National carrier Singapore Airlines is to spend 700 million Singapore dollars (406.9 million US) on an ambitious plan to expand its presence in the online travel market, airline officials said Wednesday.
"We're going into a generation where more and more people are Web savvy and want to have control over their travel plans," the senior vice president of the commercial technology division, Goh Choon Pong, said.
"What we're doing, is looking into this trend and fulfilling their needs so that we remain service champions," he was reported saying in the Straits Times.
The money will be invested in revamping the carrier's web site, and upgrading its technological infrastructure.
US research house Forrester Research has forecast that online travel sales will account for 10 percent of overall travel spending by 2003.
Based on the carrier's revenues of $8.9 billion in its latest financial year, online sales in three years could amount to $890 million.
A spokesman declined to reveal the revenue contribution from online sales since the service began more than a year ago, telling AFP the figures were "commercially sensitive."
But from October, passengers will be able to make direct bookings from the carrier's web site for flights to 69 cities in 42 countries, compared with 53 cities now.
The revamped web site will also enable travelers to plan accommodation and visits to tourist attractions, Goh said.
"Our emphasis in on customer service and with technology," he said.
"Passengers will have the ability to reach us through mobile phones, computers and their personal digital assistants 24 hours a day."
Last month, the carrier launched its mobile alert service where passengers were provided with information such as changes to flight schedules via mobile devices. — (AFP)
© Agence France Presse 2000
© 2000 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
