📦 01 — Flight Supply Strategy
Section Purpose: Defines the core supply model decision — OTA vs NDC vs Hybrid — and evaluates specific suppliers for the India ↔ GCC corridor.
Documents in This Section
| # |
Document |
Description |
Read Time |
| 1 |
complete-findings.md |
Foundational analysis of OTA, NDC, and Hybrid supply models with trade-off matrices and a weighted decision framework |
~5 min |
| 2 |
aggregated-reference.md |
Comprehensive consolidated reference covering architecture, algorithms, financial models, resilience, and governance — the most detailed strategy doc |
~20 min |
| 3 |
supplier-comparison-duffel-verteil.md |
Head-to-head Duffel vs Verteil comparison for the India ↔ GCC corridor, with implementation roadmap |
~5 min |
| 4 |
strategy-flashcards.md |
Interactive markdown flashcards to test your knowledge on supply models, economics, and architecture |
~3 min |
Suggested Reading Order
flowchart LR
A["1. Complete Findings\n(Foundations)"] --> B["2. Aggregated Reference\n(Deep Dive)"]
B --> C["3. Duffel vs Verteil\n(Supplier Decision)"]
C --> D["4. Flashcards\n(Self-Test)"]
- Start with complete-findings.md — understand the three supply models and their trade-offs
- Deep dive into aggregated-reference.md — architecture, algorithms, financial models, and governance
- Finish with supplier-comparison-duffel-verteil.md — actionable supplier decision for the GCC corridor
- Test your knowledge with strategy-flashcards.md — interactive flashcards
Key Insights Summary
- Hybrid model recommended for most startups: start OTA, add NDC selectively, consider checkout last
- Duffel recommended as primary supplier for MVP (broad coverage, developer-friendly API)
- Verteil as secondary for GCC corridor depth (Emirates, Etihad, Qatar direct NDC)
- Break-even in base scenario requires ~5.46M searches/month at $150K monthly fixed burn
- Architecture must be supplier-agnostic from day one — suppliers are plugins behind stable contracts
Glossary
| Term |
Definition |
| OTA |
Online Travel Agency — third-party booking platform (e.g., Booking.com, MakeMyTrip) |
| NDC |
New Distribution Capability — IATA standard for airline retail APIs |
| DAI |
Direct Airline Integration — connecting directly to airline systems |
| GDS |
Global Distribution System — legacy intermediary (Amadeus, Sabre, Travelport) |
| CPC |
Cost Per Click — revenue earned per user click-through to an OTA |
| CPA |
Cost Per Acquisition — revenue earned per confirmed booking |
| RPS |
Revenue Per 1,000 Searches — key unit economics metric |
| LCC |
Low-Cost Carrier — budget airlines (e.g., IndiGo, Air Arabia) |
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