Air Europa and TravelX launch the first air ticket in NFT format

• The first of these “NFTickets”, designed by a group of world-renowned artists, includes a trip to Miami in November in Business class to attend the Art Basel fair in Miami.
• NFT technology allows additional services to be added to the ticket in a secure way and represents a revolution in the way operations are managed in the sector

Air Europa and TravelX, the company that has developed the first distribution protocol in the tourism sector based on blockchain technology, have announced the launch of the first series of tickets in history under the NFT format ( non-fungible token), also called “NFTickets”. With their purchase, the owners have access to an Air Europa flight to Miami on November 29, as well as special benefits and events that will take place at the outstanding international art fair Art Basel, which will take place in the city at the beginning of next December. For this reason, a series of 10 NFTickets will be marketed every 14 days through the travelexchange.com platform in collaboration with a group of prominent artists. The first of all was presented during a live auction held this Monday, April 11, in Paris.

“Innovation is in our DNA. We have been pioneers in the implementation of new technologies in our sector and it was not going to be something different in the case of NFTs, which could represent the next big leap in the world of tourism”, says Bernardo Botella, Global Sales Director of Air Europa . “We are proud to be working with TravelX on this project, as well as being the first airline to adopt blockchain technology for the management and marketing of our offering. We are very excited to see how far this market can go and how it could improve the customer experience,” he adds.

The first NFTicket in the collection has been designed by multi-disciplinary artist Carlos Betancourt, a long-time Miami resident with numerous ties to the art community. His works explore aspects of memory and his own experiences. The piece designed by Carlos constitutes the first of the NFT series, entitled “The Art as the Destination”.

“Art has to do with disruption, discovery, exploration,” says Betancourt. “With this work, I am experimenting and pushing the limits of art with NFT technology, preserving the experience of travel.”

NFTickets are a new type of NFT that combines digital information with experiences and services. The transaction details are securely stored using blockchain technology. As for its use, the owner only has to present the NFT at the check-in counter to be issued the ticket with which they are going to fly.

“It is exciting to give rise to a new type of NFT that combines the best of the conventional system, but adds real-world uses and experiences to it,” says Facundo Díaz, co-founder of TravelX. “This format makes it possible to create an enhanced ticket that travelers can easily manage and trade from their blockchain asset portfolio, combining it with art, like a new collector’s item. We believe that NFTickets will be the perfect union between art, travel and technology”.

The final price of the bid for this first NFTicket will be announced between Tuesday 12 (Paris NFT Day) and April 13 and 14, during the celebration of Paris Blockchain Week.

Madrid, April 11, 2022