Malaysia Airlines (MAS) Wednesday said that it will fully complete its transformation from traditional ticketing to e-ticketing in both domestic and international markets.

 

MAS will gradually push ahead the revamping of its ticketing system next year and complete the whole process by the end of next year in a bid to reduce its operating cost, MAS Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Idris Jala said.

 

Customers in Malaysia and overseas will be able to board a MAS flight just with a slip of paper after the "revolution", he told Xinhua at MAS's head office at the Supang Airports near here.

 

Currently, issuing one traditional paper ticket will cost the airlines about 19 ringgit (5.13 U.S. dollars), Idris said, adding that the e-ticketing will help MAS trim its operating cost significantly.

 

"My job is to look at the interests of the airlines' stockholders......and make it profitable," he told a press conference when he unveiled MAS's "fine-tuned" pricing system which has 18 categories with different levels and conditions.

 

MAS lost money in the past because it put many tickets in the category of low fares, he said.

 

The airlines will change its pricing policy and put more tickets in the category of high fares, he said, adding that customers can book their tickets six months in advance to get the cheapest MAS tickets.

 

The earlier customers book, the cheaper fare they can get, he said when he disclosed "the know-how" to get the low fare tickets.

 

Idris also said that MAS has introduced 125 customer value proposition activities to improve its services and attract more customers, 37 of which have been in place and another 66 are on the way.

 

The company is expected to make some 50 million ringgit (US$13.51 million)  in profits next year and will be significantly profitable in 2008, according to Idris.

 

(Xinhua News Agency December 6, 2006)