Air ticket booking at your doorstep

Squeamish about using your credit card to buy plane tickets online? Just go to the nearest kirana store, who will soon be offering tickets to all GoAir destinations. These tickets, like potatoes and onions, can be purchased against cash and delivered at no extra cost.

Last week, low cost airline GoAir teamed up with SBI Card to launch the GoAir SBI Credit Card. Amongst the target audience for the card is the kirana store. The tickets can be booked on the baniya’s card and then delivered to the passenger— a boon for the non-credit card holders. 

GoAir is the latest domestic airline to announce an innovative distribution channel for their tickets. In the past, pioneer Air Deccan made tickets available via call centres, the internet, Reliance Web Worlds and petrol pumps among others.

“For those who don’t have access to a credit card, it’s easier to buy the ticket from a retailer as they would save on the travel agent’s commission. Our regular customers will have access to great schemes on all purchases made on this card,” says Jeh Wadia, MD, GoAir. Experts say this tie-up could be beneficial since credit card spending in the industry has show a phenomenal rise of 80 per cent over the last year.