WHY IT RATES: ARC will now allow travelers to pay for tickets using Alipay, one of the most popular online payment systems used by more than 500 million individuals. —Janeen Christoff, TravelPulse Senior Writer
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Airlines Reporting Corp. (ARC) is pleased to announce that it is now offering airlines the ability to accept Alipay as a form of payment for tickets sold through the travel agency channel. Alipay is a mobile and online payment platform based in China with more than 500 million users. ARC’s new offering to agencies is made possible by its partnership with Universal Air Travel Plan (UATP).
“Alipay is widely recognized as one of the largest payment platforms in the world, and as people from China travel to the U.S. they want to use their preferred payment method,” said Chuck Fischer, ARC’s managing director of airline services.
“For airlines that choose to accept Alipay, ARC now provides the means to extend this payment platform to the agency channel,” added Fischer. “ARC continues to work with UATP to enable other payment options for airlines and agencies that can be easily integrated into their revenue accounting systems.”
As airlines and online travel agencies seek ways to enhance the customer experience, providing payment options that are familiar and seamless is key to gaining and retaining those customers.
ARC anticipates that its airline and agency customers will desire to accept Alipay in the very near future. And when they are ready, ARC will be ready to support them.
“Customer demand for Alipay and other payment options continues to grow and we want to fulfill that demand,” stated UATP’s vice president of business development, Tom Cunningham. “Having the agency channel ready for Alipay acceptance is crucial; naturally, working with ARC is fundamental to meet this demand.”
SOURCE: Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC) press release.
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