Emirates has announced the launch of
Emirates Pay, a new method for buying air tickets that allows customers
to pay for tickets on the airline’s website directly from their own bank
accounts rather than via a debit or credit card.
The system, similar to systems such as Apple and Google Pay, has been developed by the
International Air Transport Association in partnership with Deutsche Bank and is available
in Germany and the UK.
The airline said Emirates Pay “offers a
cost-competitive payment alternative with faster settlement times, supporting
enhanced airline liquidity as well as reduced payment fraud”. It will also allow the airline to have a closer relationship with its customers.
Michael Doersam, chief financial officer
at Emirates said: “We’re pleased to be the first airline to roll out this new
account-based solution for our customers. Customers who don’t have a credit
card, and those already using direct payments for other purchases, will welcome
the simplicity and security of this method when making travel purchases.”
Christof Hofmann, global head of corporate
& payment solutions at Deutsche Bank said: “The launch of Emirates
Pay not only sends a very positive message to all of us that the airline
industry is putting Covid behind, but more importantly that Emirates is
clearly focused on improving client experience at the transactional level when
moving into a brighter, post-Covid world.”