MANILA -- AirAsia Philippines is in the midst of enhancing digital offerings and looking for more ways to give passengers more convenience, its chief executive officer (CEO) said on Wednesday.
In an interview with the Philippine News Agency (PNA), AirAsia Philippines CEO Dexter Comendador said for one, the airline eyes offering the "automatic bag drop" service in Manila and other major airports in the country soon.
"We have pioneered this seamless baggage check-in in Changi Airport," he said.
AirAsia Philippines now offers the automatic bag drop at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport's Terminal 3, Davao Airport, and Puerto Princesa Airport.
The carrier's baggage check-in enables customers to tag and drop their baggage by themselves.
Passengers just need to make sure their baggage is not more than 20 kilos. If it is more than 20 kilos, the tag will not print automatically and they need to pay.
The executive added that the carrier is slowly catching up with other AirAsia members like in Malaysia, which is now piloting facial recognition to check in.
Comendador noted, however, that the airline needs a fast Internet connection to make this work in the Philippines, since the process would rely heavily on the Internet or app.
The executive also bared that the carrier is working on enhancing other technology-based offerings.
"We could, for example, send our passengers not just updates on our low-fare offerings and other promotions. We could provide them with an option to book their seats next to others, who have the same interests," Comendador said.
Meanwhile, Comendador said his team is continuously looking for opportunities to provide more convenience for their passengers.
"When Boracay was closed, it was very challenging for the airlines. But I looked at it as an opportunity," he said.
Comendador narrated that he used the opportunity to showcase other beautiful places in the Philippines, and had diverted flights to Puerto Princesa, Cebu, Davao, and Bohol.
It was also during the Boracay closure when the executive thought of helping the passengers with ground transport.
To make ground transport easier, especially for tourists, Comendador said AirAsia offered tickets to ground transport, which the passengers could also book from the airline.
"It will be comfortable (for the passengers), as they would not need to queue for a ferry ticket and pay for the ferry terminal fee. They would not need to haggle prices with the taxi drivers," he noted.
He said AirAsia has offered its passengers booking access to ground transport, including tricycles, that would bring them to their hotels.
"That way, passengers would no longer need to think about where they could get a ride or worry about how they could get to their hotels upon arriving at the airport," Comendador said. (PNA)
