Two World Firsts for Malaysia Airlines As They Harness the IPad and iPhone

Published on: 1st Jan 1970: 1:33am

Malaysia Airlines and the air transport IT specialist, SITA, announced that the world's first kiosks to sell airline tickets using the Apple iPad went live today in Kuala Lumpur. The airline has also launched augmented reality app for the Apple iPhone to allow customers to pick up best airline deals from nearby airports.

Malaysia Airlines Managing Director/CEO, Tengku Dato' Azmil Zahruddin, said: "There is huge interest in the iPad MHkiosks which went live today in Kuala Lumpur. It is as simple as ABC. You select your itinerary, pay with a credit card, and receive confirmation via SMS and email. There is no printing and no admin fee.

"It will mean better queue management at our ticket offices during peak hours when customers can be re-directed to 'stand-alone' iPad MHkiosks."

The iPhone augmented reality application, MHdeals, will soon be available on-line in the Apple AppStore and demonstrates for the first time how airlines can exploit the technology commercially as a new channel to customers for ticket sales.

Jim Peters, SITA Chief Technology Officer who heads up the SITA Lab facility which worked with Malaysia Airlines on developing these applications, said: "'SITA regards these two innovations as very significant breakthroughs for the airline industry which is seeking to provide the online public with additional sales channels and attractive functionality to build customer loyalty. It's also a fun and interactive way to choose your destination, book a ticket and then fly.

"MHdeals is an iPhone augmented reality application that uses the GPS to determine your location and display the nearest airports from which you can access great deals. You simply hold the phone in front of you to view the surrounding airports and select one to view flight offers. Passengers can then book their flights through the MHmobile application which SITA Lab developed and launched for Malaysia Airlines last year."

 

Tags: [sita]  [apple ipad]  [airlines]  [printing]  [airline]  [Malaysia]