Israeli tech lets passengers buy event tickets mid-air

For the first time, air passengers en route will be able to order and book tickets to plays, movies, museums, and stadium events. The service, provided by US-based website Row44.com, is based on technology developed by Israel’s Titan Technology Group, using satellite communications technology to register the bookings.

Titan’s technology gives passengers an extra channel on their personal entertainment system that offers the opportunity to buy tickets to events in their destination city. The displays will include descriptions of the events, including movies, concerts, museum exhibitions, and sporting events, and show passengers a real-time map of available seats for each event. Meanwhile, the event hosts get real-time updates of the rate of sales, and are able to issue tickets to passengers while they’re still in the air. The tickets are emailed or sent via text message to the customer’s phone, to be retrieved or printed out when they land.

Besides event tickets, Titan said, all sorts of other promotions could work with the system: selling physical goods (with passengers receiving a voucher to pick up their purchases when they land), ad campaigns, group games, and more.

Row44.com is the world’s first satellite-based broadband service provider for planes, and allows passengers on airlines they work with — Southwest Airlines, in the US — to connect to the Internet via inflight Wi-Fi in-flight, and also broadcasts live sporting events on planes. The $2.4 million deal with Titan will expand Row44’s offerings significantly, the company said.

Speaking to The Times of Israel, psychologist Dr. Yehoshua Ganzfried said that the system was destined to be very popular among passengers who have an opportunity to use it. “Given the lack of amenities on flights today for economy passengers, most of them can’t wait to get off the plane, and have their minds on what they will be doing after they land,” he said. “The Titan system gives them a way to connect between what is likely a difficult current experience with a much preferred future experience.”

Danny Keren, CEO of Titan, said that “the world of entertainment and leisure is constantly changing. We believe that millions of passengers who have the opportunity will want to order tickets to shows, events, concerts, museums, and other leisure events in-flight.”