KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 24): Malaysia Airlines Bhd has partnered global travel technology leader Amadeus IT Group to launch MHchat, a new chatbot which helps travelers book flights and pay through the popular social media app Facebook Messenger.

The new initiative was jointly developed with Malaysia Airlines as its pilot customer.

In a statement today, Malaysia Airlines said the Amadeus chatbot for airlines is a new solution designed to make it easier for travelers to book flights, retrieve bookings, and ask questions through a social media messaging platform that customers are already familiar with.

Designed to mimic human conversation, MHchat is able to act like a true “travel buddy” that understands what the traveler needs.

“On Facebook Messenger, Malaysia Airlines’ customers can use MHchat if they want to look up flights, or ask a question related to a booking, and it will search, locate and push offers or information using artificial intelligence. Travelers can even complete a transaction, make a secure payment and receive the travel itinerary all within the same app,” it said.

Malaysia Airline group chief executive officer Izham Ismail said customer experience is a key priority for the airline. 

“We were very pleased with Amadeus’ ability to deliver this innovative solution within the short timeframe of a few months. We look forward to further exploring how we can deliver more personalized and integrated services for our customers,” Izham said.

Amadeus Executive Vice President for Airlines, Asia Pacific, Cyril Tetaz, said many airlines are embarking on turnaround transformation initiatives, driven by a real will to address competition and above all, to improve the customer experience.

“Agility is crucial when working on innovative digital solutions, and working together with Malaysian Airlines, we have delivered this innovative platform in three months,” Tetaz said.

Amadeus Chatbot can be customized for any airline, delivering higher customer satisfaction, and more revenue opportunities, as well as cost-savings around customer care, he added.