Virgin Atlantic flies high with airlines expert, Elavon

Operating in a highly regulated industry, in so many currencies and markets, Virgin Atlantic* had specific requirements when it set out to introduce a multi-acquirer strategy. “What’s important to us was experience within airline verticals, having other customers in that field and having a dedicated airlines team,” explains Keli Sandeman, payment strategy manager at Virgin Atlantic.

“We needed somebody we could trust, somebody that had expertise in the airline space. So, we looked to our peer group and our partners,” she continues. “We knew Elavon was a valued partner of our joint venture partner Delta Air Lines – so it made sense for us to be introduced and see if Elavon could support our needs, as well.”

The company has quite a complex technical setup, Keli explains. “We transact through multiple channels across multiple business entities. So, we need a partner that can understand the complexities of that and support us in those needs, when we need it.”

Security and compliance were also important considerations, as Virgin Atlantic is a highly compliant business. “We need to know we’re following the right rules and regulations, so having a payments partner that understands those – and can support us in making sure we tick all the right boxes – is absolutely key.”

Onboarding with Elavon

After careful assessment of our expertise and how well it could meet the airline’s many payments requirements, Virgin Atlantic chose Elavon as a payments processor to include in its multi-acquirer strategy. “Elavon has a really strong name in the acquiring market and a phenomenal track record in airlines,” Keli says. “Knowing it’s backed by U.S. Bank just gave us complete peace of mind.”

“Normally, the implementation of a contract is the most painful part, but that was absolutely not the case with Elavon,” she continues. “From signing to go-live, we did all that within about a month. That included work with some of our existing technology payment partners, as well as Elavon integrating into some of our partners they didn't already have.”

Once the new partnership was up and running, Virgin Atlantic quickly came to appreciate other benefits of working with Elavon, such as flexibility and currency conversion. “We process payments in many currencies, but we don't actually have expenses or need to be settled in some of those currencies,” Keli explains. “So, we collaborate with the [Elavon] team to work out where we want to be settled, like for like. We have everything settled back into a base currency, which means our finance team doesn’t have to do FX [foreign exchange] movements.

“We’ve no problem with going to Elavon with requests, knowing we may change our requirements further down that journey,” she adds.

Payments and future plans

 On a day-to-day basis, Virgin Atlantic operates around the globe, via multiple channels, with direct and indirect customers. “We need a partner that operates 24-7 and doesn't let us down. We need to be sure customers can pay for their flight, their bag or their upgrade, whenever they want – and with Elavon, we know that that service is always available,” says Keli.

“Elavon is a long-standing financial organization with longevity in the market and stability. Knowing that we’re working with a secure partner is essential.”

Looking to the future, Keli sees the payments partnership with Elavon as an important part of the airline’s plans. “We’ll continue to work closely with U.S. Bank and their wider teams to ensure that whatever we do is best in class. We’re about to look to additional product sets we can take on through them, as well.

“Our relationship with Elavon is going from strength to strength and I can only see that growing, as they get to know us more,” she concludes.

Key benefits

Learn more about our partnership with Virgin Atlantic in our overview video.

• Dedicated airlines team
• Airline payments experts for over 35 years
• Backed by the strength and stability of U.S. Bank
• Fast, easy integration
• Global acquirer for over 100 airlines
• Tailored settlement and currency conversion arrangements
• In-depth understanding of security and compliance requirements