March 30, 2021 | AtoZ Markets – Passengers of the Latvian airline airBaltic now have additional cryptocurrency payment options.
According to an announcement on the airline's website on Monday, passengers can now pay for flight tickets with Ether and Dogecoin. Other digital currencies are also accepted, including Bitcoin Cash and four stablecoins pegged to the US dollar: USD Coin, Binance USD, Gemini Dollar, and Paxos Standard.
The airline initially accepted Bitcoin payments in July 2014. The Latvian national airline is considered to be the first airline in the world to offer payment options in cryptocurrency.
As part of its announcement, airBaltic made it clear that although crypto payments are accepted, ticket prices are not quoted in cryptocurrencies. The rates are displayed in euros. The cryptocurrency payment service provider BitPay converts payments in digital currency into fiat when purchasing tickets.
AirBaltic CEO Martin Gauss commented on the airline's decision to accept additional cryptocurrencies:
"As an innovative airline, we always strive to improve the customer experience. It starts with the booking process. Over the years, around 1,000 customers have used the payment option. That may not seem like much, but it offers passengers a unique payment option that is hard to find anywhere else. "
Cryptocurrencies are becoming increasingly popular in the travel and hotel industries. Travel agencies, airlines, and hotels are increasingly giving their customers the option of making bookings with cryptocurrencies.
Crypto-friendly travel agencies like Travala have a large network of airlines and hotels that accept payments in digital currency.
In addition to airline tickets and bookings, the aviation industry is also using blockchain technology for many other use cases. The necessary digitization in view of the coronavirus pandemic has also strengthened the focus on the use of the new technology.
Back in February, Air France announced a pilot project that would use a blockchain system to verify passengers' COVID-19 test results.
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