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Kuala Lumpur: Malaysia Airlines Wednesday announced a RM200 million overhaul of its reservations system, including an aggressive new fare scheme, as part of a turnaround plan.
From roomier toilets for first class travellers to "enhanced grooming" for cabin crew and an instant noodle service, the airline will also see a "cultural revolution" in customer service, said chief executive Idris Jala.
"We envisage in the next five or so years, the total investment we will put into changing our system will be close to RM200 million," Jala told reporters. "A lot of what we are doing is catching up and much of what we will be doing in the future will be making some radical changes," he said.
The moves are part of a turnaround plan introduced in February which steered the national carrier back into the black last month after five consecutive quarters of losses. The revamp will include changes to services such as ticketing and check-in.
The fare review, to be completed by January 19, will see the carrier eventually change its fares daily to match competitors' prices, Jala said. "You cannot stay put and change the pricing structure every six months, you have to do it daily ... That is what other people do," Jala said.
"The job is to make sure we are matching the competition."
"If they move, we move. If they drop, we drop," he said, adding that the sale of too many seats in lower fare categories had contributed to past losses.
Other changes include the introduction of electronic ticketing by the end of 2007 for international flights, which Jala said would save RM19 on each paper ticket currently sold.
The carrier also unveiled a wide-ranging scheme to improve the airline's customer service, including better crockery for first and business class passengers and an SMS service for all passengers.
Staff have flown on low-cost carriers such as AirAsia and Virgin Blue in Australia, taken domestic flights on British Midlands, Qantas, and regional rival Singapore Airlines to compare their services.
"We fly them as spies on other aircraft," Jala said. - AFP
Kuala Lumpur: Malaysia Airlines Wednesday announced a RM200 million overhaul of its reservations system, including an aggressive new fare scheme, as part of a turnaround plan.
From roomier toilets for first class travellers to "enhanced grooming" for cabin crew and an instant noodle service, the airline will also see a "cultural revolution" in customer service, said chief executive Idris Jala.
"We envisage in the next five or so years, the total investment we will put into changing our system will be close to RM200 million," Jala told reporters. "A lot of what we are doing is catching up and much of what we will be doing in the future will be making some radical changes," he said.
The moves are part of a turnaround plan introduced in February which steered the national carrier back into the black last month after five consecutive quarters of losses. The revamp will include changes to services such as ticketing and check-in.
The fare review, to be completed by January 19, will see the carrier eventually change its fares daily to match competitors' prices, Jala said. "You cannot stay put and change the pricing structure every six months, you have to do it daily ... That is what other people do," Jala said.
"The job is to make sure we are matching the competition."
"If they move, we move. If they drop, we drop," he said, adding that the sale of too many seats in lower fare categories had contributed to past losses.
Other changes include the introduction of electronic ticketing by the end of 2007 for international flights, which Jala said would save RM19 on each paper ticket currently sold.
The carrier also unveiled a wide-ranging scheme to improve the airline's customer service, including better crockery for first and business class passengers and an SMS service for all passengers.
Staff have flown on low-cost carriers such as AirAsia and Virgin Blue in Australia, taken domestic flights on British Midlands, Qantas, and regional rival Singapore Airlines to compare their services.
"We fly them as spies on other aircraft," Jala said. - AFP
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