AirAsia gets new web and mobile facelift, introduces AI powered chatbot

AirAsia has unveiled a website and mobile app facelift and launched a new chatbot named AVA (AirAsia Virtual Allstar) powered by artificial intelligence.The updates, said the airline, are “aimed at delivering a more seamless, user-friendly experience” to airasia.com and the app’s 3.3 million monthly active users, from flight bookings to browsing for deals to online shopping and customer support. New features on the website include a new comprehensive homepage designed for easier and faster navigation, including upcoming flight notice, search shortcut and recent searches, links to the best hotels, travel, duty-free shopping and activity deals, recommended destinations and link to BigPay, AirAsia’s money app.Meanwhile, iOS users can now choose where to go using an interactive map that pinpoints all AirAsia’s destinations in a single page. iOS users can now also check their upcoming flight status simply by asking Siri. To use this feature, just click the “Add to Siri” button under Flight Itinerary or My Bookings.The AI chatbot will also be available on the new live chat feature to respond to guest inquiries instantly. AVA currently can communicate in eight languages - English, Bahasa Malaysia, Thai, Bahasa Indonesia, Vietnamese, Korean, Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese. AVA was built by the AirAsia Software Engineering and Technology (AASET) and Customer Happiness team using technology from Ada, a Toronto based company that specialises in AI-powered customer experience.Guest may now enroll to AirAsia’s Fast Airport Clearance Experience System (FACES) on their mobile app to clear security and board their flight seamlessly. Just click on My Account and My FACES to take a 5 seconds video of your face.  On top of that, guests can search for the lowest fares using the Low Fare Calendar, which has been integrated in the app, earn and pay using BIG Points and enjoy instant member discounts when they log in.AirAsia deputy group CEO (Digital, Transformation and Corporate Services) Aireen Omar said, “We are excited to welcome the new year with our new-look website and app that features AI and boasts a better, faster, more intuitive experience. We are always working to enhance our guest experience, and we will be adding more mobile app features in the months to come so it is no longer just a flight booking platform, but your complete travel companion. We encourage new users to download the app for free from the App Store or Google Play to experience these features for themselves.”