PAL adopts new ticketing, booking system

Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) announced a major upgrade in its ticketing and booking reservation system as it vies for a five-star rating next year.

In a statement, PAL said it would use the Altea PSS Suite of Span’s Amadeus for check-in, booking, ticketing and boarding processes by the third week of March this year.

“We are looking forward to launching a more reliable and passenger-friendly system that is designed for the needs of our customers,” PAL president and chief operating officer Jaime J. Bautista said in the statement.

“This system will serve as the technology backbone of our business and it follows naturally from the recent innovations and service upgrades that have won for PAL the 4-Star Global Airline Rating and the recognition as the world’s most improved airline,” he said.

Amadeus is one of the world’s biggest providers in this segment, serving the likes of British Airways, Qantas and ANA, whose parent firm ANA Holdings last month announced that it would acquire a 9.5-percent stake in PAL operator PAL Holdings for $95 million.

PAL said with the IT upgrade, customers could expect a faster check-in process, easier booking and automated recognition of their preferences and smoother transfers to connecting flights.

PAL said the upgrade was also in sync with other enhancements such as an improved business class  experience on long-haul flights and a premium economy service on its Airbus A350s and select A330s.

PAL also introduced more convenient nonstop routes to New York, Auckland, Toronto, Sapporo and Brisbane. By April 2019, it will launch New Delhi,  enhancements in inflight meals, onboard entertainment systems, long-haul duvet service and cabin mood-lighting.

“We will not rest on our laurels,” Bautista said. “Every Filipino traveler, every tourist visiting our homeland, every OFW (overseas Filipino worker) and business person deserves reliable quality service from the Philippines’ only global airline, and we are determined to carry on our transformation for the greater good of the flying public.”