News
MAB plans to launch independent hajj unit, signs Amadeus merchandising deal
October 28th 2016
Malaysia Airlines (MAB) is planning to launch an independent A380 hajj subsidiary after it failed to find interested buyers for its six second-hand A380s it no longer needs after inking lease deals for A350s that will replace the superjumbo on the carrier’s sole remaining link to Europe, its double daily flights to London’s Heathrow. Read More »
MAB says the new pilgrimage unit could formally launch before December, following talks with Airbus regarding interiors conversion that will see the three-class, 494-seater A380 being modified to accommodate 700 passengers in a single class layout, including pray areas.
MAB’s Kuala Lumpur hangars can accommodate up to three A380s at the same time. The airline is licenced to perform full C checks, and it has a base and full-flight superjumbo simulator.
Separately, MAB this week inked a comprehensive merchandising technology deal with Amadeus. As such, from 2017, MAB will adopt the full Amadeus Altéa Passenger Service System to manage and improve all core passenger processes including reservation, inventory and departure control. Altéa is used by the majority of MAB’s oneworld affiliates, facilitating integration and delivering improved revenues and a more seamless cross-alliance passenger experience.
MAB CEO, Peter Bellew, believes technology will play an important role in transforming the embattled flag carrier: “We want to make it really easy for our customers to book great value MAB fares worldwide. Amadeus is a super new system which will provide this simply and quickly, enabling our customers to capture great flights with minimum effort. Amadeus offers a great web booking experience and state of the art mobile applications to suit individual needs so passengers can look forward to a leaner, more agile experience, from booking tickets to pre-purchasing excess baggage, meals and managing loyalty points, all at the click of a button,” Bellew said.
