Virgin Atlantic implements payment orchestration with CellPoint Digital

Move will drive significant cost reductions and improve conversion rates

Virgin Atlantic Airlines and its affiliated tour operator, Virgin Atlantic Holidays, have teamed up with payment solutions provider CellPoint Digital to implement the its digital payments orchestration platform.

The full implementation promises "seamless and secure" payment transactions for travellers and aims to set "new benchmarks for efficiency and customer satisfaction" in the airline industry's payment landscape.

By partnering with CellPoint Digital, Virgin Atlantic will see reduced transaction costs by leveraging intelligent routing capabilities, gain more control over their payment processes and acquirer relationships, and centralise the management of their entire payment ecosystem through a single unified platform.

"Virgin Atlantic are high-performing, global enterprises with a reputation for innovation – ideal candidates for Payment Orchestration," said Kristian Gjerding, chief executive officer of CellPoint Digital.

"With this solution in place, we can expect to drive significant cost reductions, improved conversion rates and eventually the swift and seamless introduction of new payment methods."

Before implementing CellPoint Digital's Payment Orchestration solution, one of Virgin Atlantic's key challenges was said to be managing an expanding array of individual acquirers and payment method providers in different markets, each with its own implementation process and cost structure. 

The airline also lacked a way to view its entire payment ecosystem's performance at one time, making it challenging to execute optimal payment combinations that would yield the best financial results.

The deal with solve payment orchestration challenges by providing a single platform to reduce complexity and give Virgin Atlantic more control and visibility into its payment processes. 

It will also allow the airline to dynamically route its transactions to its preferred acquirers, quickly add new acquirers and streamline its cross-border payments, all of which help to mitigate costs and diversify risk. 

The Velocity platform also offers the ability to roll out more payment options to passengers and travellers, creating a more positive booking experience, minimising abandoned transactions and growing revenue.

"CellPoint Digital has enabled us to transform our business," says Yasin Demir, head of distribution & payments of Virgin Atlantic. 

"Now that we have been able to use multiple acquirers at one time, we have been able to diversify our risk, reduce cost, and optimise our payments strategy."