'All-You-Can-Fly' Airline Begins Accepting Bitcoin and Ether

Regional airline carrier Surf Air announced late last week that it would support bitcoin and ethereum payments for its monthly membership and charter services.

The "all-you-can-fly" private airline will allow users to pay for their seats with either cryptocurrency through a mobile app. It serves several cities in California, Texas, and Europe, according to a press release.

The company allows members to pay a monthly fee in order to fly as many times as they want, according to the Independent. Passengers are also pre-screened through a government-approved background check. As a result, they do not have to wait in security.

The cryptocurrency acceptance is being conducted in partnership with Coinbase, which will handle the payments side. In statements, CEO Sudhin Shahani said that the move to accept bitcoin and ethereum forms part of their wider efforts to disrupt air services.

"Digital currency has been on our radar from the very beginning and we are excited to provide our members with another quick and seamless way to do business with Surf Air," he said.

Airlines – particularly smaller, regional ones – are no strangers to the cryptocurrency world, with a number having begun accepting bitcoin over the years. Indeed, the airline industry has also moved to explore applications of blockchain, including in areas such as ticket disbursement and maintenance tracking.

Disclosure: CoinDesk is a subsidiary of Digital Currency Group, which has an ownership stake in Coinbase.

Aircraft image via Shutterstock