Movement towards a cashless society is becoming a convenient, less risky and easy way of keeping good budget discipline. The trend is now headed for the aviation industry with the world’s first cashless airport coming up in the Chinese province of Zhejiang.
Whereas some services at airports have been available in cashless options over the time, a completely cash-free system has not been in existence. Hangzhou International Airport plans to set the pace in a move expected to be assumed by many more airports upon efficiency.
According to thepaper.cn‘s report, the airport is in talks with Internet firms, such as Alipay, to allow travelers to make cashless payments for services. Alipay is China’s most popular online payment tool, and a subsidiary to tech giant Alibaba Group Holding which also hails from Hangzhou. It is for this reason that online payment already has a particularly high level of penetration in the area, making the upcoming idea very feasible.
Travelers will be in position to clear their accommodation, flights, car rentals, food, beverage, and sundry bills using simple mobile payment gateways. The airport is also planning on developing a larger infrastructure which will allow travelers to book hotels, tickets, transportation, parking and shopping all from one online system.
With such, comes a security responsibility. The airport intends to modernize its artificial intelligence interfaces at security checkpoints with new image recognition features to increase overall operational efficiency by reducing waiting time. The passengers will definitely not be delayed during clearance, yet enjoying a contemporary service delivery.
The business world is slowly putting an end to the exchange of cash, with electronic payments picking up rapidly. Once the first cashless airport marks a successful entry into business, then airports across the globe will not have to wait any longer to advance to the system.