AirAsia launches world's first SMS booking service<\/p>\n
Agence France-Presse, Kuala Lumpur<\/p>\n
No-frills Malaysian carrier AirAsia on Tuesday launched the
\nworld's first SMS ticket reservation service with hopes of
\nexpanding its reach to 10 million mobile phone users.<\/p>\n
Chairman Pahamin Rajab said the move followed its success with
\nits Internet ticketing service, which recorded over 80 million
\nringgit (US$21 million) in sales since May last year.<\/p>\n
He said AirAsia had invested three million ringgit to develop
\nthe short message service (SMS) booking system, jointly with top
\nmobile phone operator Maxis and Dutch-based technology firm
\nGetronics.<\/p>\n
The service will be available Friday initially to some three
\nmillion Maxis subscribers but other mobile operators are expected
\nto come on board within the next one to two months, he said.<\/p>\n
"With this, we have covered every access to our tickets. With
\nthe increasing number of mobile phone users, we are now reaching
\nout to even more people in Malaysia," Pajamin said.<\/p>\n
Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, launching the SMS
\nservice, said some 42 percent of Malaysian's 23 million
\npopulation owned a mobile phone compared with 11.7 percent who
\nare Internet users.<\/p>\n
The new service would therefore allow AirAsia to reach out to
\nnearly 10 million Malaysians, he said, praising the carrier for
\nrevolutionizing air travel in the country.<\/p>\n
Officials said it takes about eight SMSs to complete a booking
\nat the standard rate of 0.15 ringgit for each SMS but the service
\ncomes at no additional cost.<\/p>\n
AirAsia chief executive Tony Fernandes said Internet booking
\nnow made up 45 percent of the company's total sales.<\/p>\n
It is working with top bank Malayan Banking and several other
\nbanks to expand the method of online payments from just credit
\ncards to direct debiting of customer accounts in the next two
\nmonths, he said.<\/p>\n
Fernandes said AirAsia's revenue suffered after rival national
\ncarrier Malaysia Airlines launched domestic promotions in June to
\ncounter a travel slump induced by the Severe Acute Respiratory
\nSyndrome (SARS) outbreak.<\/p>\n
"We hope pricing will not (continue to) be anti-competition.
\nWe do see ourselves as two different markets. It is better for us
\nto work together, rather than creating wasteful competition," he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Abdullah earlier told reporters it was up to the two carriers
\nto draw up their pricing strategies but urged the two to "be
\nfriends" and complement each other.<\/p>\n
AirAsia last week said it hoped to launch flights to Indonesia
\nby year-end and to Thailand from January as part of its regional
\nexpansion.<\/p>\n
It currently has seven aircraft, and has placed orders to buy
\nfour more and lease seven, taking its fleet to 18 by end of 2004.<\/p>",
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