OREANDA-NEWS. According to 1Q2014 results, the number of Aeroexpress tickets bought online in Moscow exceeded 211 thousand. This represents a growth exceeding 30% compared to the same period last year. In addition, the share of e-tickets reached 6.2% of the total volume of tickets sold, whereas the figure for last year was 4.4%.
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Electronic ticketing for public transport services is becoming increasingly popular day by day, and this comes as no surprise. This is a time-efficient, reliable and simple solution, making this service much more preferable for modern and business people who value their time. This is especially significant for Aeroexpress passengers in the capital, who prefer speed and comfort in everything they do – from the mode of travel to the airport to purchasing tickets.
The popularity of these services is evidenced by the growth in Aeroexpress electronic tickets sales. 40% of the 211 thousand tickets sold were purchased online on aeroexpress.ru, 19% via the free Aeroexpress mobile app, and almost 30% through websites of the company’s partners. The remaining 11%, which were made using Pay@Gate technology, were paid for directly at the turnstiles with the help of contactless bank cards.
This increase in the number of tickets purchased online became possible due to Aeroexpress’ active efforts in expanding their ticketing technologies. The list of the company’s partners includes such major air carriers as Aeroflot, UTair, S7 Airlines, as well as a number of online flight ticket sales and booking services, such as Aviacassa.ru, Portbilet, Davs, Just.travel, LowFly.ru and others. These include a total of 1500 sales offices across Russia from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk to St Petersburg.
The Aeroexpress mobile app, which is available for iOS, Android and Windows Phone devices, has also contributed to sales, becoming even more popular among the passengers. By now, the number of downloads has already grown by 370,000, with 66,000 downloads made during the first quarter of 2014 and a total of 40,000 tickets sold, compared to just 7,500 tickets sold last year.
The service’s obvious advantages have played an important role in the growth of electronic tickets sales. Orders, bookings and purchases can be made without even leaving your home. Furthermore, an e-ticket cannot be left or lost. Besides, you can send the details of your journey to your relatives or business partners at any time, or purchase a ticket for yourself or family even when you are in another city.
“Aeroexpress is constantly improving its services, to make travel even more comfortable for passengers, by introducing modern technologies,” commented Rustam Akiniazov, Chief Commercial Officer of Aeroexpress. “Every passenger can choose what the best way is for him or her to buy a ticket, regardless of whether the purchase is made via our website, our mobile app or direct payment at turnstiles using MasterCard PayPass or Visa payWave. We try our best to ensure that passengers do not have to come to the rail terminal in advance in order to have sufficient time to buy an Aeroexpress ticket. Online purchasing significantly saves time, makes the journey as comfortable as possible and precisely planned, without having to wait in queues or wear on your nerves.”