LAGOS – Wakanow, the travel Technology Company and ThankUCash, the loyalty firm have partnered to offer travel miles, wakapoints to air travellers who book on the former.

The partnership, which the companies said is novel in the global aviation industry, also intends to extend to other modes of transportation in the future, while air travellers who booked through Wakanow can also use their miles to purchase items in stores.

Mr. Adebayo Adedeji, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Wakanow, while speaking with aviation journalists in Lagos over the weekend, said that through the ThankUCash company, Wakanow would be able to keep the data of its clients, monitors their growth and reward them accordingly with appropriate miles.

According to him, the loyalty mile, wakapoints, could be used by clients on any airline, adding that it is different from the miles offered by airlines to passengers who book on their websites.

Adedeji explained further that the innovation was a win-win situation for clients as they could earn miles from airlines and Wakanow.

He explained that the loyalty mile is valid for both local and international travels, assuring that as a leader in the travel technology industry, Wakanow is poised to revolutionise the sub-sector.

He said: “There is a need for partnerships in the travel industry, but you need the right partners for you to make an impact. The partnership between Wakanow and ThankUCash is the right partnership the industry needs for growth. This is a revolution, which no one has done in the country in the past.

“The wakapoints doesn’t matter the airline an air traveller is flying with as a passenger. You can use the miles for several other things and airlines. It is a thank you currency to customers. The challenge we have in Nigeria is that we allow the outside people to come and sell our brains. The future is using the mile cards when purchasing air tickets.

Adedeji explained that in spite of the challenges in the global aviation industry, occasioned by the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic, Wakanow grew at 250 per cent in the past year, stressing that for the first time, in the annals of the company, it made profits in 2020 and 2021.