KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Airlines Bhd has unveiled three mobile applications namely MHguardian, MHfeedback and Facebook messenger BOT MHChat to enhance passengers' travel experience.
Its chief commercial officer Arved von zur Mehlen said over the last 12 months, the national carrier had been prioritising its investment in digital advancement.
He said its improved website has a “manage booking” tool allowing for easier changes and refunds, dynamic currency conversion and a new Enrich members’ portal.
"We also have a range of value-added service on the website for our customers including car rentals, hotel bookings as well as Takaful insurance. Our inflight shopping, Temptations is also available for order online”.
“Our digital solutions underline our efforts to deliver the best of Malaysian Hospitality as displayed in our latest brand campaign,” he said at the media briefing on Malaysia Airlines' digital initiatives update in Sepang, Selangor.
Also present was Malaysia Airlines’ head of digital Peter Pohlschmidt.
von zur Mehlen said there is continuous trend of mobile-first in aviation according to its studies.
He said more than half of Malaysians prefer to plan, research and book their trips via mobile, which showed that passengers are more self-sufficient and that they want more control over their travels.
MHguardian is a mobile application which enables parents or guardians to track unaccompanied minors throughout their travel with Malaysia Airlines.
The mobile app was the winning idea of Malaysia Airlines’ 2017 Hackathon and is targeted for launch by September.
MHguardian will be extended to support unaccompanied elderly passengers and passengers who require special assistance.
Already available for download is MHfeedback, which allows customers to immediately share their feedback anonymously on their experience with Malaysia Airlines.
Passengers can type in their feedback, rate the airline’s service or upload photos of areas that require improvement.
Through artificial intelligence (AI) cognitive services, the images and comments submitted are classified and analysed for sentiment and immediately directed to the responsible service unit.
MHchat, meanwhile, is an interactive Facebook Messenger BOT.
Malaysia Airlines is the first airline in Asia to allow users to book flights and process payments through Facebook Messenger.
It plans to unveil another three to four new apps this year.