Press Release: Lufthansa Systems to make inflight payments easier

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Booking a hotel during flight, buying tickets for tourist attractions at the destination or purchasing gifts on board – in-flight payment based on BoardConnect will soon become even easier.

Lufthansa Systems and its partner optile are launching a pilot project aimed at optimizing payment processes within the open aircraft IT platform BoardConnect. The pilot project focuses on enabling passengers to make convenient in-app payments for digital content and shopping services. Lufthansa Systems will be presenting a prototype of this innovative payment solution at AIX in Hamburg (April 10 to 12; booth #4B11).

optile’s open payment solution gives BoardConnect users a convenient option to make on-board purchases using their preferred payment method. Passengers only need to enter their payment data once when booking their ticket through the airline app. They can then make further payments using the previously chosen payment method. This considerably simplifies the purchasing process, increases security and allows passengers to fully focus on their requested content. Simplified payment processes for passengers also enable airlines to maximize their ancillary revenue potential.

“We at optile are very happy to collaborate with Lufthansa Systems in this pilot project since it will bring connectivity between airlines, their passengers, and external partner services to the next level,” said Jan-Oliver Stueck, Corporate Relations Director at optile.

The new technology has already proven itself in an innovation project run by Eurowings, Retail inMotion, Lufthansa Technik, optile and Lufthansa Systems. During a trial phase, Eurowings passengers used the simplified payment method provided by optile and BoardConnect in Retail inMotion’s on-board shop. With the wireless access point, Lufthansa Technik has supplied part of the necessary hardware.

“Partnering with optile allows us to offer our airline customers an open and flexible payment solution, enabling payment with a single click and supporting multiple payment methods (e.g. AliPay, PayPal, etc.),” said Jan-Peter Gaense, Head of Passenger Experience Products & Solutions at Lufthansa Systems. “Passengers will love the seamless payment process which makes is really easy to buy products and services. This will help airlines to keep the passenger in their ecosystem throughout the entire journey.”

Caption (copyright Lufthansa Systems/Manfred Nerlich): New on-board shopping experience thanks to simplified payment processes delivered by optile and BoardConnect.

Further images can be found in the download section of our website at:

https://www.lhsystems.com/gallery/flight-entertainment

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About optile

optile is a solution built to optimize the online payment world both for business enterprises and their end-users. With optile’s open payment platform, businesses can leverage unlimited payment opportunities by accessing any payment method and provider worldwide. In this way, they can gain independence, flexibility, and freedom in choosing the payment solution that fits their own business strategy. Our open payment platform comes with a significantly reduced implementation time, minimizing technical and operational expenses for online enterprises. Meanwhile, end-consumers can experience a whole new level of payment due to optile’s customer registration logics and personalized checkout.

optile serves digital leaders and technical platform businesses from retail, travel, dating, gaming, and other industries.

For more information, please visit https://www.optile.net/ or follow us on Twitter or LinkedIn.

About Lufthansa Technik

With some 35 subsidiaries and affiliates, the Lufthansa Technik Group is one of the leading providers of technical aircraft services in the world. Certified internationally as maintenance, production and design organization, the company has a workforce of more than 25,000 employees. Lufthansa Technik’s portfolio covers the entire range of services for commercial and VIP/special mission aircraft, engines, components and landing gear in the areas of digital fleet support, maintenance, repair, overhaul, modification, completion and conversion as well as the manufacture of innovative cabin products.

About Retail inMotion

Retail inMotion, based in Ireland, became a fully integrated member of the LSG Group in 2016. The company’s culture of collaboration and innovation continues to help it to steadily strengthen its position as a leader in the global onboard retail industry. Retail inMotion offers propriety products, solutions and services in onboard retail IT technology, crew training, product distribution, inflight entertainment, and fully outsourced onboard retail services.

www.retailinmotion.com www.lsg-group.com

About Lufthansa Systems

Lufthansa Systems GmbH & Co. KG is a leading airline IT provider. Based on long-term project experience, a deep understanding of complex business processes and strong technological know-how, the company provides consulting and IT services for the global aviation industry. Over 300 airlines worldwide rely on the know-how of IT specialists at Lufthansa Systems. Its portfolio covers innovative IT products and services which provide added value for its customers in terms of enhanced efficiency, reduced costs or increased profits. Headquartered in Raunheim near Frankfurt/Main, Germany, Lufthansa Systems has offices in 16 other countries.