Etihad Airways Integrates Travel-Focused Blockchain Platform Winding Tree

The national carrier of the United Arab Emirates Etihad Airways has partnered with blockchain-based platform for the travel industry Winding Tree to explore how blockchain can aid in distribution.

Logistics see greater adoption of blockchain

As Reuters reported on Aug. 8, Etihad joined a range of other leading international airlines that already deploy the Winding Tree platform, including Air Canada, Air France-KLM, and Lufthansa. The product is set to reduce transaction costs for customers, as well as enable companies to publish inventory directly to their customers, among other services.

Tristan Thomas, director of digital and innovation at Etihad, told Reuters that “Winding Tree is obviously our distribution (platform) and that’s an opportunity for us to disrupt a traditionally siloed market dominated by major distribution systems.”

Pedro Anderson, Winding Tree’s chief operating officer and co-founder, also commented on the cooperation, saying:

“We have been doing experiments and new solutions on the platform. Ultimately, that benefits the consumer. When there’s innovation, you start to have disruption, you have competition which results in better prices for the consumer.”

Blockchain captivates the airline industry

As previously reported, Air Canada announced its participation in the Winding Tree platform last October. Keith Wallis, Director of Global Product Distribution for Air Canada, said then:

“Air Canada recognizes the importance of leveraging this next generation technology. We plan to integrate Air Canada's Direct Connect API with Winding Tree's public blockchain platform, giving blockchain-savvy users the ability to access our content directly from the source."

Other airlines around the world have also been integrating blockchain tech into their internal processes. Earlier this month, Hong Kong’s flagship airline Cathay Pacific introduced the first blockchain project to manage unit load devices. The project intends to eliminate paper-based processes by implementing a blockchain application that allows instant management of such devices through a smartphone.