Ink Innovation's analysis of IATA's October 2026 survey of technology providers
Airline retailing is moving towards Offers and Orders. Providers are investing, new capabilities are widely available to demonstrate, and some airlines are testing them. But IATA's latest survey1 reveals a gap between what technology can do today and what airlines can deploy at scale.
It also raises an important question:
How do we ensure that new retailing capabilities translate into everyday airline operations, particularly when airlines and their partners transition at different speeds?
The survey covers 19 IT providers, including Ink Innovation. Participating incumbent PSS vendors represent more than two-thirds of that market, although most respondents are not PSS providers. The findings reflect companies' own assessments of their capabilities and plans, not independently verified results.
Here, we put together some observations from the Ink team.
Readiness is not the same as rollout
Just 21% of providers say all their solutions for a fully legacy-free Offers and Orders environment are ready. Another 53% put their readiness between 50% and 80%, while 26% are below 50% or have only recently begun development.
Around three-quarters report being more than halfway ready, and providers can demonstrate capabilities in over 90% of cases. That is progress, but it does not mean those systems are all running at airline scale.
More pilots, but not yet proof of scale
The number of reported proofs of concept and pilots rose from 48 to 72, including 26 production pilots, up from 20. These count airline-provider pairings, not distinct airlines. Full-scope Offer and Order Management contracts increased from seven to around ten.
Reported multi-year investment has increased by about 70% compared with the previous survey. This reflects disclosed commitments, not annual spending. The bigger question is how much of this activity translates into wider deployments that can handle everyday servicing, partners and operational exceptions.
Most expected value depends on legacy-free Orders
Providers estimate that around 20% of the potential value of modern airline retailing can be achieved on existing passenger service systems through NDC and current Offer Management. They believe the remaining 80% requires legacy-free Order Management, including changes to Product, Offer, Finance and Delivery Management, as well as airline partnerships. These are perceived benefits, not financial returns already achieved.
An airline can offer better prices and products while still relying on older systems to service and fulfil them. That means commercial improvements may come first, while the larger operational changes take much longer.
For airlines, this reinforces the importance of planning the transition across different business domains, rather than focusing solely on Offer and Order Management. It also means identifying where value can already be delivered today, without waiting for a complete move away from legacy systems.
Delivery is taking longer than earlier plans suggested
IATA describes the transition in three phases:
- Build foundations through 2026.
- Go live and scale from 2027 to 2029.
- Industrialise and begin retiring legacy systems from 2030 into the mid-2030s.
The leading 25% of providers expect to be live with airlines by 2027, and some already are. Among the fastest 75%, Offers are expected to go live by 2027, but Orders and fulfilment not until 2028 or 2029. Those go-live estimates are one to two years later than last year's forecasts. Accounting, delivery and interlining are among the areas expected to follow later.
Delivery development timelines have shifted by around 18 to 24 months compared with the previous survey. From Ink's perspective, this highlights an important challenge. Delivery is not simply the final step of the retailing process. It needs to be considered and developed alongside Offer and Order Management, ensuring that services sold can be recognised, serviced and delivered throughout the passenger journey. This becomes particularly important during the transition, when airlines need to operate with both traditional systems and Orders, while working with partners at different stages of adoption. Delivery, therefore, needs to be part of the transition planning from the start rather than addressed later.
Retiring legacy is a separate milestone
The report's definition of technical 'decommissioning' is modest: an IT provider's first airline customer stops synchronising with a legacy system for at least 1,000 travellers. That is a test of independence, not a complete shutdown. Front runners expect to reach it around 2027–2028, with the wider group following around 2029–2030. Full switch-off is projected around 2029 for front runners and 2032 for the majority.
Airlines should therefore expect old and new systems to coexist for years. During that period, translators, interfaces and reconciliation still have to be maintained. Adding a new capability does not automatically eliminate legacy costs.
The challenge is to make this coexistence work in everyday operations while gradually introducing new capabilities and reducing dependence on legacy systems.
Modularity is advancing; integration remains the test
All respondents say they support modular, interoperable systems. Some 95% report interoperability between business domains, and 90% say more than half of their individual modules are interoperable. Almost all are willing to work in multi-vendor environments, although fewer, 84%, say they are fully confident in the outcome.
That gives airlines more choice of suppliers, but also makes the connections between systems critical. When a passenger's entitlement changes, every relevant system must recognise it. When something goes wrong, responsibilities across providers must be clear.
Interoperability, therefore, needs to go beyond technical connectivity. Whether it is a new service purchased after check-in, a flight disruption or an interline journey involving airlines using different systems, information must flow between the different platforms and partners involved. These are also the scenarios we have been exploring with industry partners through the IATA Offers and Orders POCs, looking at how new capabilities can work together across the passenger journey.
Capacity matters as well: the average provider says it can handle only two to four airline implementations at the same time. A sharp increase in demand would put those plans to the test.
What airlines should take from the survey
For airlines planning their move to Offers and Orders, Ink stresses four practical points:
Start with what is available today. Not every benefit depends on a legacy-free Order system. Airlines can improve offers and distribution on current infrastructure while building a longer-term transition plan. A modular approach can also help introduce new capabilities progressively, without waiting for the entire transformation to be completed.
Treat early projects as shared learning. Define what each pilot is expected to prove, including servicing and disruption scenarios, rather than treating a successful demonstration as evidence of readiness at scale.
Plan for old and new systems to run together. Set separate milestones for building capabilities, going live and retiring legacy. Track the cost of running both environments as carefully as the benefits of the new one. Consider how Delivery and other operational capabilities will support this coexistence from the beginning.
Test the connections and confirm capacity. Ask providers to demonstrate how their systems work with other suppliers and with the airline's existing technology. Focus on real operational scenarios, not just technical integration.
The survey confirms that the industry is making progress, but also that the transition will take time, with different capabilities, airlines and partners moving at different speeds. The challenge is not only building the technology but making the transition work in practice while continuing to deliver value to airlines and their passengers.
At Ink, we work with airlines and technology partners to make Delivery part of this transition from the start. Whether you are exploring your first steps towards Offers and Orders or already implementing new capabilities, our team helps assess what is possible today, how new and existing systems can work together and where to start creating value.
1 Source: IATA, Readiness and Roadmap to 100% Offers & Orders: Through the lens of IT providers, Update 2026, October 2026. Survey data is self-reported by 19 IT providers. Analysis and implications are Ink's interpretation.
