Business Development Manager Airlines

About Planet

Planet is a global provider of integrated technology and payments solutions for retail and hospitality customers.

We create great experiences for the millions of people who use our payments, software, and tax-free solutions every minute of every day.

Planet empowers its customers to deliver great customer experiences by combining payments and software in ways that drive greater loyalty, increase revenue and save time.

Founded over 35 years ago and with our headquarters in London, today we have more than 2,500 employees located across six continents, serving our customers in more than 120 markets.

Role overview

We are looking for a results-driven commercial professional to grow Planet’s airline and inflight payments business across the European Union.

In this role, you will develop new airline opportunities, build strategic partnerships and help customers improve onboard payment acceptance, passenger experience and retail revenue through Planet Gateway and acquiring services.

You will combine new-business development with long-term relationship management, working closely with airlines, inflight retail providers, aviation technology partners and independent software vendors.

What you will do

Business Development & Revenue Growth

• Develop and execute commercial strategies to grow Planet’s airline and inflight payments business across the European Union.
• Identify, qualify and secure new opportunities with large airline groups, regional carriers, low-cost airlines and specialist aviation operators.
• Build and manage a robust pipeline focused on onboard payments for the sale of coffee, food, beverages and duty-free goods.
• Lead the full sales cycle, from prospecting and discovery through solution design, proposal development, negotiation and contract execution.
• Develop and maintain trusted executive-level relationships with airline commercial, retail, digital, finance, procurement and operational stakeholders.
• Work collaboratively with account management, product, risk, compliance and implementation teams to support successful onboarding and long-term revenue growth.

Inflight Commerce & Airline Payments

• Drive the adoption of payment solutions that support inflight retail, including:Onboard card payments for food, coffee and beverages. Duty-free and ancillary product sales. Offline and intermittently connected payment acceptance. Digital wallets and contactless payments. Planet Gateway services. Planet acquiring. Tokenised and secure payment solutions. Multi-currency and cross-border payment acceptance.
• Help airlines create reliable, convenient and consistent payment journeys across:Onboard point-of-sale devices. Crew-operated retail applications. Pre-order and pre-flight sales channels. Airline websites and mobile applications. Inflight entertainment and passenger platforms. Post-flight and ancillary commerce channels.
• Promote solutions that improve payment acceptance, reduce failed transactions, simplify reconciliation and increase onboard retail revenue.

Market Development

• Develop a strong understanding of airline retail, inflight service models, payment trends, competitor offerings and emerging aviation technologies.
• Identify new routes to market through airline retail partners, cabin technology providers, onboard point-of-sale vendors and strategic alliances.
• Identify, map and engage independent software vendors whose onboard retail, crew application, passenger commerce or aviation technology platforms can integrate with Planet Gateway and acquiring.
• Build a strong ISV ecosystem to open new routes to market and support the success of Planet’s airline payments proposition.
• Represent Planet at aviation, airline retail, travel technology and payments events across Europe.
• Act as a trusted advisor to airline customers, helping them improve payment performance, passenger experience and the commercial value of their onboard retail operations.

Strategic Partnerships

• Build and maintain relationships with:Large airline groups and network carriers. Low-cost, regional and specialist airlines. Inflight retail and catering providers. Onboard point-of-sale and cabin technology vendors. Duty-free and travel retail partners. Airline digital commerce and passenger-experience platforms. Payment technology and integration partners. Independent software vendors that influence airline technology choices and can embed or recommend Planet’s payment capabilities.
• Negotiate commercial agreements and partnership opportunities that grow processing volumes and expand the adoption of Planet Gateway and acquiring services.
• Maintain regular engagement with customers of all sizes, ensuring that Planet continues to deliver measurable operational and commercial value.

Who you are

Required Experience

• At least five years of experience in business development, sales, partnerships or account growth within payments, aviation, airline retail, travel technology or a related sector.
• A proven track record of winning new business, developing strategic accounts and delivering sustainable revenue growth.
• Strong understanding of:Card acquiring and payment gateways. Card-present, eCommerce and mobile payments. Offline and intermittently connected payment environments. Tokenisation, security, fraud and risk management. Cross-border and multi-currency payment acceptance. Payment reporting, settlement and reconciliation.
• Experience selling payment or technology solutions to airlines, travel retailers, aviation service providers or similarly complex enterprise customers.
• Demonstrable experience identifying, developing and managing ISV partnerships, with the ability to turn technical integrations and joint propositions into qualified airline opportunities. Success in this role will depend heavily on this capability.
• Experience negotiating commercial agreements with enterprise customers and coordinating multiple internal and external stakeholders.
• Strong consultative sales, account development and relationship management skills.
• Willingness and ability to travel regularly across the European Union to meet customers, partners and prospects.

Preferred Experience

Experience in one or more of the following areas would be beneficial:

• Airline payments, inflight retail or onboard point-of-sale solutions.
• Food, beverage and duty-free sales environments.
• Offline payment processing and transaction recovery.
• Airline ancillary revenue and passenger commerce.
• Inflight catering, cabin systems or crew applications.
• Gateway migrations, acquiring transitions or payment optimisation programmes.
• Cross-border and multi-currency payments.
• European airline and travel retail networks.

Ideal Candidate Profile

• A results-driven commercial professional with a strong interest in aviation, airline retail and passenger payments.
• Able to combine new-business development with disciplined, long-term relationship management.
• Commercially astute, with excellent negotiation, presentation and stakeholder-management skills.
• Comfortable engaging with C-level executives, as well as airline commercial, operational, finance, digital and procurement teams.
• Capable of translating Planet Gateway and acquiring capabilities into clear customer outcomes and measurable value.
• Self-motivated, entrepreneurial and able to work independently across multiple European Union markets.
• Well connected within the airline, travel retail, aviation technology or payments ecosystem.

Why Planet

Planet is an equal opportunity employer where diversity is valued, and all employment decisions are based on qualifications, merit and business need.

Come and grow your career in one of the most exciting and fast-paced technology markets, with a business that delivers feel-good connected commerce.

We would love to hear from you – Apply now.

At Planet, we embrace a hybrid work model, with three days a week in the office.

Reasonable accommodations may be made in order to allow for an individual to perform the essential functions of this role successfully.

About Us

Company Background

Planet provides integrated software, payment and technology solutions for its customers in the Hospitality and Retail sectors and worldwide via a network of global Financial Services Partners.

Founded over 35 years ago, we have evolved our services, delivering an innovative digital commerce platform that puts customer experience first.

With headquarters in London and around 3,000 expert employees located across six continents we serve customers in over 120 markets.