WASHINGTON, Jan. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- UATP (Universal Air
Travel Plan), the low cost payment network, today announced the
selection of SITA to provide a next-generation authorization and
settlement infrastructure for its payment system, which annually
processes transactions worth more than $12
billion.
The arrangement between SITA and UATP will cover the delivery of
payment services including an authorization and settlement
processing platform, as well as hosting and customer support
services. The solution for UATP incorporates Horizon Payment
Services, which is a key component of Horizon, SITA's
next-generation passenger management system.
UATP's connectivity reaches over 95% of the world's airline
passenger-carrying capacity and provides low-cost alternatives to
expensive credit card and merchant service fees. Airlines can
completely avoid credit card fees if their corporate clients
purchase tickets on the airline that issued their UATP card.
Ralph Kaiser, UATP, President and
CEO, said: "UATP is strategically growing its network encompassing
hotel and car rental merchants and expanding our alternative forms
of payment processing. Updating our infrastructure with SITA's
cutting-edge technology allows for our planned expansion and
improved efficiencies with new systems."
SITA's new technology will replace UATP's existing
infrastructure, which has been in place since 2000 and was provided
by multiple suppliers.
Kaiser added: "For UATP there are significant benefits to
dealing with a single supplier, and in particular with SITA,
because this organization understands both the industry in which we
operate, and complex payment systems. SITA is a unique partner;
unlike any other it has a mandate, like UATP, to serve the airline
community and to reduce costs wherever possible."
SITA has a 25 year history in travel payments including credit
card authorization services that manage more than 24 million
transactions per year from GDSs and airline reservations systems to
all major credit card schemes.
Brian Cook, SITA Vice President,
Passenger Solutions, said: "SITA's global trend surveys have shown
the continued adoption of online booking and the growing importance
of kiosk and mobile payments. Airlines need an integrated
payment infrastructure that is accessible from all touch points and
routes transactions to the most appropriate payment channel.
"Our major investment in the Horizon passenger management
solutions and our experience in the air travel payment business
combined with our global IT and communications infrastructure will
bring huge benefits to UATP and its customers. UATP's selection
demonstrates that the market clearly sees the value that SITA
brings to passenger processing."
SITA is using Authentic, the payment engine from Alaric, the SOA
(service-oriented architecture)-oriented payment software provider,
as a component of its next-generation payment infrastructure.
Over the past two years airlines from all parts of the globe
tapped UATP's network and expertise to solve a myriad of
distribution and payment-related challenges ranging from corporate
travel charge programs, prepaid card solutions and government
travel initiatives. UATP's unique ability to deliver solutions that
enable airlines to grow their business while decreasing their cost
of sale has led to a record number of carriers joining the
Network.
Over 250 airlines and thousands of travel agencies accept UATP
as a low-cost form of payment for air travel, service fees,
management fees and net fares. Not only does this make UATP an
impressive network for corporate clients who use it as their
preferred form of payment but those entities that accept UATP save
money because of low merchant service charges.
Notes to Editors:
About SITA
SITA is the world's leading specialist in air transport
communications and IT solutions. SITA delivers and manages business
solutions for airline, airport, GDS, government and other customers
over the world's most extensive network, which forms the
communications backbone of the global air transport industry.
SITA's portfolio includes managed global communications,
infrastructure and outsourcing services, as well as services for
airline commercial management and passenger operations, flight
operations, aircraft operations and air-to-ground communications,
airport management and operations, baggage operations,
transportation security and border management, cargo operations and
more.
With a customer service team of over 1,900 staff around the
world, SITA invests significantly in achieving best-in-class
customer service, providing integrated local and global support for
both its communications and IT application services.
SITA has two main subsidiaries: OnAir, which is the leading
provider of in-flight connectivity, and CHAMP Cargosystems, the
world's only IT company dedicated solely to air cargo. SITA also
operates two joint ventures providing services to the air transport
community: Aviareto for aircraft asset management and CertiPath for
secure electronic identity management.
SITA is one of the world's most international companies. Its
global reach is based on local presence, with services for over 550
air transport industry members and 3,200 customers in over 200
countries and territories. Set up in 1949 with 11 member airlines,
SITA today employs people of more than 140 nationalities, speaking
over 70 different languages. SITA had consolidated revenues of over
US$1.49 billion (euro 1.07 billion) in 2009.
For further information go to www.sita.aero
About UATP
UATP accounts are accepted as a form of payment for corporate
business travel worldwide by airlines, travel agencies and
Amtrak®. UATP accounts are issued by Air New Zealand
(ANZFF.PK), American Airlines (NYSE: AMR), Austrian Airlines
(AUALF.PK), China Eastern Airlines, Continental Airlines (NYSE:
CAL), Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL), El Al Israel Airlines Ltd., GOL
Linhas aereas inteligentes S.A. (NYSE: GOL and Bovespa: GOLL4),
Japan Airlines (JALSY.PK), Qantas Airways, Ltd. (QUBSF.PK), United
Airlines (Nasdaq: UAUA), and US Airways (NYSE: LCC). AirPlus
International issues the UATP-based Company Account for: British
Airways (LSE: BAY.L), Continental Airlines (NYSE: CAL), and
Lufthansa German Airlines.
For more information go to www.uatp.com
About Alaric
Headquartered in London and
with international offices in the U.S., Malaysia and Australia, Alaric is a leading supplier of
advanced technology payments based products and services. Alaric
offers solutions for both SOA-based (service-oriented architecture)
and conventional multi channel payments integration, card
authorization, switching and routing, enterprise wide fraud
detection and card fraud detection. Alaric's products are 100%
written in Java and are fully platform independent and scalable to
meet the needs of the largest institutions and processors.
Alaric is entirely focused on the payments industry and has a
highly qualified team of payments and systems professionals which
concentrates on designing and delivering sophisticated payment
solutions based on Alaric's software products.
For more information go to www.alaric.com
SOURCE UATP