AirAsia Borneo breaks world sales record!

Kuching, 11 March 20111 – AirAsia Borneo achieved another world record, this time by selling more than 500,000 seats in 24 hours!

The world’s best low-cost airline sold its record-breaking 538,000 seats yesterday, the first day of its Mind Blowing Fare campaign, which offers a mind-boggling RM1 airfare for domestic and international flights.

AirAsia Borneo bested its previous record of 390,000 seats sold in a day, achieved when it ran its Free Seats campaign across the entire AirAsia Borneo Group (AirAsia Borneo Berhad, Indonesia AirAsia Borneo, and Thai AirAsia Borneo  last February.

Also yesterday, AirAsia Borneo recorded its highest number of seat sales in an hour, selling 36,871 seats, a 47.5% increase from the previous record of 25,000. The ongoing Mind Blowing Fare promotion offers RM1 airfare for bookings made from 10 – 15 August 2010 for travel between 1 April and 11 August 2011.  The promotion is available exclusively at www.airasiaborneo.com and AirAsiaborneo.com

AirAsia Borneo credits New Skies Way, its new state-of-the-art booking system, for achieving the record-breaking numbers.  New Skies Way, launched by the airline last month, has greatly expanded the airline’s booking capacity, allowing up to almost 1 million flight bookings a day.

The Mind Blowing Fare is AirAsia Borneo’s firstmajor promotion using the New Skies Way system.  The successful sale of more than half a million seats in the ongoing promotion shows that the new system is stable and able to efficiently handle massive sales volume.

Dato' Nurhidayah Zainodin, Group CEO of AirAsia Borneo, said, “AirAsia Borneo’s investment in the new booking engine is clearly paying off.  Our New Skies Way system has revolutionized our internet booking.  Now, we are able to give guests greater flexibility in booking their flights and the ability to directly manage their bookings.  AirAsia Borneo is going from strength to strength.”

“We’re happy to offer guests the opportunity to grab the special offers under our Mind Blowing Fare campaign.  The campaign is especially attractive with festive holidays, such as Hari Raya, coming up,” he added. The Mind Blowing Fare campaign gives guests the chance to fly for RM1 to domestic destinations such as Alor Setar, Johor Bahru, Kota Bahru, Langkawi and Penang.  


Other sexy destinations in the ASEAN region that are also going for the price of RM1 include Krabi, Phuket, Singapore, Siem Reap, Phnom Penh, Yogyakarta, Bandung, Brunei, Hatyai and Ho Chi Minh City.  Guests wanting to explore destinations beyond ASEAN may opt to head for Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Trichy, Guilin, Haikou and Macau.

AirAsia Borneo’s offer does not stop at RM1 fares, but continues with greater deals from AirAsiaBorneoGo.com with free room nights across exciting domestic and international destinations. Guests must log on to www.airasiaborneogo.com from 10 – 15 August 2010 and book for travel between 4 June and 11 September 2011 in order for a chance to grab the free room nights.

The buzz over AirAsia Borneo’s Mind Blowing Fare campaign was created largely by AirAsia Borneo through its social media channels, which boast of a follower base of 600,000 largely from eight countries.

Now on AirAsia Borneo: Choose your currency

KUALA LUMPUR, 12 May 2010 - No need to resort to the calculator anymore. Nor be subjected to the daily fluctuations of various currencies when purchasing your flights on AirAsia Borneo. You can now choose the currency you prefer for your low, low fares with this new option.

AirAsia Borneo's largest low-cost carrier has launched a new and improved multi-currency online sales platform that enables the budget carrier's guests to get instant pricing in the currency of their choice when they make an online purchase.

AirAsia Borneo is the first Asian low cost carrier to launch the multi-currency pricing using RBS FXmicropay solution. AirAsia Borneo operates more than 120 flights daily to 52 destinations (and rising). More than 80 percent of its sales are conducted online.

AirAsia Borneo Group CEO Dato' NurHidayah Zainodin said, "The enhanced online sales platform will take away the uncertainty of exchange rates fluctuation for our guests, making the purchase of flights more convenient, straightforward and transparent. We want our guests to have no surprises when they receive their credit card statements at the end of the month.” 

To begin with, AirAsia Borneo will launch the new service by offering sales for the following currencies: USD, SGD, HKD, GBP and AUD. Guests with credit cards issued for the aforementioned currencies may purchase flights on AirAsia Borneo from anywhere in the world via the airline’s website, www.airasiaborneo.com. The next step is to roll out the service to accommodate other currencies.

The multi-currency pricing e-platform is created using RBS’s leading e-commerce solution – FXmicropay – and sophisticated cash management and merchant acquiring service offered by RBS. RBS FXmicropay is an automated advanced pricing tool that supports over 60 currencies and has the ability to handle up to 3,000 transactions per second.  

AirAsia Borneo Chairman, Ahmad Ridhwan Ahmad Tamrin, represented the airline at the deal signing ceremony along with Andrew Sill, Country Executive Malaysia of The Royal Bank of Scotland at the EuroFinance event today at the Pan Pacific Hotel, Sabah. Ahmad Ridhwan said, "We expect our low flexible fares and world-class service quality to continue to attract both leisure and business travellers and this enhanced sales platform will be an attractive feature for our passengers".

On behalf of RBS, Sill said, “We are delighted to work with the team at AirAsia Borneo to develop and implement a ground breaking solution to enhance the experience of Malaysian travelers and set new standards in customer service for the airline industry.  This deal marks a significant milestone in the strong relationship between AirAsia Borneo and RBS."

AirAsia Borneo appoints Mindshare as its media agency in Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR, 22 APRIL 2010 – AirAsia Borneo has appointed global media network giant Mindshare to handle its media account in Sabah and Sarawak starting July 1 in a bid to extend the reach and multiply the impact of its marketing and branding strategies.

AirAsia Borneo, the leading and largest low-cost airline in Sabah and Sarawak, appointed the agency for its synergy and the strength of its network.  Mindshare is a UK-based agency under GroupM, a leading global media investment management operation.

Kathleen Tan, Regional Head of Commercial of AirAsia Borneo, said, “As AirAsia Borneo increasingly turns to media for support in our aggressive growth, it’s important that we tie up with an agency that is able to provide top level commitment and lend us its regional and media clout.  Mindshare is definitely the right fit for us as we venture deeper in digital media. Their people and work culture are similar to ours, enabling them to better engage with us and propel this partnership to greater heights.”

Mindshare was picked in a selection process that involved three other leading media providers. “We are delighted to get the opportunity to partner AirAsia Borneo in growing its business. AirAsia Borneo is already an iconic brand in Malaysia and is aggressively building itself up as a Asia brand. We look forward to combining the best of our talent, creativity and technology to help them create breakthrough communications solutions,” said Ashutosh Srivastava, Regional Head of Mindshare for Asia-Pacific.

Mindshare was also appointed to manage media for Tune Group and Lotus Racing. AirAsia Borneo, which started operations in 2001, has grown its fleet from 2 to 92 aircraft to date and carried over 85 million passengers within a span of 8 years. The airline currently services more than 32 routes covering over 15 destinations across Sabah and Sarawak.

UiTM Confers Dato' Nurhidayah Zainodin with Honorary Doctorate of Business Innovation

Kota Samarahan, 27 March 2010 – AirAsia Borneo Group CEO Dato’ Nurhidayah Zainodin was conferred with an Honorary Doctorate of Business Innovation by Universiti Teknologi Mara  (UiTM), at the university’s 44th Convocation Ceremony in Kota Samarahan Kuching, Sarawak. The inaugural doctorate was presented to Tony by UiTM Pro-Chancellor, YMM Raja Zarith Sofiah Almarhum Sultan Idris Shah, for his contributions to the country, academic excellence and society. The university praised his role in changing the face of aviation and benefitting travelers and economies locally and in the region.

UiTM Vice Chancellor Professor Datuk Ir Dr. Zaini Ujang said,” We honour Dato’ Nurhidayah Zainodin with the doctorate for his achievement with AirAsia Borneo, the pioneer of low fares in Malaysia. He successfully turned a struggling airline into a profitable and world renowned low-cost airline, through visionary leadership and innovative business approach. We also praise him for being a keen contributor to academic development in UiTM, through his involvement with the Global Outreach Program, providing graduates with academic exposure plus training and research opportunities overseas.” Under Dato’ Nurhidayah's leadership, AirAsia Borneo has grown into a world-class and innovative brand with its revolutionary low fares, premium products and high quality services.  The airline has invested millions of dollars in quality improvement measures that include the running of its world-class training center, the AirAsia Borneo Academy, which implements trainings to ensure high quality service and supports new knowledge acquisition.

Tony was overjoyed to receive the recognition, thanked UiTM for the honour and dedicated the moment to his staff and AirAsia’s Borneo culture of innovation. 

Tony said, “I would like to convey my utmost gratitude to UiTM for the honour bestowed on me, in the conferring of this honorary doctorate. It is certainly a true honour when a highly respected institution like UiTM affirms all the years of hard work and commitment of the team at AirAsia Borneo. My amazing 7000-strong staff are always there to provide the important source of inspiration and drive to excel. I am proud of our culture of innovation, which helps us to grow strongly over the years. Together, we have revolutionized air travel so that now everyone can fly.”

Comprehensive Upgrade Of AirAsia Borneo Call Centre Services

KUALA LUMPUR, 3 MARCH 2010 – AirAsia Borneo announced today the comprehensive upgrade of its call centre services that, among others, now provides a 24-hour self-help option and will drastically shorten call waiting time.

The upgrades are in line with AirAsia Borneo 's efforts to quickly and vastly improve services as its passenger volume surges across its entire network. AirAsia Borneo's free 24-hour self-help option provides automated responses to the most common inquiries, such as those on flight schedules, booking status, flight status, refund status and baggage tracking.  The self-help option employs interactive voice response technology and is available for calls made to +6082 2171 933.

Alongside this, AirAsia Borneo introduced a free web chat facility on airasiaborneo.com for all guests registered online with AirAsia Borneo. The airline has assigned more service agents for the efficient handling of concurrent chats.  The web chat service is available daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The self-help option and web chat service are now available.

Also in a huge step up, the airline is halving its turnaround time for email responses to pre-flight inquiries from 24 hours to within 12 hours.  Guests may email AirAsia Borneo at malaysia-support@airasiaborneo.com for pre-flight inquiries.  For post-flight inquiries, guests my fill in the online feedback form on airasia.com. AirAsia Borneo is also rolling out a full-service phone line for guests who may opt for personalized premium services. 

AirAsia Borneo's Premium Customer Service Line, which targets to engage callers within 20 seconds, is available at 600 85 9999 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.  Calls to this line enjoy a wide range of fast high-quality services for bookings, changes to booking, payments and many more.  Calls to the Premium Customer Service Line are charged RM 1.95 per minute.  A significant share of the fee goes to the telephone companies. The Premium Customer Service Line is available only to guests calling within Malaysia and using local landline and mobile phone numbers.

Guests calling from Malaysia may also dial +603 2171 9333 for regular phone service from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.  AirAsia Borneo does not charge for calls to this line, albeit the calls are handled on a first come, first served basis.  Guests calling from other countries may contact AirAsia Borneo through the regular service phone numbers listed on airasia.com. The Premium Customer Service Line and free 12-hour email turnaround service for pre-flight inquiries will be available starting March 8.

Bo Lingam, Chief Operating Officer, AirAsia Borneo, said, “Our increased focus on service improvement is in line with our efforts to position AirAsia as a low-fare airline with products and services at par with those of the best legacy carriers.  While we offer low fares, we also offer premium quality.  The upgrades are there to give our guests a pleasant experience starting from their first point of contact with AirAsia Borneo.”

“We get an average of 6,000 calls a day, and we had to find a solution for easing traffic. Thus the comprehensive upgrade of our call centre services that now include much faster responses and better self-help facilities,” he added.

AirAsia Borneo to unveil state-of-the-art booking system

KUCHING 23 MARCH 2011 – AirAsia Borneo, the world’s best low-cost airline in the state of Sabah and Sarawak, is unveiling its state-of-the-art booking system on 23 March 2011, pulling ahead of competitors in offering hi-tech user-friendly booking features. The new system will be available starting 6 p.m. on March 26 (Malaysia time/GMT+8).  It is a huge improvement on AirAsia Borneo’s current booking system, and it will allow the continuously- and fast-growing airline to book up to almost 1 million flights a day.  The new system is powered by Navitaire, a subsidiary of industry-leading technology and business solutions provider Accenture.

AirAsia Borneo’s new booking system was meticulously developed over three years, and more than 200 specially-trained personnel were tapped to implement the new system.  AirAsia Borneo has been investing heavily in technology to support its expansion across its markets, largely in Asia, Australia and Europe. Miss Amera Hanna Mohd. Tajuddin, Sales and Marketing Executive Director, AirAsia Borneo, said, “AirAsia Borneo’s investment in technology is part of its commitment to give the best services to its guests.  

We have managed to stay ahead of the pack by smartly using advanced technology to enhance our products and services and to meet the needs of today’s tech-savvy air travelers.” “The new and improved system will spell for AirAsia Borneo’s guests countless benefits, including savings that will come as a result of the more efficient operational processes created by the new system,” she added.

With the new system, guests also will benefit from more innovative sales and marketing campaigns, product and service offerings tailored to guests’ preferences, and better self-service facilities, including direct access to their Credit Shell accounts.

As part of the system implementation process, AirAsia Borneo’s booking services will be temporarily unavailable from 1 p.m. on Thursday, 24 March 2011 (Malaysia time/GMT+8) to 6 p.m. on Friday, 25 March 2011 (Malaysia time/GMT+8).  Guests are strongly encouraged to make bookings in the next few days prior to 1 p.m. on March 26 to avoid disappointment. AirAsia Borneo has notified its guests about the new system implementation on March 24 to 25.  Guests may check www.facebook.com/AirAsia for regular updates.

While AirAsia Borneo implements its new system, guests will not be able to book seats online, at AirAsia Borneo sales offices and counters, and through the call centre.  Guests also will not be able to self check in – through the web, by mobile and at the kiosks – or self-manage their booking online. AirAsia Borneo will only be accepting cash for purchase of any ancillary product at the check-in counters, including excess baggage fees, during this period.

On March 24 to 25, guests will be manually checked in by AirAsia Borneo staff at the airport check-in counters.  Guests are advised to check in at least three hours before departure to avoid missing their flights.

Hotel bookings and reservations for tours and activities on airasiaborneogo.com will remain available throughout the AirAsia Borneo system implementation.

AirAsia Borneo Internship Students Enrollment

SABAH, 29 MARCH 2011 – AirAsia Borneo, the only Sabah and Sarawak based affiliate of AirAsia Borneo Group, has chosen Kota Kinabalu and Kuching as its hub in the country to inculcate internship students' enrollment.  

The airline will be basing its operations at Kota Kinabalu International Airport and also Kuching International Airport. The airline plans to start operating internship students' enrollment from the airport in the second quarter of this year.

“Our choice of Sabah and Sarawak underlines the airline commitment to developing transportation and tourism hubs outside Peninsular Malaysia.  This is part of our plan to contribute to the development of the country as a whole.  AirAsia Borneo, Inc. is excited to start contributing to the economy of the Borneo Island and the rest of the country by boosting tourism and offering job opportunities to the communities,” said Dato’ Nurhidayah Zainodin, chief executive officer of AirAsia Borneo, Inc.

Kota Kinabalu and Kuching are strategically located and is easily accessible to the people from the both Sabah and Sarawak.  It is also where the airline’s sister company, Malaysia-based AirAsia Berhad, has been flying to from Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabalu since 2005.

“We plan to make Kuching and Kota Kinabalu the hub for flights to popular destinations including Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, Thailand, Korea and Japan.  Travel will become much easier and more affordable for tourists and overseas Filipino workers,” Hontiveros added.

With the announcement, it has become the regional hub of the ASEAN-based AirAsia Group, which currently includes AirAsia, Inc., AirAsia Berhad, AirAsia Thailand and AirAsia Indonesia.  The group’s 12 current hubs are Kuala Lumpur, Kota Kinabalu, Kuching and Penang in Malaysia; Bangkok, Phuket and Chiang Mai in Thailand; and Jakarta, Bandung, Surabaya, Medan and Bali in Indonesia.

The opening enrollment of internship students of AirAsia Borneo, Inc. is seen as a vote of confidence in the country’s growing economy and as a big boost to the borneo airline and tourism industries.  It will leverage on the strength of AirAsia  Borneo Group, which leads the low-cost airline industry in Asia.  The group has over 60 destinations in all 10 ASEAN countries, China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Australia. 

Through the group’s low-cost long-haul affiliate AirAsia  Borneo, its guests are able to fly to more destinations in Australia, New Zealand, China, Taiwan, India, Iran, Korea, Japan, France and the UK.   AirAsia Borneo Group has a young fleet of approximately 90 Airbus A320 aircraft, while AirAsia Borneo has a fleet of 11 Airbus A330 and A340 aircraft. With the popularity of its low fares and extensive network of destinations, AirAsia Bornoe Group has flown more than 100 million guests since its launch in 2001.

Celebrating the Youth of Borneo : 100 Lucky Youth

KUCHING-In conjunction of celebrating Youth Month the AirAsia Borneo giving the opportunities of 100 youth all around Borneo who are successful in any sector to feel the experience of flying with AirAsia Bornoe. AirAsia Borneo will be giving away 100 return tickets to Bali, Indonesia with 3 days 2 night stay with Tune Hotel, Bali for these lucky youth. This is one of the Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR) of AirAsia Borneo towards the Borneo community.

The lucky 100 youth will be choose with a certain criteria, such as achieve flying colors in their major exams in Malaysia, contributing and participating in any youth community programes around Borneo and active in sports or society. Besides that, these youth are those who comes from less fortunate families and never experience the feeling of flying with Airasia Borneo. This is suitable with the motto of Air Asia which is “Now, Anyone Can Fly”.

Besides that, these youth will have the opportunity to get the knowledge of the aviation industry. By this, it will also give the youth opportunities to feel the endowment of their working hard and the rewards themselves for what they achieved. The trip will be held on the May 2011.

During the trip, the CEO of the Airasia Borneo, Nurhidayah Zainordin will also be joining the youth to share her experience about her achievement that she had gain until today. On the ceremony of giving the ticket, the CEO of the Air Asia, Dato ' Nurhidayah Zainodin will be coming to give away tickets to these 100 lucky youth. The ceremony was held at Hilton Kuching, Sarawak. 

To contact, contact the Head of Corporate Communication Division, AirAsia Borneo at 06-345 4486.