Knowledge Driven Inflight Service

Published Date: 02 Nov 2017

Introduction

Software as a Service (SaaS)

3

3

SafetyNet

4-5

4

Touch Flights Orerations Portal

6

5

SkyPrice Revenue Management

7

6

SkySolver Recovery Suite

8

7

Knowledge-Driven Inflight Service (KIS)

9

8

SabreSonic Check-in

10

9

Conclusion

11

10

References

12

Introduction

AirAsia is the first budget carrier in Asia that provides low cost aviation to more than 55 destinations, spanning through to over 20 countries. The airline has established operations based in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Philippines. It is the only truly ASEAN airline that serves a network stretching across all ASEAN countries, China, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Australia. AirAsia and its associate companies such as AirAsia X, Thai AirAsia, Indonesia AirAsia, Philippines’ AirAsia Inc and AirAsia Japan strive to make low-cost flying possible to everyone with the belief of "Now Everyone Can Fly".

One of the approaches leading to the success of AirAsia is through innovative use of technology. IT platform was built to ease the customer transactions as well as provide greater savings to the Group. In 2010, AirAsia revealed its latest IT booking innovation in the form of New Skies, which allows customer to better manage their online bookings.

Skytrax has named AirAsia the World’s Best Low Cost Airline for three consecutive years (2009, 2010, 2011). Besides, leading international magazine Euromoney has today named AirAsia Berhad as winner of the overall best managed company in Malaysia as well as the best managed company in Asia in the Airlines/Aviation sector for the Euromoney ‘Best Managed and Governed Companies - Asia poll 2013’.

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Software as a Service (SaaS)

SaaS is software that is delivered over the Internet and accessed via a browser on an Internet-connected device such as a computer, smartphone, or tablet. This is also referred to as cloud computing, as the user's app-based data is stored in the cloud, instead of locally. SaaS is generally offered on a subscription or pay-as-you-go basis, but also sometimes made available for no initial charge as a freemium. SaaS is delivered to customers in the form of an application, or "app. Some of the most recognizable examples of SaaS are Salesforce.com's CRM (Customer Relationship Management) product, and Google Apps such as Docs and Calendar. These products are provided to the end user via the Internet, and are paid for on a subscription basis. In response to growing consumer demand, companies like Microsoft are beginning to offer SaaS versions of their products, such as Microsoft Office 365. With SaaS, smaller companies can upgrade and downgrade their software on an as-needed basis, allowing their IT budget to scale with the business.

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SafetyNet

SafetyNet is a web-based software application designed by Vistair, a company formed by IT and airline professionals that provides visionary technologies for airline industry. SafetyNet improves safety culture through enhanced progress on the report, action and feedback.

Key Features and Benefits

SafetyNet provides a reporting structure by gathering all the information in a simple intuitive interface that is easy to use. Pilots or crew members can efficiently compile reports on-line from anywhere using a PDA. Reports will be automatically forwarder to the flight safety office for review and dissemination once submitted.

SafetyNet will help airlines to identifies safety hazards and maintain an acceptable level of safety by implement necessary remedial action. Besides, it monitors and assesses the safety level on a regular basis to upgrade the overall level of safety continuously. This will avoid any unnecessary accident happen and give safety assurance to passengers.

sample SafetyNet screen shots

SafetyNet delivers organised and highly efficient workflow in management reporting that can enhance the safety culture. By deploying SafetyNet, AirAsia can reduce the expenses in safety management by improving the management of safety report information. Communications and delivery of reports will be faster within the airline.

SafetyNet will dramatically improve safety data acquisition and reduce errors in report management of AirAsia. Moreover, SafetyNet ensures a tighter and confidential safety culture and also immediate returns on investment.

Touch Flights Operations Portal

Vistair’s Touch is an intranet application that enables communication within airline. It had been used by Airline Flybee and some UK largest airlines.

Key Features and Benefits

Touch enables all notices to be sent automatically using an email alert and the user's Touch home page. Types of notices which the system facilitates include mandatory and optional viewing. Mandatory notices required acknowledgement from individual crew member.

By applying Touch, AirAsia can send notice to crew in the airline quickly. Management can find out who has and has not read the notice easily. Activity is stored in Touch and enables management to generates reports of notices viewed. This feature makes sure that every crew member views the notice. The working process will be more efficient when everyone have the idea what is going on around the airline.

Documents, notices and crew information are linked together in a simple interface. Crew can easily manage the system without training. All solutions are combined and there is a single sign-on, saving time and improving efficiency.

Other information such as company information, company news or application forms are available to the crew by Touch. Notices can have PDF or Document attachments. Notices can be published from a simple web interface with no need to use a word processor or print the notices. Therefore, management can save time and money printing and distributing the notices or any applications form.

Besides, any of the associated programmes can send alerts through Touch. The alerts will appear in the Touch alerts window. Touch is the fastest way to inform crew about any changes of flights, hence reducing error due to asymmetric information.

SkySolver Recovery Suite

Navitaire's SkySolver Recovery Suite allows recovery of aircraft, crew and passenger schedules quickly, efficiently and holistically. Optimized, cost-effective and consistent recovery solutions can be generated rapidly by the SkySolver decision-support system on a daily basis and during major disruptions.

Customer service will be enhanced, resources will be used effectively and disruption will be reduced up to 45 per cent less, based on standard studies. SkySolver can save millions of dollars each year, proven by many successful low-cost carriers and the world’s largest airline.

Key Features and Benefits

SkySolver can examine delays, misconnects, duty violations and unavailable crew quickly and easily through an intuitive graphical interface. It also can rapidly generates and compare multiple optimized solutions. Potential solutions are review, modify, protect and share before implementing. It saves time and prevents errors or disruptions with built-in "what-if" capability.

SkySolver efficient use of aircraft, crew and staff will save money as there will be fewer cancellations and shorter delays. It creates recovery options in just minutes or seconds, well ahead of the competition. Risk is minimized as it meets the terms of company, contractual and regulatory rules. SkySolver has full consideration of all restrictions and the effect on revenue, cost, maintenance, passenger re-accommodation and company priorities. It is ever ready with solutions to solve any disruptions.

SkyPrice Revenue Management

SkyPrice Revenue Management is a product of Navitaire, a company providing technology and business solutions to the airline and travel industry since 1993 (Navitaire offers wide-ranging services that include reservations, revenue management, revenue accounting, operations management and recovery solutions to airlines). SkyPrice is a tool to improve profitability for airline in this competitive industry.

Key Features and Benefits

Navitaire’s SkyPrice includes a wide range of features that will help AirAsia ascend to higher revenues. It provides detail-rich pricing, forecast and booking data to enable AirAsia to make critical business decisions.

It enables revenue team to obtain broad information about a complete view of market situation and create revenue-optimized recommendation. Besides, productivity will be improved with its more automated, flexible and easy-to-use applications and time-saving tools.

Revenue managers can focus on analysing trends and on the most revenue-critical markets, flights and special events with enhanced productivity. AirAsia can deliver and manage the best revenue management and reservations solutions through a single supplier that support easier file handoffs, and increase confidence in data reliability and product compatibility. SkyPrice can definitely help AirAsia to achieve greater profitability with its effective solutions.

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Knowledge-Driven Inflight Service (KIS) application

KIS is an inflight communication and customer relationship management application adopted by renowned Dubai-based airlines, Emirates. The air carrier outfit all its flights with HP ElitePad 900 slates, each loaded a custom Knowledge Driven Inflight Service (KIS) app, to help crew and customers alike. Feedbacks will be received by attendants and a heads-up on what to expect from everyone on-board. Passengers will have chances to give opinions and upgrade their seat classes on the spot.

Key Features and Benefits

Attendants on the flight can brief the cabin crew with KIS about ways to satisfy personal preferences and needs of passengers before every flight. With KIS, in-flight upgrades to business class or first class can be easily conducted for passengers. Customer feedback will be directed to headquarters immediately upon landing.

KIS application gathers information from customers, as well as provides them with anything they may need to know during their flight. KIS application can improve the inflight experience to the customers as customers are provided with a quick and effective way of giving feedback. Hence, it gives airlines to improve the service for customers to enjoy a better flying experience next time.

It also offers the cabin crew with a great, Facebook-like feature which allows them to learn the name and face of an unrecognized crew member, as well as assessing their capabilities.

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SabreSonic Check-in

SabreSonic Check-in is a departure control system that facilitates passengers on and off airport ground. This advanced technology will benefit customer from check-in to automated boarding control.

Key Features and Benefits

SabreSonic Check-in will increase revenue as it will help to improve productivity , team member efficiency, faster adoption, reduce training costs and increased targeted merchandising opportunities. AirAsia can increase revenue through computerized merchandising of ancillaries and collect ancillary service fees accurately to support marketing strategy with SabreSonic Check-in.

Airport staffing and real estate costs will be reduced using self service solutions for kiosk, web and mobile check-in. Agent productivity at the airport will be updated through an in-built user interface.

SabreSonic Check-in also delivers a unique customer experience as the integrated check-in solutions offer airline, mobile, web and kiosk self-service check-in options for passengers. During irregular operation event, SabreSonic Check-in rebooks passengers with the least possible interruption for airlines and customers. Therefore, customer satisfaction and convenience are improved by reducing processing time.

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Conclusion

All the software application proposed for AirAsia has similar advantages such as:

Reduce cost

Enrich customer experience

Profit maximization

Increase productivity

By using the software recommended, AirAsia can improve to compete with other world-class airline.