AirAsia Inc. Philippines is set to launch
international flights from Clark International Airport in Pampanga in June,
chief executive Marianne Hontiveros said Thursday.
Hontiveros
said the local unit of AirAsia would soon begin flights to Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia from its Clark hub, just two months after launching its domestic
flights.
She
said the low-cost carrier would fly from Clark to Kuala Lumpur in early June to
tap “even only the tip of the 598 million population of the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations.”
Hontiveros
noted that Asean recorded 74 million international visitor arrivals in 2011,
with 47 percent representing intra-regional visits. Malaysia alone posted 24.5 million arrivals
last year.
“Imagine
the huge potential of Malaysian tourists. We want to draw them to Manila. They
actually like the Philippines,” Hontiveros told reporters on the sidelines of
AirAsia’s partnership with Amadeus, a travel technology and transaction
processor for the global travel and tourism industry.
Hontiveros
said AirAsia would also mount flights from Clark to Hong Kong by July.
Amadeus
Asia Pacific president David Brett said LCC Smart, a travel booking tool, was a
solution that would allow travel agencies to book AirAsia content using a
Web-like interface in the Amadeus global distribution system.
“The
solution has been designed to reduce the complexity of the booking process by
simplifying the number of key strokes required to finalize a booking, saving
the travel agent time and improving productivity,” Brett said.
Bretts
said Amadeus was pioneering the new solution with AirAsia in the region.
Philippines’
AirAsia domestic content would be offered at promotional rates through Amadeus
LCC Smart for an unlimited period, he said.
“Our
new solution will help support the airline’s growth and rapid expansion
throughout Asia and globally. It will enable travel agents to find options to
suit a broader range of needs, especially for travelers who are particularly
budget-conscious,” he said.
Amadeus
LCC Smart will be available free of charge to travel agencies using the Amadeus
selling platform in the Philippines, Japan, Malaysia and Vietnam.
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