Booking bullet trains. Azgo cashback. Velma assists Warwick Hotels. More.

Booking the bullet now easier

Tokyo-listed Inbound Platform Corp has launched its Shinkansen (bullet train) ticket service, which includes basic fares, express tickets and ticket issuance via QR codes, for international travellers and foreign residents in Japan.

Through the ‘Japan Bullet Train’ website international travellers and foreign residents can book and manage Shinkansen tickets in less than two minutes, while also eliminating language barriers.

Inbound Platform Corp said it recognised the complexities, time constraints and language barriers involved in purchasing Shinkansen tickets, and the new service would streamline the entire booking process.

The company offers telephone assistance in seven languages with other languages – including Spanish and French – to follow.

Inbound Platform currently accepts credit cards and Apple Pay and plans to integrate additional payment options such as Google Pay and Wechat Pay.

The service does not currently offer the Japan Rail Pass.

Next, Inbound Platform will provide the Shinkansen reservation services to travel agencies and web media worldwide, “aiming to make Shinkansen bookings in Japan as convenient as possible”.

Azgo’s cash back travel deals

Azgo has arrived in Singapore, a rewards system offering high cashbacks with every purchase in the Azgo app from 500 global merchants on the mobile platform.

Wholesalers range from popular airlines, hotel accommodations, attraction tickets, land transfers and in-market tour operators to WiFi, overseas SIM cards and international travel insurance brands.

“Singaporeans seeking affordable drop-of-the-hat travel deals can look to the Azgo platform. Why bother with Buy Now Pay Later when you can utilise earned cashback to fund your next and or subsequent trips?” the company said in a statement.

Riyadh Air takes off with tech

Tony Douglas, CEO of Riyadh Air, the international airline due to launch in 2025, and backed by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF), has been outlining plans to digitalise its business.

Douglas said Saudi Arabia’s nation of ’do dedo natives’ demands high-tech, connected experiences, and the airline will deliver these throughout the passenger journey.

Speaking to Simply Flying, Douglas said the airline would be known for AI check-in, superfast WiFi on board and immersive IFE.

Riyadh Air has ordered a fleet of Dreamliners and will complement these with narrow-bodied jets, possibly Boeing 737s.

Douglas told Simply Flying, “This is not about ‘we want a big airline, so let’s have one’ – the financial rigour is built in. The other thing that’s great is that PIF has got investments across the whole of its portfolio in so many things. That gives us a unique opportunity with sister companies, for example, in the technology space.

“We’ve got instant access to lots of things that, ordinarily, we wouldn’t have access to.”

Velma checks in with Warwick

Quicktext, the hospitality AI SuperApp, based in Paris, has confirmed a strategic partnership with Warwick Hotels and Resorts. The luxury hotel group has selected Velma, Quicktext’s AI technology, to streamline guests’ interactions.

Velma, the virtual assistant for hotels globally, is based on Q-Brain+, the hybridisation of classic conversational AI and generative AI to provide multiple best of class AI solutions.

Warwick Hotels and Resorts operates more than 40 luxury properties globally.