EDIFACT

EDIFACT (Electronic Data Interchange for Administration, Commerce, and Transport) is an international standard designed for the structured exchange of electronic business documents between organizations. 

In the airline industry, it has long served as the core data exchange format connecting airlines, global distribution systems (GDSs), and other travel intermediaries. EDIFACT supports the transmission of key operational and commercial data — such as flight schedules, availability, pricing, reservations, ticketing, and messaging — across disparate systems, forming the backbone of traditional air travel distribution and interline communication.

In recent years, airlines have been transitioning from the 40‑year‑old EDIFACT to a newer XML-based format as part of the New Distribution Capability (NDC) initiative by IATA. This shift is crucial for supporting modern retail-style selling and creating a richer, more flexible shopping experience for travelers in the aviation market.