Budget carrier SpiceJet on Thursday said its passengers can now book cabs for airport transfer during their flight, using the airline's in-flight entertainment platform SpiceScreen. In the first phase, the new service will be available to passengers arriving at the Delhi airport, starting August 12.

The airline will further extend the service to all major airports, including Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Goa, Chennai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad and Pune in a phased-manner.

This first-of-its-kind initiative in the domestic aviation industry would help the passengers avoid any waiting for their transport, post-arrival at the cab transfer area, the airline said. Once a passenger books a cab on SpiceScreen, they will get the cab booking OTP message via SMS, WhatsApp and automated inbound call confirmation on their mobile phone on arrival. It will also allow customers the flexibility to pay via any payment options (online or cash) at the end of the journey, it added.

SpiceJet launched SpiceScreen, a complimentary in-flight entertainment system in August last year, which can be accessed on any of the passengers' handheld devices, including a smartphone, tablet or laptop, by simply connecting to the onboard wireless network.

The airline will also offer special discounted fares exclusively to passengers exercising this option for booking their cabs, it said, adding it will not charge for cancellation if a passenger fails to board the cab for any reason. Since the service aims to make the last mile connectivity all the easier, flyers will not have to carry their heavy luggage to the cab departure area as they will now be available right outside the arrival gate, SpiceJet said.

With the launch of our industry-first SpiceScreen midair airport transfer service, we aim to elevate the customer experience to the next level. When we launched SpiceScreen in August last year, we had promised to add more onboard services for our customers. With our latest offering, passengers will no longer have to carry their luggage to the cab departure area besides enjoying zero waiting time as cabs will now be available for them right outside the arrival gate, said Ajay Singh, Chairman and Managing Director, SpiceJet.