Mobile Money payment option for air tickets launched

28 Aug 2013

In an effort to embrace technology and the convenience and improved customer experiences that come with it, Kenya Airways and MTN Uganda have launched a service that allows customers to pay for their air tickets using MTN Mobile Money.

With the new option to pay with Mobile Money, Kenya Airways customers will visit the airline's website or call its offices to make a reservation and obtain a reference number and flight quotation in Uganda Shillings. The customer will thereafter go to their phone's Mobile Money menu, and select Pay Bill option, enter short code KQ, then the reference number and the amount to be paid for the air ticket. The transaction details will be displayed on the customers' phone instantly and the airline will email the air ticket back to the customer. The ticket may also be collected at any of Kenya Airways offices worldwide.

Speaking at the launch, the airlines Head of Information Systems Development, Henry Obare said that the MTN Mobile Money Payment option has registered success in the sale of Kenya Airways tickets through Mobile Money services in Kenya. He expressed optimism that the Uganda market will enjoy the ease and convenience that comes with the use of this service.

Delivering convenience

MTN Uganda chief marketing officer Ernst Fonternel welcomed the partnership with Kenya Airways adding that it is a new addition to a number of other stakeholders who have partnered with MTN Mobile Money to deliver convenience to over 8 million customers on the MTN network.

Fonternel said since the launch of the service five years back, MTN Mobile Money has enjoyed unprecedented success, registering in excess of 25million transactions each month with more than 4.5 million customers active on Mobile Money.

"As per the GSMA 2012 Global Mobile Money adoption survey, MTN Uganda ranks second in the world in the number of active Mobile Money customer accounts. Today, as we launch this partnership with Kenya Airways, I'm hopeful that the airline's customers will find MTN Mobile Money an easy, convenient, safe and secure service," Fonternel said.