AirAsia today said it plans to enhance air travel experience through digitalisation, setting Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 4 (T4) as the model airport of the future for low-cost carriers (LCC).
AirAsia will use data from its operations at Changi T4, which boasts the Fast and Seamless Travel (FAST) system, as an ongoing case study on how to improve LCC airport processes through greater digitalisation, with lessons from its experience at T4 to be rolled out across AirAsia Group.
AirAsia made the announcement at an event held at Crowne Plaza Changi Airport today that was attended by AirAsia Group CEO Tan Sri Tony Fernandes, AirAsia Singapore CEO Logan Velaitham and Changi Airport Group (CAG) Executive Vice President of Airport Development Yam Kum Weng.
Its Group CEO Tan Sri Tony Fernandes said: “Moving to T4 is another step in our journey to become a digital airline. We have already embarked on a series of measures to make our pre-flight, inflight and post-flight experiences better and more enjoyable for our guests, from ROKKI, our ‘Amazon of the Skies’ online shopping and Travel 3Sixty on-ground activities to our financial product Big Pay and our loyalty programme and virtual currency BIG Loyalty.
“We also plan to work with Palantir to develop a secure entry system for trusted travellers to speed up immigration at airports within Asean through collaboration with airports and government agencies, as well as improve operational, safety and commercial processes within the Group by integrating data from multiple sources using Skywise by Airbus.Â
“Now, working with CAG, we are moving on to the digitalisation of our airport experience. The improved savings and efficiencies from FAST align perfectly with our quest to maintain the lowest cost structure as well as our vision of seamless travel, which means lower fares for our guests and more traffic for Changi.
He said this could only happen because CAG understands how LCCs work. “They understand the value LCCs bring to the airport and the wider economy,” he said.
He said CAG treats AirAsia like partners and are always looking for a win-win solution that benefits everyone. FAST is fast and it’s the future, and we couldn’t be more pleased to work with a world-class airport operator like CAG who understands the power of going digital to take the airport experience to the next level.
AirAsia moved its Singapore operations to Changi T4 from Terminal 1 on 7 November 2017. The new state-of-the-art, fully-automated terminal incorporates FAST initiatives such as automated check-in kiosks to retrieve flight bookings and print boarding passes and bag tags, automated bag drops, immigration clearance and boarding gates, all powered by facial recognition technology.
In addition to the user experience and efficiencies from FAST, AirAsia will also benefit from growth incentives for new passengers and new city links provided by CAG that will allow the airline to add more flights and introduce new routes, improving connectivity with Singapore.
Last year, low-cost carriers (LCC) accounted for 49.6% passenger traffic in Singapore. AirAsia is the largest foreign airline group in Singapore, accounting for more than one in eight passengers, and the largest LCC in Changi T4.
AirAsia Singapore was established in 2004 on a virtual hub model. The airline started with 2 flights a day to Bangkok, Thailand. Today, Singapore is AirAsia’s third largest hub, serving 40 flights daily and 280 flights weekly. Flights to and from Singapore are operated by four AirAsia affiliates – Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines – connecting a total of 15 destinations across Asean.