Wirecard Digitizes Payment Processes for Japan's Largest Airline ANA

• ANA Group, a Star Alliance member, carries 54 million passengers annually to 22 countries worldwide including major European destinations
• Wirecard issues compensation cards for ANA passengers affected by flight delays or disruptions, eliminating the need for cash or physical vouchers

ASCHHEIM, Germany, April 2, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Wirecard, the global innovation leader in digital financial technology, has won ANA, a leading Asian airline and Japan's largest carrier with 54 million passengers annually, as a new client for digitalized payment processes. The new cash-free solution will allow ANA passengers in selected European airports to receive quick and convenient compensation for delayed or disrupted flights. Wirecard is providing ANA with a branded, digital card solution that can be loaded with the applicable amounts and distributed to passengers.

ANA operates 80 international routes and 118 domestic routes, and has a fleet of 260 aircraft. Based in Tokyo Narita and Haneda airports, ANA currently serves 22 countries worldwide. In the fast-growing business of air travel, customer service is key. Through its digital passenger compensation cards, Wirecard uses its expertise in digital payments to address a crucial need of air travelers.

The initial offer will include select European airports serviced by ANA, which is a Star Alliance member and partner of renowned European airlines. ANA has benefitted from the recent yearly increase in the number of international flight passengers, and from a strong business demand originating in Japan. For the fiscal year 2017, ANA reported a 15.6% increase in international passenger service revenue, amounting to a difference of EUR +625 million from the previous year.

"Serving our customers is our top priority, and when it comes to air travel, disruptions are unavoidable," said Masahiko Dan, SVP EMEA Marketing & Sales at ANA. "Therefore, we welcome this innovative solution by Wirecard which will allow us to compensate passengers in a quicker and more efficient way. In addition, passengers will benefit from the flexibility offered by the payout cards, which can be used at their discretion."

"The solution aligns perfectly with our endeavor to create a cash-free and digitalized environment globally," said Jörg Möller, EVP Sales Travel at Wirecard. "Thanks to our cutting-edge card management application we could smoothly configure the cards to meet ANA's specific needs. We are thrilled to offer our customizable solution to ANA, a leading and modern airline, and look forward to furthering our partnership."

The compensation cards are a convenient and innovative solution for both the airline and affected ANA passengers: the cards can be quickly loaded by airline staff, saving time and cutting administrative costs. Passengers, who in the past would have received cash or limited-use vouchers, will receive instead digital cards which can be used in ATMs, at the POS, and for online purchases.

The setup of the cards is powered by Wirecard's innovative proprietary application, in which features of the cards are customized for each customer. For example, the merchant can request that its cards be accepted at particular POS, that transaction fees should or should not be applied and can determine which countries they can be used in. Wirecard configures the cards appropriately so that the customer receives an individual tailor-made solution. 

About Wirecard:

Wirecard (GER:WDI) is one of the world's fastest growing digital platforms in the area of financial commerce. We provide both business customers and consumers with a constantly expanding ecosystem of real-time value-added services built around innovative digital payments by using an integrated B2B2C approach. This ecosystem concentrates on the areas payment & risk, retail & transaction banking, loyalty & couponing, data analytics & conversion rate enhancement in all sales channels (online, mobile, ePOS). Wirecard operates regulated financial institutions in several key markets, holds issuing and acquiring licenses from all major payment and card networks. Wirecard AG is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (DAX and TecDAX, ISIN DE0007472060). Visit us on www.wirecard.com, follow us on Twitter @wirecard and on Facebook @wirecardgroup.

About ANA:

Following the "Inspiration of Japan" high quality of service, ANA has been awarded the respected 5-Star rating every year since 2013 from SKYTRAX. ANA is the only Japanese airline to win this prestigious designation six years in a row. Additionally, ANA has been recognized by Air Transport World as "Airline of the Year" three times in the past 10 years - 2007, 2013 and 2018, becoming one of the few airlines winning this prestigious award for multiple times. ANA was founded in 1952 with two helicopters and has become the largest airline in Japan, as well as one of the most significant airlines in Asia, operating 80 international routes and 118 domestic routes. ANA offers a unique dual hub model which enables passengers to travel to Tokyo and connect through the two airports in the metropolitan Tokyo, NARITA and HANEDA, to various destinations throughout Japan, and also offers same day connections between various North American, Asian and Chinese cities. ANA has been a member of Star Alliance since 1999 and has joint venture partnerships with United Airlines, Lufthansa German Airlines, Swiss International Airlines and Austrian Airlines. Besides the full service and award winner carrier ANA, the ANA Group has two LCCs as consolidated subsidiaries, Vanilla Air Inc. and Peach Aviation Limited. The ANA Group carried 53.8 million passengers in FY2017, has approximately 39,000 employees and a fleet of 260 aircraft. ANA is a proud launch customer and the biggest operator of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. For more information, please refer to the following link. https://www.ana.co.jp/group/en/

Wirecard media contact:
Wirecard AG
Jana Tilz
Tel.: +49(0)89-4424-1363
Email: jana.tilz@wirecard.com

ANA media contact:
ANA
Nanako Murakami
Email: n.murakami@ana.co.jp