Accelya today announced the launch of the Modern Retailing Readiness Score (MRRS), a new interactive assessment designed to help corporate travel buyers understand how prepared their travel programs are to capture the value of Modern Airline Retailing.
MRRS will be introduced at Accelya’s Business Travel Innovation Group (BIG) event at GBTA, where leading corporate travel programs come together to discuss industry adoption trends, practical barriers and the next phase of Modern Airline Retailing.
Modern Airline Retailing is creating new opportunities for corporate travel programs to access richer content, more relevant offers, improved traveler experiences and greater value. But adoption remains uneven. Many buyers understand the potential of NDC and modern retailing, but still face a practical question: where does our programs and supplier ecosystem stand today, and what should we do next?
Developed by Accelya with independent insights from temoji consulting, MRRS was shaped by interviews with over 20 leading corporate travel programs representing more than $2.3 billion in annual corporate air spend. Those discussions highlighted a consistent theme: the market has moved beyond basic awareness of NDC. The next challenge is execution.
The findings from this research have also been published in Accelya’s new white paper, The Modern Airline Retailing Readiness Gap, providing buyers with additional insights into the challenges, opportunities, and capabilities shaping the industry’s transition to Modern Airline Retailing.
“Corporate travel buyers increasingly recognize that Modern Airline Retailing can unlock better content, better experiences and greater value,” said Jim Davidson, Vice Chairman, Accelya. “The challenge is knowing whether their program and ecosystem are ready to capture that value. MRRS gives buyers a practical way to understand where they stand, where gaps exist, and which actions will have the biggest impact.”
The assessment evaluates readiness across key capability areas, including:
- Strategy and governance — whether the organization has a clear roadmap for Modern Airline Retailing adoption.
- Technology and content access — whether buyers can access and book Modern Airline Retailing content through managed channels.
- Processes and operational readiness — whether booking, servicing, disruption, refunds and exchanges can be supported at scale.
- Supplier collaboration and ecosystem alignment — whether airlines, TMCs, OBTs and internal stakeholders are aligned around adoption.
- Data, reporting and value measurement — whether the program can measure adoption, savings, traveler experience and wider business impact.
- Change management and organizational alignment — whether teams, travelers and stakeholders are prepared to scale adoption over time.
After completing the assessment, buyers receive a personalized readiness score, maturity profile, estimated value opportunities and practical recommendations for next steps.
MRRS is designed for organizations at every stage of adoption, from those just beginning to explore Modern Airline Retailing to programs already scaling NDC and richer airline content across selected markets and carriers.
Individual company results will remain confidential. As participation grows, Accelya plans to use anonymized and aggregated results to develop benchmark insights showing how corporate travel programs are progressing, where common gaps remain, and which capabilities are most closely linked to value capture.
“Buyers told us they understand the direction of travel but need a clearer way to assess their own readiness and that of their value chain,” said Paul Tilstone, Founder, temoji consulting. “MRRS turns those buyer insights into a practical framework. It helps organizations see where they are today, where they may be underprepared, and what they can do to move from adoption to value capture.”
The launch of MRRS marks the first step in a broader Accelya initiative to help corporate travel programs accelerate modern retailing adoption. Over the coming year, Accelya plans to expand the program with additional benchmark findings, buyer research, implementation guidance and thought leadership.
