Etihad Airways has recently collaborated with Swiss blockchain startup Winding Tree to enhance logistical process in the airline’s distribution system.

Reported by Reuters, the initiative will help the UAE national carrier bypass “overpriced” third-party operators that are handling inventories such as flight times, travel itineraries, and baggage tracing. By using the platform, enterprises can show their available inventory directly to clients.

“Very few have chosen to disrupt the distribution world and that’s because those are major players with very significant margins that have acted to keep that kind of a closed shop,” Etihad Director of Digital and Innovation Tristan Thomas stated.

Built in June 2017 on Ethereum, Winding Tree decentralized B2B marketplace system helped companies gain direct access to travel service providers’ offerings and decrease the influence of third parties. After 2 years, it is now appearing in various airlines, hotels, and tourism offices around the globe, including Air Canada, Air France-KLM, Lufthansa, Swissport, and Nordic Choice.

“We have been doing experiments and new solutions on the platform. Ultimately, that benefits the consumer. When there’s innovation, you start to have disruption, you have competition which results in better prices for consumers,” said Winding Tree’s CEO Pedro Anderson.

In June, global professional services giant Accenture has reportedly signed an official agreement with the Canadian and Dutch governments, Air France-KLM, and Air Canada to use blockchain in identifying travelers, a deal dubbed as “Known Traveler Digital Identity.”