Philippine Airlines (PAL) received Skytrax’s coveted 4-Star rating a little over a month ago, but already the airline is aiming for its 5th Star.
“We want Philippine Airlines to stand shoulder to shoulder with the world’s best airlines. We are immensely proud of our 4-Star rating, but it has only inspired us to work even harder. Our mission is to represent the best of the Philippines, and the best of the Filipinos to the world. So our next goal is to get that 5th Star by 2020,” said Jaime J. Bautista, president and COO of Philippine Airlines.
(L-R) Jaime J. Bautista, President and COO of Philippine Airlines and Cyril Tetaz, Executive Vice President, Airlines, Amadeus Asia Pacific
In line with its goal to upgrade and innovate products and systems, Philippine Airlines signed an agreement with Amadeus to deliver an extensive transformation of the airline’s core technology systems. Philippine Airlines will adopt the full Amadeus Altéa Suite, a complete Passenger Service System that aims to streamline and improve all core passenger processes for PAL, including reservation, inventory, departure control, and flight management. The transformation means Philippine Airlines customers will enjoy a smoother experience, from booking to boarding.
Bautista added, “Philippine Airlines should offer a passenger experience that is truly representative of the Philippines and a source of pride for our people. We are expanding and modernizing our fleet, opening new routes, but most importantly, sharpening our customer service excellence. We need technology that will capably support our ambitions, but also a partner that shares our vision. Accordingly, after a rigorous evaluation process, we have chosen to partner with Amadeus, their technology and their people.”
Airline passenger service systems are mission-critical and highly complex platforms that form the technology backbone for airlines. The Amadeus Altéa Suite is a next-generation airline IT system that, once implemented, will help PAL enhance customer experience by delivering more consistent and personalized customer service, develop new revenue streams, and improve operational efficiency. Tangible benefits include faster and simpler check-in for travelers, the ability to re-accommodate disrupted passengers in a matter of seconds, improved on-time performance, and consistent, automatic application of customer preferences at every touch point.
Adopting Altéa will also support Philippine Airlines’ ambitions to join an airline alliance. More than two-thirds of Star Alliance airlines, three-quarters of oneworld airlines and half of Skyteam airlines use Altéa. As a community platform for airlines, Altéa enables better integration between partner airlines, with real-time sharing of availability, fares, customer and booking information to deliver a harmonized customer experience across the alliance.
By the end of 2017, 199 customers had contracted either of the Amadeus Passenger Service Systems (Altéa or New Skies) and 195 had implemented them.
