Press release from Business Wire India
Source: SITA
Wednesday, November 11, 2009 06:25 PM IST (12:55 PM GMT)
Editors: General: Consumer interest, Travel & tourism; Business: Advertising, PR & marketing, Business services, Information technology, Transport engineering, Travel & tourism; Technology
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Malaysia Airlines Announces Successful "Transplant" After Platform Switch to SITA Reservations
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Wednesday, November 11, 2009 -- (Business Wire India) -- Malaysia Airlines hosted a news briefing today to share details of its smooth transition to the SITA Reservations platform in an operation that took just 13 hours and involved the successful transfer of almost 1.5 million passenger records.
Malaysia Airlines CEO, Tengku Dato' Azmil Zahruddin, said: "This is a significant milestone for Malaysia Airlines and opens up a future of great commercial possibilities through the use of SITA's Horizon portfolio. It is the critical piece in the jigsaw we have been assembling with SITA over the last three years.
"Upgrading to a new reservations platform is the equivalent of a heart transplant for an airline. Over 3,000 Reservations and Ticketing staff have been fully trained in preparation for this change. Malaysia Airlines already has one of the highest online booking penetrations of any full service carrier in Asia and this will continue to grow, increasing revenue and reducing costs."
The SITA Reservations suite of products includes reservations, inventory and distribution with code share, automated schedule and re-accommodation management for the 14 million passenger Kuala Lumpur-based carrier.
Francesco Violante, SITA CEO, said: "SITA is a proud partner of Malaysia Airlines and this successful cutover to SITA Reservations sets a new industry benchmark for how such a complex project can be delivered with minimal disruption to the airline and its passengers. A team of 500 Malaysia Airlines and SITA staff worked tirelessly to ensure that the switchover went smoothly from midnight on October 31 to about noon on Sunday November 1 2009.
"The most striking statistic of all is that only 67 Passenger Name Records needed to be reworked during the cutover to SITA's platform. This is quite a remarkable achievement and represents just 0.005% of the total of 1,472,416. This shows the value of the test runs which were executed smoothly and the whole project has been delivered on time and within budget thanks to meticulous planning and the spirit of collaboration and partnership that exists in the joint Malaysia Airlines and SITA project team."
Speaking about Malaysia Airlines $130 million investment in its Passenger Services System (PSS), Tengku Dato' Azmil Zahruddin stated: "The introduction of the PSS is our commitment to simplifying air travel, offering customers more choices and a straightforward process. The PSS provides our customers with the flexibility and ease of booking and checking-in at their own convenience. As a global carrier, we understand the importance of embracing today's technological advancement to ensure that our passengers enjoy seamless service."
As part of a ten-year $130 million contract, SITA has also implemented an upgraded Departure Control System which allows Malaysia Airlines to offer self-service options to passengers including kiosk and web check-in. The PSS includes an e-commerce platform which saw online sales rise from 4% to 30% online in the 18 months to September 2009. SITA has also helped to eliminate revenue leakage through an integrity and protection programme by ensuring the authentication of every booking.
Richard Stokes, SITA Senior Vice President for Sales and Relationship Management, speaking to the press today in Kuala Lumpur, said: "SITA Reservations used by 127 airlines, is the largest independent multi-hosted environment of its kind and Malaysia Airlines is the largest carrier on our platform. The airline's e-commerce platform is now fully integrated into SITA Reservations ensuring faster and more streamlined online product delivery.
"Malaysia Airlines is now in position to benefit from all the next generation functionality which SITA has been developing as part of the Horizon portfolio including a new Customer Journey record which provides reservations agents with real-time customer data through a single open integrated database."
About SITA
SITA is the world's leading specialist in air transport communication and IT solutions. SITA delivers and manages business solutions for airline, airport, GDS, government and other customers over the world's most extensive network, which forms the communications backbone of the global air transport industry.
SITA's portfolio includes managed global communications, infrastructure and outsourcing services, as well as services for airline commercial management and passenger operations, flight operations, aircraft operations and air-to-ground communications, airport management and operations, baggage operations, transportation security and border management, cargo operations and more. With a customer service team of over 1,600 staff around the world, SITA invests significantly in achieving best-in-class customer service, providing integrated local and global support for both its communications and IT application services.
SITA has two main subsidiaries: OnAir, which is the leading provider of in-flight connectivity, and CHAMP Cargosystems, the world's only IT company dedicated solely to air cargo. SITA also operates two joint ventures providing services to the air transport community: Aviareto for aircraft asset management and CertiPath for secure electronic identity management.
SITA is one of the world's most international companies. Its global reach is based on local presence, with services for around 550 air transport industry members and 3,200 customers in over 200 countries and territories. In 2009, the company celebrates 60 years in business. Set up in 1949 with 11 member airlines, SITA today employs people of more than 140 nationalities, speaking over 70 different languages. SITA had consolidated revenues of over US$1.47 billion (?1.13 billion) in 2008.
For further information go to www.sita.aero.
About Malaysia Airlines
Malaysia Airlines (www.malaysiaairlines.com), the national carrier of Malaysia and one of Asia's largest, flies nearly 50,000 passengers daily to some 100 destinations worldwide across six continents. The distinctive Malaysia Airlines brand is an extension of the special culture of warmth and friendliness unique to Malaysians. This inimitable Malaysian sense of graciousness is branded as "Malaysian Hospitality" and symbolized by the acronym MH which is also the airline's flight code.
Malaysia Airlines holds a lengthy record of service and best practices excellence and is also one of only six airlines worldwide to be accredited a "5-Star Airline" by Skytrax, an accomplishment it has achieved for five consecutive years, 2005-2009. It has also received the accolade of "World's Best Cabin Staff" by Skytrax over six years, 2001-2004, 2007 and 2009 - the most for any airline.
In line with its vision to be the World's Five Star Value Carrier, Malaysia Airlines holds strongly to its promise of quality products and services to customers at affordable cost. The airline's customers are also able to enjoy innovative facilities like web check-in and inflight mobile connectivity for enhanced convenience. Malaysia Airlines also has a strong reputation in the aviation industry for reliability & safety and is accredited by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) with IOSA (IATA Operational Safety Audit) for its operational safety practices.
CONTACT DETAILS
Denis McClean, Director, Public Relations, SITA, +41-22-747-6824, +41-79-2173357, Denis.McClean@sita.aero
Su Wong, Manager Media Relations, Malaysia Airlines, +603 7840 4485, +017 237 9355, suewong@malaysiaairlines.com
KEYWORDS
CONSUMER, TOURISM, MARKETING, BUSINESS SERVICES, IT, TRANSPORT, TRAVEL, TECHNOLOGY
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