Flybe has become the latest UATP (Universal Air Travel Plan) Merchant in a bid to meet its business traveller needs.
UATP is a global payment network designed for airlines to offer their corporate travel clients and reduce distribution and merchant fee costs for credit card bookings.
Airlines can join either as a UATP Issuer, which involves becoming a shareholder in the company and issuing cards to corporations, or a UATP Merchant, which benefits airlines by enabling them to accept bookings via UATP accounts. A number of major TMCs, such as Carlson Wagonlit, are also UATP Merchants.
Some 230 airlines worldwide are currently part of the UATP scheme as Merchants, representing around 95% of the market. UATP Issuers include Aer Lingus, Air New Zealand, Qantas, United Airways and American Airlines, while perhaps the most well known Issuer in Europe, AirPlus, provides UATP accounts for Lufthansa, British Airways and Continental.
In addition to its payment solution, UATP is the only card system that provides level III data (including passenger name, flight itinerary, place of purchase, travel management company (TMC) details and class of travel) on all flights regardless of carrier or method of booking, an important incentive for travel managers who need to keep track of employee travel habits.
”There is formidable competition within the European market; innovation and exceeding customer expectation drives success and enabled Flybe to become Europe”s first choice for regional travel,” said Flybe head of sales, Stephen Hobday.
”We focus on the needs of our clients; demand for UATP acceptance by our corporate clients convinced Flybe to become a UATP Merchant. UATP”s low-cost alternative fits strategically within Flybe”s mission as a low fare carrier, with all the offerings a business traveller needs.”
Established in 1936 as the world”s first charge card company (all cards begin with the number one), UATP also invented the magnetic strip found on many of today”s credit cards.