Airline operate in one of the most complex payment environments out there - spanning direct bookings, travel agents, in-flight purchases, and more. With every channel comes a new risk, and a single data breach can destroy customer trust in moments.
Staying compliant with PCI DSS, defending against cyber threats, and managing outdated systems isn't just operational overhead - it’s a test of an airline’s ability to adapt and protect. That’s where a universal token system comes in.
By replacing sensitive card data with secure, non-sensitive tokens, airlines can reduce compliance burdens, make their data more secure and bring greater consistency to payments across the board. It’s not just a security fix - it’s a smarter, future-ready way to manage complexity, mitigate risk, and deliver smoother payment experiences wherever they operate.
For airlines, PCI DSS compliance is not just a regulatory obligation but acritical component of their overall security strategy. It’s a set of security standards designed to ensure that all companies that accept, process, store, or transmit sensitive card information maintain a secure system or environment. Achieving or maintaining PCI compliance can be extremely complex, taking some airlines months or even years.
In the past, many airlines looked to do this all in-house, which is a considerable drain on time and resources. New staff must be recruited, or existing employees need to shift their focus away from other projects. And the team must invest time in training to understand all the details and PCI compliance processes, as well as their impact on the airline’s systems, products, employees, and overall infrastructure. Once this is understood and the team is up to speed, requirements must be implemented. And it doesn’t stop there - businesses must be re- certified for PCI compliance on an annual basis.
For airlines, using a universal token vault is likely the most effective measure to reduce PCI DSS headaches. As tokens replace sensitive card data, and airlines have no access to this, many questions and requirements in the PCI assessment simply won’t apply. Airlines reduce their PCI scope and audit costs to the absolute minimum.
As opposed to payment gateways, universal token vaults not only host the card data collection on web and mobile applications but also provide a wide range of other collection tools, ensuring that the full payments stack remains out of scope. For example, universal token vaults can act as a proxy layer between the airline and indirect sales channels, usually sending reservation messages via HTTPS or SFTP protocols to the airline servers. By intercepting those requests on the fly, universal token vaults can ensure that sensitive data gets tokenized before arriving on the airline’s servers.
Airlines are prime targets for cyberattacks due to the vast amount of personal and financial data from passengers they handle. In the worst case, a data breach can compromise thousands of passenger details, leading to financial losses and reputational damage, which has been seen in recent years with various major airlines. In addition, airlines often face attacks due to their infrastructure, operational complexities, and reliance on interconnected systems. This makes them vulnerable to various threats, including ransomware, phishing, and other sophisticated attacks aimed at disrupting services or stealing information.
Using a universal token vault mitigates this risk by ensuring that even if data is intercepted, it’s rendered useless to cybercriminals. Tokenization replaces sensitive account data with a unique and non-sensitive identifier - a token. These tokens are meaningless to anyone who gains unauthorized access to them as they cannot be reverse-engineered to reveal the original data. So, airlines can significantly reduce the risk of data breaches, protect their passengers’ information, and maintain their reputation and trustworthiness in the industry.
A payment transaction can be as simple as collecting passengers’ payment details at checkout - ideally hosted by a payment gateway - authorizing the details, and, if approved, transferring the funds to the airline’s merchant account. However, the airline retailing landscape is more complex when it comes to payments. There are many different channels, applications, and providers involved in the process. When it comes to channels, flight bookings can come via travel agencies and booking platforms such as GDS or NDC, mobile and website channels, call centers, or in-flight purchases via a point of sale, to name just a few. After collection, data passes through multiple internal applications before the actual transaction gets processed across payment gateways, processors, acquirers, card schemes, and more.
With direct and indirect channels and multiple providers involved in the payment process, using a universal token vault can be an effective measure to streamline operations and reduce dependencies on certain providers. Universal token vaults provide omnichannel support, ensuring a consistent tokenization process across direct and indirect channels. This means that airlines can easily share tokens freely across multiple payment service providers or any integrations they have. This also means that airlines can implement automated failover rules. If one Payment Service Provider (PSP) experiences downtime, transactions can be rerouted to another PSP without interruption, ensuring continuous payment processing.
A universal token system provides airlines with a comprehensive solution for protecting sensitive payment data while maintaining flexibility in their operations. By centralizing tokenization, airlines can reduce their PCI DSS compliance scope, protect against data breach risks, and simplify payment data management across multiple channels and partners. The token vault's ability to securely store and collect payment data, and distribute tokens to any provider, allows airlines to work seamlessly with various payment service providers(PSPs) and acquirers, improving security and reducing compliance burdens.
While auniversal token vault offers many benefits, its suitability depends on anairline's specific needs, existing infrastructure, and strategic goals. Eachairline should evaluate its size, geographic reach, and payment processingsetup to determine the most appropriate approach when it comes to itstokenization requirements.
Want to dive deeper into how tokenization can transform your airline’s payments strategy?
Download our free eBook, “The Airline Guide to Smarter Payments with Tokenization,” and explore how leading airlines are reducing risk, simplifying PCI compliance, and future-proofing their payment infrastructure.