Iberia Spearheads Global Micro Donations Project with Amadeus, UNICEF

Iberia is the first company to join a new global program enabling its customers to make donations to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) whenever they buy air tickets online.

The program is backed by the Amadeus travel reservations technology provider and allows Iberia customers the option when booking travel to make a donation of 3 to 20 euros to UNICEF programs that help endangered children throughout the world.

The global initiative by UNICEF, Iberia, and Amadeus is supported by a technological platform integrated with the iberia.com website.

Customers are able to select the option to make a donation at the end of the ticket-buying process after detailed information is provided regarding UNICEF’s aid to children programs. Donors will receive an email message confirming their donation and a certificate is available if requested. The www.iberia.com website registers an average of 350,000hits each day, and generates more revenue than any other Spanish website.

Details of the project were given today at a presentation attended by Iberia’s CEO Luis Gallego; the President and CEO of Amadeus, Luis Maroto; the President of UNICEF España, Consuelo Crespo; and the Director of Private Fund-raising and Partnership of UNICEF, Leila Pakkala.

All donations are used to help UNICEF ensure children that their right to survive is respected, via permanent programs and working teams that focus on health, water supplies, hygiene, and nutrition in more than 150 developing countries.

The alliance of Iberia, Amadeus and UNICEF is an example of how new technologies may be used to help the underprivileged, and reflects the social responsibility policies of both Iberia and Amadeus.

“For Iberia, it’s a real honor to be a pioneer in this project as we enable our customers to support initiatives that improve the lives of children around the world,” said Iberia chief Luis Gallego. “It strengthens our commitment to improve society, as reflected for many years in our support of NGOs created by the company itself to help the disabled and the needy, and to ship humanitarian aid wherever it is needed.”

“This partnership will enable millions of travellers to help the world's most vulnerable children have the best possible start in life,” said Leila Pakkala, Director of Private Fundraising and Partnerships at UNICEF. “Too many children, under the age of five, die every day from causes that we can and must prevent. By working together we will help ensure children grow up healthy and reach their full potential.”

“This alliance of UNICEF, Iberia, and Amadeus has the virtue that all three are leaders in their respective fields, and possess a world-wide reach, so the potential to collect a large volume of donations is enormous,” said Luis Maroto, President and CEO of Amadeus. “We firmly believe that investment in children’s health and education will enable us to break the cycle of poverty, to generate sustainable growth, and to contribute to the creation of more stable societies."

Source: Travel Daily News