MASwings to fix booking and seating problems on rural air services

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MASwings to fix booking and seating problems on rural air services

Posted on November 9, 2010, Tuesday

MIRI: MASwings will reduce glitches in their rural air services operation through introduction of computerised booking and seat allocation system.

“Currently, everything is done manually. We have to do seat allocation upfront,” its managing director Dato’ Mohd Salleh Ahmad Tabrani disclosed to reporters after launching the Safety and Security Seminar and Workshop here.

Mohd Salleh was asked to comment on the problem faced by passengers from remote areas in Baram, that they were often left stranded in Marudi when on transit in the township before proceeding to Miri. They claimed that their seats were given to passengers from Marudi while leaving them to catch the next available flight.

Admitted the fault, Mohd Salleh said: “The problem arise because of all the inventory management is not computerised and we have to decide upfront on the number of seats going to be allocated… probably half of the aircraft (seats) would be given to passengers from Long Akah and another half to those from Marudi to Miri.”

The managing director said they have to be flexible in managing the inventory, adding that, however, the complaints or problems were not on regular basis.

Mohd Salleh assured that they will address the problem.

MASwings embarked on a pilot project called ‘Highlander’ to computerised all their short take off and landing (STOL) ports’ operations. The project was now in trial basis in both Bario and Ba kelalan, where the airline provided both area with solar power, satellite dishes, battery packs and basic computer resolution programmes to computerised their operations.

The system will be introduced to other STOL ports in rural and remote areas in the state upon the success in their pilot projects.