Klarna Expands BNPL Focus to Airlines

Lufthansa Group customers in several countries can now choose Klarna’s flexible payment options when booking travel experiences.

The options allow the airline group’s travelers to pay in full, pay later or pay over time, according to a Thursday (Nov. 27) press release.

Lufthansa Group began rolling out these options across the United States and nine European countries in mid-November, and the company plans to expand the options to all its network airlines by the end of the second quarter of 2026, per the release.

The offerings are enabled by the airline group’s partnership with Klarna, which is a digital global bank and flexible payments provider, and by Klarna’s integration with Adyen, which is a FinTech platform for businesses, according to the release.

“At Lufthansa Group, we put the needs and a convenient booking experience of our customers at the center of everything we do,” Oliver Schmitt, head of digital customer solutions at Lufthansa Group, said in the release. “By leveraging our digital capabilities and partnering with Klarna and Adyen, we can now offer greater choice and flexibility in how customers pay for their journeys.”

Klarna Chief Commercial Officer David Sykes said in the release: “Together, we’re giving travelers the confidence to book their trips their way, with more flexibility, transparency and choice than ever before.”

Alexa von Bismarck, president EMEA at Adyen, said in the release: “By combining Adyen’s reliable infrastructure with Klarna’s innovative payment solutions, Lufthansa Group customers will benefit from a smooth and flexible checkout experience.”

For Klarna, the partnership joins several others that the company has with travel brands, including Airbnb, Expedia, Booking.com and Hotels.com, according to the release.

The PYMNTS Intelligence report “Credit Card Installments Outrun BNPL in Summer Travel Surge” found that 8% of consumers who had paid for travel or vacation expenses in the previous three months used buy now, pay later (BNPL).

The top reason consumers choose BNPL is its easy or convenient application process. About 7% of consumers said that was the most influential factor in their decision, and another 21% said it was one of the factors in their decision.

When Klarna and Expedia expanded their partnership in April 2024, Clayton Nelson, vice president, strategic partnerships and affiliates at Expedia Group, said in a press release that this was part of Expedia’s effort to provide travelers with “increased flexibility in booking their ideal getaway.”