Designed in partnership with group of world-renowned artists, "NFTickets" will give access to a business class seat on a Miami-bound flight this November
TravelX, the company building the travel industry's first blockchain-based distribution protocol, today announced that it has joined forces with Air Europa, the third-largest Spanish airline flying to over 60 destinations around the world, to release the world's first NFT (non-fungible token) flight ticket series, or "NFTickets."
With purchase, owners will receive access to a special Air Europa flight to Miami Beach this November 29th, 2022, as well as perks and events ahead of the premier art show of the Americas taking place in Miami Beach this December. A series of NFTickets (10) in partnership with acclaimed artists will be released every 14 days via auction platform travelxchange.com/, with the first-ever available during a live auction on April 11 at 4 p.m. EST.
"Innovation is in our DNA, we have been pioneers in applying new technologies within our industry and it can not be different with NFTs, which could be the next step in the travel industry," said Bernardo Botella, Global Sales Director at Air Europa. "We are proud to be the first airline to adopt blockchain technology for inventory management and distribution. We're excited to see where this could take travel as a whole and how it could improve customer experience."
NFTickets function as traditional NFTs and are individually rare. When traded, transactions are recorded safely and securely on the blockchain. When ready to use, the owner can present the NFT and a matching flight ticket will be issued. The TravelX and Air Europa NFTickets will offer buyers an opportunity to hold a piece of travel industry history and participate in the first-ever blockchain-backed flight.
The NFTicket series titled, "The Art as the Destination," is being curated by Ximena Caminos, who commissioned acclaimed multi-disciplinary artist Carlos Betancourt for the first piece. His artworks explore issues of memory, and his own experiences, while also dwelling in issues of nature, the environment and matters of beauty, identity and communication. Carlos Betancourt artworks are included in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art NY, Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery DC, amongst others.
"Artists are intrigued by discovery, exploration," said Betancourt. " The same is with technology. With this piece, I'm experimenting with the boundaries of art and technology. The animated artwork is inspired by concepts of space, magical realms and travel experiences, as well as by the memories and feelings these experiences evoke."
"It's very exciting to give birth to a new kind of NFT, minted on Algorands carbon-negative blockchain," said Facundo Diaz, Co-Founder of TravelX. "We will blend the best of the traditional NFT, but add real-world application and experience. This provides a better flight ticket that travelers can easily manage and trade from their blockchain wallet, combined with a new kind of collectible art piece. We believe NFTickets will be the perfect fusion of art, travel, and technology."
To celebrate, TravelX is hosting an invite-only event at the Eiffel Tower, amid Paris NFT Day (April 12) and Paris Blockchain Week (April 13-14), where the final bid for the first-ever NFTicket will be revealed.
For more information about TravelX, visit https://www.travelx.io. For more information about the Paris, Eiffel Tower event, visit: https://nfticket.travelx.io/
About TravelX
Led by a team of tech and industry veterans with a track record of pioneering change, TravelX is building a blockchain-based distribution protocol designed to create a more secure, decentralized, frictionless, transparent, and efficient travel industry. The company's technology allows travel suppliers to more efficiently manage their inventory, tokenize their inventory into NFTs, unleashing use cases that enhance both travelers' flexibility and suppliers' profitability.
About Air Europa
Air Europa is a member of the SkyTeam alliance, made up of 19 airlines that, for 19 years, have worked together as a large global network providing services to more than 630 million passengers a year. Air Europa's fleet is one of the most modern on the continent. In 2018, the German environmental organization Atmosfair rated Air Europa as the most efficient European network airline.