AirAsia launches new booking system
**B100m invested in bid to drive reservations **
AirAsia is spending 100 million baht on a new booking system that will allow the low-cost airline group to accept reservations of almost one million seats a day, up from about 70,000.
The no-frills carrier, with sister airlines in Thailand and Indonesia, banks on the new platform to fully capture opportunities for online ticket sales which are partially lost under its current system, which was based on 1980s technology.
The investment in New Skies, a reservation and distribution system developed by Minneapolis-based Navitaire, will support the fast-growing group’s lofty growth plan and rising demand for online bookings.
AirAsia, the region’s largest no-frills carrier group, handles about 20,000 online bookings a day, 5,000 of which are by its Thai sister airline, Thai AirAsia.
Thai AirAsia, in particular, views the user-friendly system as an essential part of its drive to nearly double the annual passenger volume to 12 million in 2015 from the 6.5 million expected this year, chief executive Tassapon Bijleveld said yesterday.
Enhanced efficiency and flexibility to be rendered by the new system will open more windows for promotional campaigns that can be tailored to specific customer segments, a feature that is not available under the current system.
The system would help increase the load factor of each flight by 10%, up from about 80% at present, said Mr Tassapon.
Nearly 80% of Thai AirAsia’s ticket sales are made online, split equally between Thais and foreigners.
As part of the system replacement process, the airline group’s booking services will be temporarily unavailable from midday today to 5 pm Sunday.
The system shutdown, resulting in http://www.airasia.com being out of service, may cost Thai AirAsia about 120-150 million baht in lost ticket sales opportunities, said the chief executive.
The new system will be available starting at 5 pm on Sunday, though some hiccups are expected during the system’s initial operations.
“Like any system, there may be some difficulties in the first 30 to 60 days before everything is in place,” said Mr Tassapon.
While AirAsia implements its new system, passengers will not be able to book seats online, at AirAsia sales offices and counters, or via call centre.
They also will not be able to check in online, by mobile phone or at sales kiosks. Neither will they be able to alter bookings online.
The airline will only be accepting cash for purchases of any additional products at check-in counters, including excess baggage fees, during this period.
From today through Sunday, guests will be manually checked in by AirAsia staff at the airport check-in counters. Passengers are advised to check in at least three hours before departure to avoid missing their flights.
AirAsia said its new booking system was developed over three years, and more than 200 specially trained personnel were tapped to implement the new system, allowing it to stay ahead of competitors in offering user-friendly booking features.
According to Mr Tassapon, the new system has already been adopted by the world’s other leading low-cost carriers including Southwest, Ryanair and EasyJet.
In another development, Thai AirAsia will put off the launch of its daily flights from Bangkok to Kolkata and New Delhi by about one month to about mid-September, pending Indian formalities for India’s capital.
Domestically, the airline plans to embark on a new route - Phuket-Ubon Ratchathani - with three flights a week in October.
Bron: Bangkok Post
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