives of 35 airlines in attendance.

The demonstration was conducted live showing an end-to-end customer lifecycle, from initial shopping & booking, through order servicing, up to check in, flight flown, and all services delivered.

While this POC was developed among a group of partners, all modules are agnostic to each other and fully interchangeable, meaning any can easily be swapped in or out and replaced by another likeminded partner.

Together, the group validated the viability of a modular, multi-vendor, true omnichannel interoperable airline retailing ecosystem across Offer, Order, Settle and Deliver (OOSD). Demonstrating a willingness and ability to work together (including between competitors) for the betterment of the industry and the airlines it serves, the group collectively proved that this future of Modern Airline Retailing is closer than we think. Datalex’s valued airline partner, Air Macau, served as the reference airline for this POC, enabling the group to use the airlines flights, products, and services throughout the demonstration.

What we delivered was a working POC that included Verteil as the Travel Agency Seller UI connecting to PROS Offer and Product Management capabilities including product catalog, stock keeper, offer creation and dynamic pricing to offer the relevant, available flight products and services on the selected route and date. Once an offer was selected by the customer, Verteil proceeded to connect to the Datalex Stellex Order Management System to create the order and process payment through Datalex’s standalone payment orchestration product, DLX Pay. As the order and order items were created, Datalex Stellex Order Management integrated with PROS Offer Management system to retrieve the offer and verify that sufficient stock was available. Stock levels were then updated accordingly in PROS’ Stock Keeper and notifications were automatically sent to both Ink’s Delivery Management System and Sutherland’s Order Accounting System to show that there was an order with services to be delivered and accounted for.

Next, we tackled the realistic scenario of the customer wanting to self-service their booking to add additional products to their order closer to the departure date. Demonstrating Datalex’s Stellex Order Management omnichannel capabilities, an order originally created through NDC on the indirect channel was retrieved and serviced through the direct channel, via the .com UI, to service the order through Datalex Stellex Order Management. Using Datalex’s Stellex Offer Management and Product Catalogue, the customer shopped for and booked third-party ancillaries: travel insurance from Allianz and carbon offset from myclimate, with offers coming directly from Allianz and myclimate, integrated into Datalex Stellex Offer Management in real-time. Payment was again processed through DLX Pay and the order was updated with the purchased third-party ancillaries’ products, and the updates were pushed through to Ink and Sutherland and reflected in the order.

The passenger was then checked-in by Ink’s Delivery Management System, and another third-party ancillary was purchased at this time: fast-track security provided by Cavu. This also triggered an update of the order in Datalex Stellex Order management, the single source of truth, with the update in turn pushed through to Ink and Sutherland. The passenger was then boarded and, at the end, the flight set to flown. With each step in the delivery flow; check-in, boarding, and flight flown; a service delivery status update was sent to Datalex Stellex Order Management, ensuring the order always reflected the latest service delivery status. These service delivery status updates were also pushed to Sutherland, allowing them to update the Order Accounting record where needed, with in the end revenue recognised for the relevant products after the service was delivered.

This POC successfully proved that not only is a modular OOSD solution feasible for airlines, but that it can also incorporate additional partners providing non-air products that enrich the customer product proposition at timely touchpoints while also increasing high-margin revenue for the airline.

While all partners involved share the ambition to give retailing control and flexibility to airlines to orchestrate their own commercial strategy, it is worth noting that not all industry IT providers show the same willingness. It is imperative that ecosystems remain open and flexible, ready to incorporate any emerging modules.

A reminder that while this POC was developed among a group of partners, all modules are agnostic to each other and fully interchangeable, meaning any can be swapped in or out and replaced by another.

To find out more about this POC, and how your airline could apply such a solution in reality, get in touch with us today.

For more information, get in touch with us today:

What the POC Partners Say

This POC confirms what Datalex has long believed: a modular, multi-vendor ecosystem doesn’t just work in theory, it works in a live environment. Working alongside technology vendors and third-party ancillary providers, we proved that the Stellex platform integrates seamlessly within a modular ecosystem, with every module operating independently yet performing as if it were one unified system. Modern Airline Retailing at scale is no longer a future ambition, its achievable today and any airline can build toward it.

Datalex

This multi-partner PoC proves that when vendors build on open, modular ecosystems, integration becomes the airline’s choice, not a burden. Every interoperable step we demonstrated cuts effort and de-risks the transition to Offers & Orders, helping airlines capture measurable outcomes that can fund the transformation ahead.

PROS

Bringing five technology partners together in one end-to-end flow showed that modularity is real when everyone works towards a shared goal. Built on NDC and ONE Order standards, our Agency Portal connected seamlessly with PROS and Datalex, proving that an open ecosystem gives airlines the freedom to combine the best solutions for every part of their retailing journey.

Verteil

This POC is a great example of what can be achieved when different players across the industry come together around a shared objective. For us, it was about demonstrating interoperability in practice, across different systems and providers, and showing how Offer, Order and Delivery can work together. This kind of collaboration is key to moving from industry concepts to solutions that airlines can actually adopt.

Ink

Modular order management has been discussed across the industry for years. Working with the PROS, Datalex, and Ink teams, we built a real-time solution that goes beyond mockups and slides: a live order moving from a PROS offer, through booking in Datalex, fulfillment in Ink, and settlement and accounting in altraPRA, with no manual handoffs. What made this work was how our partners approached it. Each brought strong expertise of the airline and customer journeys and treated integration as a shared responsibility. We valued the openness, industry knowledge, and pace of this collaboration and look forward to building on it.

Sutherland

The collaboration between Datalex and myclimate demonstrates how climate contributions can be integrated seamlessly into modern airline retailing. By making these options available within the booking process, airlines can engage customers more effectively and address the emissions associated with their travel while supporting high-quality climate protection projects.

myclimate

Passengers increasingly want the ease to plan and book more of their journey in one place, not just their flight. By bringing services like parking, lounges and transfers into the booking experience, airlines can improve convenience for travellers while unlocking more value for both airports and airline partners. Built by Manchester Airports Group, Cavu combines e-commerce, distribution and lounge expertise to help make those connected travel experiences possible. Datalex has long been at the forefront of airline retailing innovation, and this latest development demonstrates the potential of closer collaboration between airline and airport commerce. Together, we’re showing how a more connected approach can create a better experience for passengers while helping airports and airlines capture greater value across the end-to-end journey.

Cavu

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