Merpati info on cell phones

JAKARTA (JP): State-owned air carrier Merpati Nusantara Airlines announced on Friday a new service to allow customers to check flight schedules with their mobile telephones.

The company said Merpati flight schedules could now be accessed through the short message service provided by GSM operators Telkomsel, Satelindo and Excelcomindo.

The new service, however, can only be enjoyed by customers who use the three operators' regular post paid billing service.

Merpati reported a pretax profit of Rp 97.9 billion (US$12.2 million) last year after being in the red with a net loss of Rp 653.3 billion in 1998 and Rp 417.7 billion in 1997. (cst)