TH7DL06O Digital Technology and Innovation Assessment Brief 2026

TH7DL06O Assessment Brief

The assessment for this module is a portfolio consisting of three short essays each focusing on three different topics:

Topic 1 – Assess IATA’s New Distribution Capability (NDC) and its ability to address limitations in airline distribution

Airline distribution is undergoing a long-promised transformation, but the impact of IATA’s NDC remains contested and its adoption limited. Students should evaluate whether NDC meaningfully addresses long-standing distribution limitations or whether structural, commercial, or technological barriers limit its effect.

Possible essay titles:

1. Disintermediation or Delusion? Assessing IATA’s NDC Against the Structural Inertia of the GDS Oligopoly.

2. Beyond the API: A Critical Evaluation of Whether NDC Reduces Legacy Distribution Complexity or Merely Relocates It to New Systems

3. The Retailing Mirage: Assessing the Efficacy of IATA’s NDC in Disrupting Established Airline Distribution Practices

Topic 2 – Evaluate the Role of Social Media Technologies in the marketing and customer service strategy of air transport organisations.

Social media are highly powerful platforms designed for communication, visibility and engagement with audience. Airlines rely on them for a variety of purposes, from marketing (brand building, promotions…) to customer support (issue resolution, communication during disruptions…), a mixed use that can generate conflicts and inconsistencies. Students should reflect on how commercial airlines use social media platforms, assessing the risks and opportunities of such tools.

Possible essay titles:

1. The Weaponisation of Passenger Grievance: Assessing the Risks of Using Social Media as a Public Digital Space During Operational Disruption

2. Vanity Metrics vs. Yield Generation: A Critical Evaluation of Algorithmic Dependency in Airline Social Marketing.

3. The Expectation-Reality Dissonance: Analysing the Misalignment Between Airline Brand Messaging on Social Media and Operational Realities

Topic 3 – Assess the role of digital technologies in improving airline and airport operational processes

For this final part, you must choose an airline or airport operational area (e.g., turnaround coordination, baggage systems, crew optimisation, disruption management, aircraft routing,…), and assess how modern digital technologies are contributing to greater efficiency or performance improvements in this area, and what impact those technologies are having on the key stakeholders involved, such as passengers and airline personnel.

Some example of possible topics and essay titles:

• Assessing How Biometric Identity Technologies Are Streamlining Passenger Flow at Airports
• Evaluating the Contribution of AI and Data Analytics to Improving Flight Planning Efficiency
• Operational Efficiency vs Employee Satisfaction: Analysing the Role of Advanced Crew Pairing and Rostering in Commercial Airlines

In your assignment you are expected to apply relevant academic theories and support your considerations with evidence coming from research or from the industry.

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