Capital A Berhad, the parent company of Asia’s premier low-cost airline, AirAsia, reinforces its dedication to clear communication and superior customer experience for all its guests. This move aligns with their vision of becoming the most communicative, responsive, and accountable brand in the region.
During a press event held at the company’s headquarters in Sepang, Malaysia earlier today, the airline bid AVA (AirAsia Virtual Allstar) farewell after being the initial point of contact for guests’ inquiries and concerns since 2019. No less than Tony Fernandes, the company CEO and Bo Lingam, AirAsia Aviation Group CEO were present to introduce “Ask Bo” — a cutting-edge AI and ML-powered tool.
“Our guests have spoken, and we are listening and learning. We felt their frustration towards our first AI chatbot — AVA which was always a work in progress. We recognize she fell short of people’s expectations and we want to do better. We thank AVA for her achievements in handling more than 113 million guests since 2019 and handling over 43 million queries in 2020 at the peak of Covid. Given the size of the airline that AirAsia is, with thousands of refunds and flight change requests, humans alone cannot cope, we have to also use technology. We learned through AVA how to use artificial intelligence to answer complex and sizable queries better and faster. Over the last eight months, the customer experience team have zeroed in on what our guests need and want, what their top complaints are, and today we are happy to introduce Ask Bo, named after our airline Group CEO Bo Lingam. He has been at my side for the past 21 years and is the go-to person with all answers to our Group’s airline questions,” according to Fernandes.
With a goal to enhance transparency, Capital A will showcase live data on On-time Performance and baggage handling on its website and Super App. The company is dedicated to constantly reviewing customer feedback from various angles throughout the Group, promoting cross-departmental collaboration, integrating customer experience programs into various business entities, and ensuring that leadership provides full support for the successful implementation of customer experience improvement initiatives.
Bo Lingam, Group CEO of AirAsia Aviation Group said, “I am happy to put my name and my face for this new and enhanced version of our customer concierge service, that promises to be more proactive and attentive. Lower fares doesn’t mean lower service quality and it is very important to us that our guests feel cared for when they choose to fly with us, for the best fares and the best customer experience. The buck stops with me. Ask Bo will make the customer journey easier, simpler, and more informative.”
AirAsia Philippines now flies to Tokyo via Narita
AirAsia Philippines successfully launches its Tokyo via Narita route just in time for the festive events in Japan this month of love. The inaugural flight, with a 84% occupancy rate, took off from NAIA Terminal 3 at 4:15 AM on Wednesday, 01 February 2023, and arrived at Narita International Airport at 9:45 AM (Japan Standard Time). The return flight departed Narita at 11:25 AM and arrived at NAIA T3 at 2:55 PM (local time).
The daily Tokyo via Narita flight which was the second top-selling international destination for January 2023 is expected to revitalize Japan as among AirAsia’s top destinations in East Asia.
“Our maiden flight to Tokyo is just one of the many regional destinations we plan to open this first quarter of the year as we aim to fully restore our international capacity in coming months. Our commitment has always been about empowering Filipinos by providing them with best value deals to fulfill their travel goals,” according to Ricky Isla, Chief Executive Officer of AirAsia Philippines.
In addition to the signature ASEAN hospitality, passengers on the inaugural flights were gifted bags filled with treats from AirAsia’s partner merchants, including Yobick, HAN Skincare Cosmetics, Dewytree, Hakubaku, Passage Foods, Trizie, The Adventure, Biore, Jergens, Caronia, and Esme Organics.
The airline is elevating its baggage offerings with the introduction of its largest baggage allowance at 60 kilograms. Starting at a low cost of PHP1,280 for domestic flights and PHP2,760 for international flights, guests now have the flexibility to check in as much baggage as they desire, as long as it falls within the weight limit. This groundbreaking baggage option can be purchased through all AirAsia channels, including the website, Super App, and accredited travel agents.
For passengers with existing AirAsia flights, the 60-kilogram baggage can still be purchased via Manage My Booking up to 4 hours before the flight. Meanwhile, guests can still avail of the usual other weight options: 20 kilos, 25 kilos, 30 kilos, and 40 kilos.