Malaysia Airlines debuts Facebook booking
Malaysia Airlines takes social media to an all-new high, by allowing people to book their flights and check-in with the airline through Facebook.
(Screenshot by CBSi)
MHbuddy on Malaysia Airlines' Facebook page lets you book, check-in, manage and share your flights via the social network. The Facebook page also lets users know if one of their friends are travelling on the same flight or going to the same destination.
"With MHbuddy we are pleased to provide our fans on social media an easy way to book a ticket without having to leave Facebook," Dr Amin Khan, executive vice president, Commercial Strategy, Malaysia Airlines said to SITA.
To gain access to the Facebook app, you'll have to give Malaysia Airlines permission to access basic and profile information about you and your friends, as well as allow it to post to your wall.
When booking a flight, you fill out a simple form that asks where you're travelling from, where you wish to travel to and the dates of travel. MHbuddy will then list what flights are available, how much they cost and if any of your friends are travelling to or live in the same destination. From there it's a simple matter of clicking on your preferred flight and then filling out the payment details.
If a friend happens to be on the same flight or resides where you're headed, MHbuddy will list them below the departure and arrival list, with a "Share with friends" button beside their name. Clicking on this button will allow you to post a comment on their wall.
Using MHbuddy to check-in, you'll be able to choose your seat via a seat map, which will also show you where any friends travelling on the same flight are seated (the "Share with your friends" button also appears here).
If you're concerned about privacy, air transport IT provider SITA Lab, which developed MHbuddy for Malaysia Airlines, stated that travellers can choose whether or not they want to share their flight information with friends.
Malaysia Airlines is not the first company to offer this service via Facebook, as US carrier Delta Air Lines has offered a booking service on the social network since August last year.