Amadeus Agent Pay has been launched, a solution said to makes airline call centre bookings more secure by removing payment information from the conversation, and which can also accept alternative payment methods that see growing popularity in recent years.
With call centres remaining a significant channel and accounting for 15 per cent of total airline bookings, according to Amadeus, airlines have had to trade off security against convenience when taking payment in this channel.
Not only were customers required to give their card details over the phone, either to an agent or an automated voice system, they were also limited to just card payments unlike other channels which offer multiple payment methods.
Amadeus claims its new solution addresses these limitations by allowing airline agents to send their customers a link, via SMS or email, to a secure webpage. The customer can then complete the payment from their smartphone, tablet or PC. Meanwhile the ticket is kept on hold, and issued automatically once the payment is completed.
With Agent Pay, customers can also pay with alternative methods like PayPal and Alipay, just as they would in the airline’s web or mobile page.
Finnair is the first airline to deploy Agent Pay at its call centre in Finland, and has proceeded to introduce the solution for its chat-based customer service agents, said Satu Karaksela, digital customer care manager of Finnair. The carrier is also testing the software at the airport.
UNESCO has designated about half of Satun province as Thailand’s first Global Geopark for its renowned natural beauty and geological significance.
Satun UNESCO Global Geopark is located in the Satun province of southern Thailand, comprising four districts (Thungwa, La-ngu, Manang, and part of Mueang Satun) including two national parks and one wildlife sanctuary. Altitudes reach up to 732m, with mountains and foothills characterising the eastern and northern areas, while beaches and coastal islands dominate the Andaman Sea part of the Geopark.
The UNESCO website describes the Satun Geopark area as “a peaceful place with renowned natural beauty”, renowned for its abundance and high diversity of fossil species as well as for the oldest succession of fossils.
Prasat Hin Panyod, characterised by a spectacular pinnacle karst landscape, including a stunning sea cave and hidden lagoon that can be visited by kayak, is singled out as the most important geosite.
Yuthasak Supasorn, Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) governer, said in a statement: “UNESCO designation is a great honour that can only help ensure sustainable tourism growth, which the TAT feels is definitely something worth supporting and celebrating.”
In total, the UNESCO executive board in Paris endorsed 13 new sites worldwide as new UNESCO Global Geoparks, eight of which are in Asia including Cao Bang (Vietnam), Izu Peninsula (Japan) and Rinjani Lombok (Indonesia).
The full list can be found here.