In the new:  AirAsia X’s Quiet Zone, Abacus partners with Firefly, Visa POS transactions in Myanmar, Micros Channel Manager launches

No noise and kids please, it’s the “Quiet Zone”

AirAsia X, Malaysia based longhaul low fare airline, recently launched the “Quiet Zone” on its A330-300 fleet of aircraft for flights across China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Australia and Nepal.

This special zone, which features a new ambiance with soft lighting to offer “a more relaxing cabin atmosphere” to ensure a pleasant journey for its guests, however, does not allow children below 12 years of age to book a seat here.

The airline’s chief executive officer, Azran Osman-Rani, assures “the airline is not banning kids from travelling, but instead is enhancing the array of product offerings on board to suit its guests’ individual needs and preference. We also offer three infant bassinets in the other two larger economy cabin sections to cater for families with young children. Hence, offering a fair choice for our guests.”

The zone occupies the first seven economy class rows (row 7-14), immediately after the Premium cabin. There is a buffer between the Quiet Zone and the rest of the economy class to minimise noise between the two sections.

No extra charge is imposed for a seat in the zone except for the standard pick-a-seat fee, said the airline. Guests can choose this option during the booking process within the ”Quiet Zone” cabin area.

Azran said the zone is another new product option for its guests. “This product enhancement allows our guests to have a more pleasant and peaceful journey with minimal noise and less disturbance. A heavenly package for those who wants peace of mind.”

Abacus ties up with Firefly

Abacus International has partners with Firefly, the wholly-owned subsidiary of Malaysia Airlines, to bring more content to Abacus-connected travel agents with real-time access to the airline’s flight schedules and fares.

The partnership also enables Firefly to leverage on Abacus’ extensive network to reach out to their consumers and boost their presence throughout the region.

Firefly upgrades onto the Abacus AirBasic platform, an XML based solution that allows LCCs to effectively leverage Abacus’ agency network to drive booking transactions and sell ancillary services through efficient booking masks. Airlines using this solution includes AirAsia and Sapsan.

Additionally, with Firefly’s fleet set to expand this year the partnership will help the airline grow in key markets such as Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra Indonesia, southern Thailand and Singapore.

Visa POS transactions available in Myanmar

The first Visa payment service for point-of-sale (POS) transactions in Myanmar is now available through the company’s cooperation with Myanmar Oriental Bank (pictured), heralding the next stage in the development of electronic payment systems in the country.

Both companies hailed this development as a “milestone” as it brings new opportunities for local merchants and banks to participate in the global electronic payments system. It also marks the first time international cardholders can make a payment directly to a local merchant with their Visa card.

International Visa cardholders are now able to use their Visa credit, debit and prepaid cards to pay for transactions at select merchants in Myanmar through traditional POS sale terminals.

In turn, Myanmar merchants are able to leverage POS terminals enabled with EMV technology, offering Visa cardholders a highly secure and convenient way to make payments throughout the country.

Somboon Krobteeranon, Visa country manager for Myanmar and Thailand, said the ability of merchants to accept electronic payments at their premises would open up many new opportunities for them to grow their businesses as tourists and business travellers with Visa cards wouldbe able to pay for services and products more conveniently.

According to the Myanmar Ministry of Hotels and Tourism, tourist arrivals to the country reached more than one million last year. This number is expected to grow significantly in the coming years.

Visa is currently operating an international ATM network in Myanmar with a total of 108 ATMs throughout the country. This latest development enables local banks to provide electronic payments services to their local merchant clients and allows them to serve as standalone active acquiring client banks in the Visa global network.

MICROS Channel Manager launches in APAC

MICROS Channel Manager, which recently launched in the Asia Pacific region, provides full two-way connectivity between over 130 of the world’s leading online booking channels and MICROS’ OPERA, ORS and myfidelio.net products.

MICROS has chosen to utilise SiteMinder’s direct connectivity platform, the Room Distribution Exchange (RDX), to power the channel manager,

RDX is an industry standard platform allowing hotel systems and online booking channels around the world to connect directly over the web without requiring the use of third-party distribution intermediaries.

Michael Ferrier, senior vice president of MICROS Fidelio Asia Pacific, said the integration of both MICROS Channel Manager and RDX was an important step forward to providing MICROS hotel customers with innovative hospitality solutions that are designed to improve the overall guest experience, as well as manage their OTAs using the latest hospitality solutions.

Mike Ford, SiteMinder managing director, added the RDX platform allows even the biggest companies to simply plug into and instantly switch on two-way connectivity between their systems and the online booking channels without the hassle or expense of managing the infrastructure, development and technology behind it.