Along with paying for your beer, mobile top-up card, toasted sandwich and utility bill, 7-Eleven stores will now let you book airline tickets on Thai Smile Airways.
The budget carrier has partnered with Counter Service Co, a subsidiary of 7-Eleven franchiser CP All Plc, to provide ticket booking and payment services around the clock.
Under the partnership, passengers get two ways to book and pay for air tickets.
Firstly, passengers can book a seat via ThaiSmileAir.com and then print out a barcode to pay at any shop with Counter Service sales point within a set time. The payment slip can then be sued as an e-ticket for checking in the airport.
Passengers alternatively can go to a Counter Service sales point to directly book flights and make payment.
This move is part Counter Service's drive to increase sales this year by 10-15% over last year's 2 billion baht.
Thai Smile expects the number of passengers this year to reach 3.8 million. It carried 1.2 million passengers from January to April.
Currently, Counter Service is the leader among payment services. It now operates more than 10,000 branches nationwide via leading department stores, 7-Eleven branches and other outlets.
Veeradech Akkarapholphanich, vice president of Counter Service, said on Monday that the company planned to open new 850 sales points nationwide. Of the total, about 600 will be available at 7-Eleven convenience stores.
Chalongchai Hiranyalekha, chief commercial adviser to Thai Smile, said that the subsidiary of Thai Airways International would acquire six new airplanes this year to respond to the increasing number of passengers after teaming up with Counter Service and opening new routes to Asean destinations.