OREANDA-NEWS.   As of 1 May 2014, Aeroexpress will amend their tariff policy in favour of electronic sales channels. The price of tickets purchased online or using the Pay@Gate service will remain the same. The changes will affect only those tickets, for which the purchase is carried out directly at Aeroexpress terminals – at ticket offices and ticket vending machines.

Thus, the company supports the development of modern ticket sale technologies and offers its passengers the opportunity to use a more convenient service. As before, a Standard fare ticket purchased through electronic sales channels will cost RUB 340. At the same time, the cost of the same fare when purchased from the ticket office will be RUB 400. These changes will affect a number of other fares, with the exception of the Business Class fare.

Over the past three years, Aeroexpress has managed to refrain from increasing prices, thanks to the company’s competent management policy, infrastructure rental on preferential terms, and reallocation of costs. The imminent increase in ticket prices purchased from ticket offices or self-service machines is certainly a required measure. In 2011–2013 alone, the average annual inflation rate in the country was approximately 6.8%. During this period, Aeroexpress implemented several major investment projects aimed at improving the safety of passenger transportation, expanding services offered, and increasing the level of comfort in trains. Activities aimed at improving the safety of passenger transportation included the reconstruction of the depot, which has become the basis for Aeroexpress’ independent maintenance of its rolling stock, in order to ensure the continuous monitoring of trains’ technical condition and, if necessary, their operative repair. In 2012–2013, the carrier opened three regional branches in the cities of Sochi, Vladivostok, and Kazan.

Today, the network of locations enabling e-ticket purchase is fairly wide. Each passenger can choose the most convenient and preferred option for their purchase: the company's website, a free Aeroexpress mobile app (available for iOS, Android, and Windows platforms), the Pay@Gate contactless payment at turnstiles, websites of the company’s partners selling electronic tickets and partner airlines, the Sberbank Mobile Bank service, and the Avangard Internet Bank System.

“The fact that, today, online shopping has become an integral part of every modern person’s life means that the increase in ticket prices at the ticket offices and ticket vending machines virtually should be imperceptible to the customers,” commented Alexey Sorokin, Chief Operating Officer at Aeroexpress. In addition, such activities help to make an innovative and, most importantly, a very convenient service for purchasing tickets popular, thereby making the lives of our passengers easier by saving them time and money."