Vueling to become the first LCC in Europe to accept NFTs as payment alternative
Last week, Spanish low-cost airline Vueling and cryptocurrency buying and selling platform Criptan announced their partnership. The pair are working together to enable Vueling to accept NFTs (non-fungible tokens) as payment.
From the second half of 2023, Vueling will offer passengers the option to purchase flights using NFTs making it “the first low-cost airline in Europe to accept cryptocurrencies as a payment alternative.”
Elaborating on the partnership, Jesús Monzó, Vueling’s distribution and alliances manager said:
“This agreement places us at the forefront of new technologies and innovation, further strengthening our commitment to our customers and offering the best and most advanced tools and solutions on our website.”
Jorge Soriano, CEO of Criptan emphasised Vueling’s commitment to forward thinking:
“Vueling is proving to be a leader in all that relates to innovation. This is a clear move that demonstrates the potential behind the crypto and Web3 ecosystem and that goes far beyond speculation […] We are convinced that we can improve the user experience, not only through payments in crypto but by bringing the advantages of this ecosystem in the most useful and simple way possible.”
Vueling is not the first to pioneer the overlap between cryptocurrencies and the field of aviation. In 2014, Air Baltic became the first airline in the world to accept bitcoin, closely followed by LOT Polish Airlines in 2015. Last year, the world’s first collectible NFTicket was sold for over $1 million for an Air Europa business class ticket from Madrid to Miami.
For more content looking at NFTs and the metaverse see How Is The Metaverse Being Used In Aviation?
At Aviation Festival Asia a CIO Panel will discuss how airlines in Asia are prioritising investments in a conversation that will cover emerging tech including NFTs and the Metaverse.
Article by Jess Brownlow
