Tigerair Taiwan Ltd (台灣虎航) is to issue 15 non-fungible tokens (NFTs) with each one set at a floor price of NT$150,000, the airline said in a statement yesterday.
In partnership with cryptocurrency exchange Maicoin Ltd (現代財富科技), the airline is to auction the 15 tokens from today to Thursday, allowing only Taiwanese to participate, the low-cost carrier said.
Consumers can purchase the tokens by credit card, it said.
Photo: Wu Cheng-ting, Taipei Times
The NFT issuance would be the first among Taiwanese airlines. The Ming Hwa Yuan Arts and Cultural Group (明華園戲劇總團) and Shiyun (師園) fried chicken shop issued NFTs in recent months.
Tigerair Taiwan is providing substantial perks to holders of its NFT tokens, such as allowing buyers to fly standby for free on any of its flights from July to the end of next year, it said.
“NFT buyers could get on a flight at the last minute if there is an unoccupied seat, although there is no guarantee of boarding when flying standby,” a Tigerair Taiwan official said in an interview with the Taipei Times.
Sometimes those who fly standby choose a different destination if they cannot get on their desired flight, but overall, it is an opportunity to save quite a bit of money, the official said.
Token buyers would also be eligible to take three complimentary trips on the airline’s new Airbus SE 320neo jets when the aircraft are delivered, the statement said.
PATENTS: MediaTek Inc said it would not comment on ongoing legal cases, but does not expect the legal action by Huawei to affect its business operations Smartphone integrated chips designer MediaTek Inc (聯發科) on Friday said that a lawsuit filed by Chinese smartphone brand Huawei Technologies Co (華為) over alleged patent infringements would have little impact on its operations. In an announcement posted on the Taiwan Stock Exchange, MediaTek said that it would not comment on an ongoing legal case. However, the company said that Huawei’s legal action would have little impact on its operations. MediaTek’s statement came after China-based PRIP Research said on Thursday that Huawei filed a lawsuit with a Chinese district court claiming that MediaTek infringed on its patents. The infringement mentioned in the lawsuit likely involved
Taipei is today suspending work, classes and its US$2.4 trillion stock market as Typhoon Gaemi approaches Taiwan with strong winds and heavy rain. The nation is not conducting securities, currency or fixed income trading, statements from its stock and currency exchanges said. Authorities had yesterday issued a warning that the storm could affect people on land and canceled some ship crossings and domestic flights. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) expects its local chipmaking fabs to maintain normal production, the company said in an e-mailed statement. The main chipmaker for Apple Inc and Nvidia Corp said it has activated routine typhoon alert
GROWTH: TSMC increased its projected revenue growth for this year to more than 25 percent, citing stronger-than-expected demand for AI devices and smartphones The Taiwan Institute of Economic Research (TIER, 台灣經濟研究院) yesterday raised its forecast for Taiwan’s GDP growth this year from 3.29 percent to 3.85 percent, as exports and private investment recovered faster than it predicted three months ago. The Taipei-based think tank also expects that Taiwan would see a 8.19 percent increase in exports this year, better than the 7.55 percent it projected in April, as US technology giants spent more money on artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure and development. “There will be more AI servers going forward, but it remains to be seen if the momentum would extend to personal computers, smartphones and
Catastrophic computer outages caused by a software update from one company have once again exposed the dangers of global technological dependence on a handful of players, experts said on Friday. A flawed update sent out by the little-known security firm CrowdStrike Holdings Inc brought airlines, TV stations and myriad other aspects of daily life to a standstill. The outages affected companies or individuals that use CrowdStrike on the Microsoft Inc’s Windows platform. When they applied the update, the incompatible software crashed computers into a frozen state known as the “blue screen of death.” “Today CrowdStrike has become a household name, but not in