Amazon, the American giant, is offering airline tickets for sale on its Indian site. After books, clothing, food or car parts, Amazon started with the sale of airline tickets on its website! It is the first step in the world of tourism, which remains discreet and measured. The service is only available on Amazon.in, the Indian version of the site.
In testing the service, the technical developments appear limited: the American giant has partnered with the Indian online agency Cleartrip and is trying to put in place the booking engine provided by OTA. For the moment, it is only possible to book domestic flights in India from the country's 6 major airports.
Nevertheless, Amazon remains aggressive in its approach, offering a cash back mechanism valid on Amazon Pay, for all its customers, during the launch period. The site grants a credit of about €5 for a reservation over €100, a credit of €10 between €100 and €260 for purchases and €20 beyond. Amazon is also committed to building loyalty by adding an additional €5 for Prime members. Another difference is that Amazon insists that it will not charge any fees if a ticket is cancelled. Only the airline's penalties apply.
It is also worth noting the practicality of booking, with a shopping tunnel as fluid as that of other product categories. Amazon's customer is absolutely not out of place. Moreover, customers can directly use the contact data and payment details stored on the platform, thus saving time during the booking process by avoiding having to enter their credit card for each purchase.
This life-size deployment clearly shows Amazon's interest in travelling. "Delighted by the shopping experience, customers are increasingly asking for more additional services offered by Amazon," justifies the site. It remains to be seen whether the platform will launch an identical service in other countries and when the sale of airline tickets is to be launched globally. "We don't comment on the things we intend to do or not to do in the future," an Amazon spokesperson replied laconically, adding in a sibylline way: "Stay tuned..."