What is the importance PCI DSS compliance for online sales of airline tickets?
The air travel industry has been one of the major beneficiaries of the e-commerce boom, which has triggered exponential rise in credit card purchases through the last decade. For airlines, online sales of tickets offer a whole new and cost-effective sales channel by reaching out to consumers directly. At the same time, it has also given rise to the possibility of credit card data fraud, which can lead to complex litigation and penalties, all of which cost the industry in the US a whopping 1.5 billion dollars annually! Payment card organizations have addressed the risk by introducing PCI DSS for ensuring the protection of credit card numbers and other sensitive cardholder data. Today, airlines are looking for ways to achieve compliance with PCI DSS standards by the deadline, September 2010. The consequences of non-compliance are huge, loss of reputation, heavy penalties, loss of payment card processing privilege, operational restrictions imposed by payment card companies and organizatio
