JAL on NDC: Group Air to Japan After the Change

Japan Airlines and Amadeus announced on 24 September 2026 that agencies on the Amadeus Travel Platform in 26 countries and regions can sell JAL Group international tickets through NDC, the airline-distribution standard. Sales began in Japan on 1 October 2026 and overseas from 13 October, market by market. Our Japan team explains the detail in its guide to JAL's NDC rollout. This note looks at it from the group side.

Why Agents Are Asking About It

• New content on screen. NDC can show fare families, bundles, seats and extras that traditional channels do not, so individual JAL fares may look different in your system.
• Mixed files. Many Japan programmes combine a group block with a few clients flying on their own. Those individual add-ons are where NDC shows up first.
• Timing differs by market. The rollout is gradual, so two agencies in different countries may not see the same thing on the same day.

What Stays the Same for Groups

• Group desks. Groups of ten or more usually go through the airline's group desk, with negotiated fares and their own deposit and naming deadlines.
• Who issues tickets. A DMC can request and hold seats for a programme. Your agency or its consolidator issues the tickets; Explera does not.
• The ground follows the air. Transfers, first-night hotel check-in and guide start times are fixed once the flights are confirmed, whichever channel booked them.

How to Handle a Mixed File

• Book the group block through the group desk as before, and keep its name list on the airline's timeline.
• Price individual add-ons on whichever channel your agency uses, and compare NDC and traditional offers before quoting.
• Send us every arrival time, group and individual, so each transfer is set to a confirmed flight.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does NDC change how we book group air to Japan?

Not directly. Groups of ten or more generally still go through airline group desks and negotiated fares. Ask your airline contact about your specific programme.

When can my agency sell JAL through NDC?

It depends on your market and Amadeus set-up. Sales began in Japan on 1 October 2026 and overseas from 13 October 2026, and the rollout across 26 countries and regions is gradual.

Can Explera issue the air tickets for our group?

No. We request and hold seats and coordinate arrivals for the ground programme. Your agency or its consolidator issues the tickets.

What should we send Explera once the flights are set?

Every arrival and departure time, for the group and for any clients flying separately, so we can fix transfers, hotel check-in and guide times to confirmed flights.

Sources: Japan Airlines and Amadeus joint press release, 24 September 2026 and Travel Voice, 1 October 2026.

Where Explera Fits

Our Japan team plans the coaches, hotels and guides around your confirmed flights, group and individual alike.

Write to b2b@explera.jp or message +66 93 656 8090 on WhatsApp. Explera DMC is IATA TIDS-registered (96215733) and an ASTA member (900408341).