KLIA 2 set to welcome 10 airlines in May 2013

Malaysia’s new low cost carrier terminal – The KL International Airport 2 (KLIA 2) – in Sepang will host 10 frills-free airlines when it is operational in May 2013. They include AirAsia, Zest Airways, Lion Air, Tiger Airways, Cebu Pacific Air and the just-launched Malindo Airways (read story).

According to Faizal Mansor, chief financial officer of Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB), KLIA 2’s operator, the airport is capable of serving 45 million passengers per year.

“We would love to welcome more airlines to KLIA2. Five years ago, there were only five LCCs, but now there are about 30 to 40 budget carriers,” Faizal told Bernama, Malaysia’s national news agency in an interview.

The airport, designed to accommodate all types of airlines, is most suited for airlines with low-cost business model, he added.

On completion KLIA 2, with a total area of 242,000sqm, will be the region’s largest LCC terminal. Built at a cost of about RM4 billion (US1.3 billion) it replaces the current LCCT, which was constructed in 2005.

Situated about two kilometres from the main KL International Airport terminal, KLIA 2 will have a transport hub for buses, taxis, and Express Rail Link (ERL) train, cargo and in-flight complexes, a 6,000-vehicle parking complex and two to three hotels.

Embrace open source software, Amadeus urges travel industry

A new report, “Open for business”, makes the case for the travel industry to embrace open source software in order to benefit from greater innovation, respond faster to industry and consumer change and reduce costs.

The report outlines how open systems could free the industry from its reliance on proprietary software and provide travel companies with greater competitive advantage.

Authored by Professor Jim Norton, a renowned technology expert, and sponsored by Amadeus IT Group, the report explores the role of open systems in demanding real- time processing environments.

The paper outlines how open systems have developed and why today they are not just fit for purpose but have the potential to deliver industry-wide benefits.

Professor Norton, said: open systems have been around for nearly two decades and are now making significant inroads into enterprise and critical computing systems.

“The road from proprietary to open systems is long and often challenging but represents nothing less than a revolution in the IT industry.

“Almost every major business will need to make at least some elements of this transition over the medium term, so understanding how open source software can bring benefits, but also realistically evaluating the challenges of transition, is critical.” he added.

Click here to download a copy of the report.

AirAsia offers easy transfers to five Thai islands

AirAsia is offering its customers convenient transfers to five of Thailand’s most popular islands of Thailand – Samui, Phangan, Phi Phi, Lanta and Lipe Island.

The airline’s passengers can now book for the services when booking for their flight tickets at www.airasia.com.

Service for transfers to Samui, Phangan and Phi Phi Island start from 15 October, while transfers to Lanta and Lipe Island are available from 1 November.

Tassapon Bijleveld, Thai AirAsia CEO, said Thailand’s Easy Island Transfers offer a one-stop shop service for travellers looking for a  simple, economical and convenient way to access the country’s southern islands.

“We noticed that most travellers to the southern provinces of Phuket, Surat Thani, Krabi, Nakhon Si Thammarat and Hat Yai continue on to either Samui, Phangan, Phi Phi, Lanta or Lipe Island, so it made sense for us to offer transfers to the islands alongside our ticketing service in order to give travellers that added convenience when planning their trips”, he added.

The booking system automatically selects the nearest airstrip to the island, which the passengers choose. On arrival at the airport they will be transferred to the appropriate pier for the ferry ride to their chosen island.

Reliance cuts over to Abacus platform

Abacus has completed the full conversion of Reliance Travel, a leading travel franchise system in Malaysia, from Travelport’s Galileo system to the Abacus platform.

The two companies have inked a five-year agreement, which sees Abacus becoming Reliance’s preferred distribution partner, providing access to full travel content including air, hotel, car and rail.

The Abacus deal also provides Reliance with two strategic solutions – Abacus WebConnect and Bargain Finder Max.

WebConnect is part of the Abacus developer tool kit that enables travel suppliers, like Reliance, to gain a competitive edge with leading travel web tools. Beyond building a customised website that allows customers to shop and book travel content, it offers additional quality web development and support services, including integration with the existing workflow and ease of implementation.

Bargain Finder Max helps to increase consumer confidence in low-fare options with a diverse set of carriers and parameters in a single, online calendar matrix.

Travelzoo Australia partners Tourism Fiji to launch Destination Page

Travelzoo Australia has launched its Destination Page in partnership with Tourism Fiji, which showcases various destinations in partnership with tourism boards.

The new Destination Page aims to stimulate awareness, interest and drive incremental demand via Travelzoo’s 740,000 high quality, frequent leisure traveller audience.

It also brings together a number of travel deals, which have all been put through Travelzoo’s unique evaluation process to ensure they stack up for price, value and availability.

Tourism Fiji also launches a month-long campaign on Travelzoo showcasing Fiji’s warm tropical climate and friendly island atmosphere. The island resort is a popular destination among Travelzoo’s subscribers.