Stripe and Alaska Airlines to Roll Out Tap to Pay on iPhone for In-Flight Purchases

Financial infrastructure platform Stripe announced its partnership with Alaska Airlines. In this partnership, Stripe is introducing Tap to Pay on iPhone which enables the airline to process contactless payment in-flight. 

This feature means that you no longer need to swipe your credit card or your debit card when you order snacks and drinks during your flight. 

7,000 Crew Members Will Start Accepting Payments via iPhone

Alaska Airlines’ Managing Director of Product Development Patrick O’Brien said “We are motivated to make our employees’ lives at work easier by deploying innovative technology.” O’Brien added, “Instead of navigating complex tech, they’re able to focus on providing the most caring experience for our guests. Transitioning to Tap to Pay on iPhone with the help of Stripe is creating a more seamless payments workflow– with no new devices required and an easy-to-use setup for our crew.”

More than 7,000 crew members will be able to accept payments using only an airline-issued iPhone. This removes the need for an additional card reader or terminal when passengers order food and drinks. Flight attendants will also use iPhones to check if passengers are in the right seats and ensure that they receive the right pre-ordered meals.

Charu Jain, senior vice president of innovation and merchandising for Alaska Airlines said “We’re constantly innovating to give our guests the most seamless and caring experience possible.” Jain added, “We’re proud to partner with Stripe to be the first airline to bring Apple’s Tap to Pay on iPhone technology to flight.” 

Eileen O’Mara, the chief revenue officer of Stripe said that “Our partnership to introduce in-flight contactless payments keeps unnecessary hardware on the tarmac.” 

Contactless Payment Using Tap to Pay

So how does it work? When a passenger pays for a snack or beverage, they can use their Apple Watch or iPhone to pay using Apple Pay. And it makes use of NFC technology for its security. Passengers can expect this new feature to roll out in select flights in the coming months.