Orient Thai Airlines has announced plans to pioneer the use of 'smart cards', claiming the technology will make flying as easy as catching a train or a bus.
Orient Thai says it will introduce new marketing concepts to the local aviation industry, including smart cards and franchised ticketing outlets at shopping malls.
For regular passengers, the airline will offer two kinds of 'One-Two-Go' smart cards this year with a sales target of 40,000 passengers in the first month and up to 500,000 passengers a year.
The first kind of smart card, aimed at ordinary travellers, will offer instant rewards when topped up, offering greater value than its purchase price.
The second kind of smart card will offer unlimited travel for frequent flyers. Priced provisionally at Bt20,000, cardholders will be allowed make as many trips as they want within a specified period.
Check-in agents can also store the personal details of each passenger on the card, instantly enrolling the holder in frequent flyer programmes and making future ticket purchases easier and faster.
The contact details of frequent flyers will give Orient Thai Airlines a valuable marketing database.
