This Airline Measures Your Loyalty With Blockchain

Singapore Airlines, the flag carrier of the Southeast Asian city-state, has just released a make-over of its popular frequent flyer program, the company announced.

The solution, dubbed KrisPay, is reportedly the first blockchain-based digital wallet for an airline loyalty program.

It was developed in collaboration with KPMG, one of the Big Four auditors, and tech company Microsoft to allow Singapore Airlines customers to pay with frequent flyer miles when shopping at partner merchants in Singapore. 18 merchants have initially partnered with the company to enable the use of the new digital wallet, ranging from beauty salons to restaurants and gas stations, according to the press release.

The app is already available for download, and works by users scanning a KrisPay QR code in the shop as they are about to pay.

The new Blockchain-based loyalty program was first announced back in February after the company had carried out a successful proof-of-concept exercise with KPMG and Microsoft. The company then indicated that their goal was to expand the service beyond Singapore over time.

Earlier this year, low-cost carrier Norwegian announced that they are also working with blockchain technology. The company said that they are building an exchange and that they are preparing to open up for crypto ticket purchases in the future.