Spanish airline Air Europa has partnered with TravelX, a blockchain-based travel distribution start-up, to offer the world’s first series of NFT (non-fungible token) airline tickets: the NFTickets.
Users who purchase one of these tickets will board an Air Europa flight between Madrid and Miami on November 29th. They will also have the chance to access events prior to Art Basel, a contemporary art fair held annually in different cities.
The NFTickets will be available through the auction platform travelxchange.com. The first auction was held on April 11th and the process will be repeated every fourteen days.
According to TravelX, a pioneer in implementing this technology in travel booking, the tickets work like traditional NFTs. When negotiated, transactions are recorded on the blockchain; when ready to use, the owner can display the NFT and issue their flight ticket.
Through a statement, the company said the initiative will offer buyers «an opportunity to hold a piece of travel industry history and participate in the first-ever blockchain-backed flight».
Facundo Díaz, a co-founder of TravelX, said they will use «the best of the traditional NFT», to which they will add «real-world experience». «This provides a better flight ticket that travelers can easily manage and trade from their blockchain wallet», he added.
For his part, Bernardo Botella, Air Europa’s Global Sales Director, commented: «Innovation is in our DNA; we have been pioneers in applying new technologies within our industry and it cannot be different with NFTs, which could be the next step in the travel industry».
