UATP partners with Bitnet for bitcoin airline ticketing
Global payment platform Universal Air Travel Plan has teamed up with bitcoin payment processor Bitnet to offer UATP’s 260 airline partners the ability to accept bitcoin payments for flight bookings.
Although no airlines currently accept bitcoin transactions, the integration allows for a seamless transition when this changes.
"It’s putting a foundation in place that enables this global network of airlines to have a much lower barrier to entry if they wish to accept bitcoin," said Akif Khan, vice president of solutions strategy at Bitnet.
UATP, which counts JetBlue, Qantas, US Airways and United Airlines among its partner airlines, will not charge extra fees for bitcoin processing, but will be compensated by Bitnet.
Bitnet says transactions will be processed in a similar way to normal UATP payment methods and refunds will be made directly with bitcoins by airlines which eventually accept the cryptocurrency.
The company says it is in talks with airlines to accept bitcoin and will look at offering incentives for early adoption.
"We are very happy to be partnering with Bitnet to add bitcoin to our payment platform. We are always looking for skilled partners to bring additional forms of payment to the UATP processing platform and Bitnet fits the bill well," said Ralph Kaiser, president and CEO, UATP.
UATP processes about $14bn in payments from airlines, travel agents and Amtrak.
UATP has long advocated the flexibility of alternative payment methods; it was one of the early adopters of PayPal and also partners with Alipay.
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025
Higher departure tax and visa cost, e-arrival card: Japan unleashes the fiscal weapon against tourists
Cyclone in Sri Lanka had limited effect on tourism in contrary to media reports
Singapore to forbid entry to undesirable travelers with new no-boarding directive
Euromonitor International unveils world’s top 100 city destinations for 2025