At the 2025 IATA Annual General Meeting (AGM) (1-3 June, New Delhi, India), airline payments were formally featured as a strategic topic, reflecting their growing importance in the industry's transformation journey towards modern retailing.
Moderated by Clare Sebastian, Correspondent at CNN International, the session brought together senior airline executives (Finnair, Lufthansa Group) and global consultancy experts (Edgar Dunn & Company and McKinsey & Company) to explore how payment is evolving from a back-end process into a core enabler of customer-centric airline retailing.
This discussion comes at a time when the industry is accelerating its shift toward Modern Airline Retailing (MAR) - a transformation aimed at delivering more personalized, seamless, and dynamic travel experiences through a framework of Offers and Orders, gradually replacing the decades-old industry standards, processes, and artifacts (e-tickets, PNRs, EMDs).
In this context, payment is no longer just the final step in a transaction - it is a critical touchpoint that shapes customer satisfaction, loyalty, and revenue potential.
