Travel
Introduction
Etihad partnered with BridgerPay following a challenge hosted by HUB71, a start-up launchpad based in Abu Dhabi. The challenge called for an eight-week proof of concept to solve the airline’s digital payment orchestration issues. After being selected as a finalist, BridgerPay presented directly to Etihad’s leadership and was chosen to deliver the solution. The proof of concept was centered on Etihad’s employee ticketing platform, iFly, and exceeded expectations. Based on this success, Etihad is now preparing to roll out BridgerPay’s payment orchestration layer across its employee travel system.
Challenge
Etihad manages nearly 30 different payment methods across its website and mobile app, tailored for various global markets. While this approach offers flexibility for travelers, it also creates a complex and expensive network of integrations, technical dependencies, and reconciliation processes. Adding new PSPs, managing reporting, and improving acceptance rates required a system that could streamline operations without sacrificing flexibility. The company also wanted to allow employees to use modern payment methods for ticket purchases, not just traditional options like salary deductions or local cards. Etihad needed a payment orchestration platform that could scale, adapt, and simplify its global payments infrastructure.
Solution
BridgerPay delivered a centralized orchestration platform that connects Etihad to more than 350 payment service providers through a single API. Using BridgerPay’s drag-and-drop router, Etihad can set custom rules for payment routing based on country, currency, or transaction value. The platform also consolidates payment actions like refunds, payouts, and subscriptions into one unified admin. BridgerRetry™ helps recover failed transactions automatically, while detailed reporting and business intelligence tools offer actionable insights. BridgerPay also helped upgrade Etihad’s checkout security with 3DSv2 and built a PCI DSS Level 1 compliant solution. The result is a scalable, cost-effective payment system that reduces the need for local entities, simplifies operations, and improves customer and employee experience.
“8 weeks from start to finish for the proof of concept, but most importantly, we’re glad to be rolling out a solution with the BridgerPay team that we believe will bring an improved guest payment experience and operational efficiencies for our digital channels!"
Kai Ling Ting, Head of Innovation and Digital Technology, Etihad Aviation Group
“It’s very exciting to start this collaboration with Etihad Airlines. We are very motivated and we know we can solve the payment challenges that the airline industry is currently facing worldwide. We have been wanting to get into the airline market for some time now, and stepping into it alongside Etihad is a great opportunity. It’s been great working with Etihad so far, and we can’t wait to do more work with them. Finally, I think that winning the HUB71 challenge shows what BridgerPay is capable of and how far this team can go”
Ran Cohen, Co-founder & CEO, BridgerPay