If you want to learn more about payments in the air transport industry, you have come to the right place.

Whether you are new to the field or a seasoned professional, we've got you covered. Our team of experts leverage their years of combined learnings to give you the information, tools, and insights you need to turbo-charge your airline payment knowledge.

ABOUT US

The Airline Payments Academy is dedicated to empowering payment professionals across both the airline and payments industries. Founded by experienced leaders in airline payments, our mission is to share specialized expertise and nurture the next generation of payment professionals. We facilitate collaboration between payment service providers and their wider community, fostering relationships that extend beyond the typical buyer-supplier dynamic. Through our innovative programs and interactive training, we promote knowledge sharing and skill development, ensuring that everyone involved benefits from a richer, more connected learning experience.

what we do

We offer a diverse range of services to cater to all your training needs, including online self-service training courses, individual virtual master classes, personal coaching, and highly personalised in-house training sessions. Our training material is tailored to suit the needs of both airline employees who desire to expand their knowledge of the payment world, and those from consulting or payment companies who require guidance on how to engage with the airline industry. We also offer bespoke training initiatives, such as the Airline Payments Future Leaders program (sponsored by Worldpay), to nurture future generations of airline payment professionals.

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Airline Payments FUTURE LEADERS

(sponsored by Worldpay)

Online training for airlines

Online training for payment providers

Bespoke Airline Payments Training

Meet The Team

The Airline Payments Academy is comprised of a team of payment professionals with rich experience in the airline and travel industry.

Thomas Helldorff

Vice President,
Airlines, Travel & Hospitality - Worldpay

Thomas has been working within the Airline, Travel and Payment industries for the last 25 years and has published the "Airline Payments Handbook", a complete guide to payments in the air transport industry. (see: www.payments.aero)

Paul van Alfen

Managing Director - Up in the Air

Paul is an accomplished payment professional with nearly 20 years of experience in enabling multi-channel payment solutions for merchants in the Airline & Travel sector around the globe

Maarten Rooijers

Founder - Payments Taking Off

Maarten has a career history spanning 30+ years at KLM, Royal Dutch Airlines in a.o. Treasury (FX and Cash Mgt.), UATP Issuing and Digital Payments. For the last 15 of these years, he was the Director of Customer Payments, heading a technical and commercial team responsible for the Air France and KLM Payment proposition in 75+ countries.

Teresa Rivera

VP Merchant Solutions - UATP

Formerly the SVP of Payments at Accelya, Teresa has 30+ years of experience under her belt, working with Airlines across the globe to define and implement their end-to-end Payment Strategy, from authorisation to collection.

Livia vitÉ

CEO - Actuary.aero | Perseuss

Livia has been working closely with airlines, travel intermediaries and other travel merchants globally on their payment and distribution strategies for over 10 years. Her experience, which includes IATA, eNett, WEX and now Perseuss | Actuary, brings together knowledge on B2B travel payments, payment fraud and credit risk.

Ovi Sandu

Head of Airline & Travel Partnerships - Worldpay

Ovi is a seasoned commercially and technically-minded leader with a strong track record in delivering complex, global payments initiatives. His strengths include untangling complexity, accelerating tangible value-delivery, and building successful relationships.

ANDREEA PAP

Head of Business Development - PRECISION, Etraveli Group

With over a decade of experience in payments - from gateways, to fraud management,

MCP/DCC, acquiring, and more - Andreea understands the complex ecosystem of airlines and ensures payments are seen as an enabler, not an obstacle.

Samuel Lindfield

Director of Airline Partnerships - WEX

Sam has spent the last decade in the airline industry working for Virgin Atlantic, Delta Airlines and Qatar Airways across a wide variety of functions, including revenue management, pricing, market planning, regional management and finance.

Tiffany hecker

Associate Director, Vertical Activation, Airlines, Travel & Hospitality - Worldpay

A seasoned marketing professional with over 10 years of experience in the travel/hospitality and payments industries, Tiffany's expertise lies in crafting compelling content, organising impactful events and implementing effective marketing strategies that drive growth.

larissa zell

Senior Strategy Manger, Airlines, Travel & Hospitality - Worldpay

Before joining Worldpay Larissa worked for Air France KLM and British Airways in various roles including Sales Support, Revenue Management, Distribution and Payments.

Since joining Worldpay over 3 years ago, she has been heavily focussed on developing Worldpay’s card present omnichannel proposition for airlines.

Sara Chambers

Payments Expert - Airline Payments Academy

Sara has spent more than 2 decades in the payment sector with extensive experience in the airline industry. Skilled in global payment systems serving multi-market and currency needs, Sara has worked with airlines around the globe to build and refine their payments strategy and operations.

Esperanza Fernandez

Business Development Director - Mastercard

With 20+ years in airline payments, Esperanza combines deep expertise in distribution, IT, and payment services for the aviation industry. Her experience at Amadeus, Worldpay, and now Mastercard gives her a unique perspective on bridging technology, commerce, and customer experience.

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH

Payments.aero

Payments Taking Off