Malaysia Airlines launches MHchat chatbot in partnership with Amadeus

Chatbot designed to mimic human conversation allows travellers to ask questions and pay through Facebook Messenger Continue reading →

Malaysia Airlines has worked with European travel technology giant Amadeus on a new booking Chatbot for Facebook Messenger.

The south east Asian carrier is the pilot partner for MHchat which has been designed to mimic human conversation and act like a customer’s ‘travel buddy’.

It allows travellers to book flights, retrieve bookings and itineraries, ask questions and pay through Facebook Messenger.

The chatbot used latest artificial intelligence technology to converse with its users and to understand what the traveller needs, Malaysia Airlines said.

MHchat is available 24/7, the airline saying it will “facilitate smoother transactions, immediate responses, and allow conversations to take place when it suits the customer”.

Captain Izham Ismail, chief executive of Malaysia Airlines, said: “Customer experience is a key priority for Malaysia Airlines and we are deeply committed to constantly improving it.

“Our digital transformation strategy lies at the heart of this, as we continuously harness new and innovative technologies to enhance all touchpoints for our guests.

“We are pleased to partner with Amadeus on the launch of MHchat, and we are excited to be the first in Malaysia to bring this to travellers.

“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.”

Cyril Tetaz, executive vice president, airlines, Asia Pacific, at Amadeus said: “We are very delighted to work with Malaysia Airlines on its digital transformation; MHchat is a testimony to the airline’s commitment to evolve its digital channels.

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

“Many airlines are embarking on turnaround transformation initiatives, driven by a real will to address competition but above all to improve the customer experience.”

The Amadeus chatbot technology can be customised for any airline.

Amadeus said it will continue to add new features including multi-language support, adding ancillary services to an existing booking, and integration with Amazon’s Alexa for voice-enabled devices.