Taking a Great Leap Forward

Carried more than 5.2 million passengers during the summer period

Issued more than 1.3 million e-tickets from Saudi Arabian Airlines offices with 50 percent of all passengers converting to e-tickets so far

Upgraded reservations, ticketing and departure systems

Upgrade is underway for Al Fursan along with the launch of a new family program

Modern designs with a personalized touch are being developed for Saudi Arabian Airlines offices

New training programs planned to support technical and administrative staff

Jeddah - 09 October 2007 - Saudi Arabian Airlines has entered a new era in which it is accelerating its pace and setting the highest standards of quality in terms of performance and services, conforming to these new requirements in preparation for privatization and increasing competition from other airlines at a local, regional and international level.

In a statement issued by His Excellency Eng. Khaled Al Molhem, the Director General said, "We are taking a great leap forward into the future and in order to ensure the success of this very crucial period, we have begun, gradually and through a multi-phased program, to implement the Airline's strategic plan. This includes upgrading the technical infrastructure, expanding the network to serve the Airline's marketing objectives, upgrading the sales, reservations, airport and on-board services, and a complete face lift for the Al Fursan program. These moves come after more than 1.3 million e-tickets have been issued, converting more than 50 percent customers to the e-ticketing system. In addition, the Saudi Arabian Airlines website is being upgraded and a complete restructuring of training programs for the staff is taking place, all with the objective of keeping up with the requirements of this new era and improving the work environment."

Upgrading the Technical Infrastructure

This is the most important phase of development at Saudi Arabian Airlines, which aims at enhancing the technical infrastructure to make it more flexible in order to simplify reservations and ticketing procedures.  This phase also includes the re-design of the Saudi Arabian Airlines website to host user-friendly features, beginning with reservations. Saudi Arabian Airlines will also provide promotional offers for customers who book online directly.

Upgrading Al Fursan

Saudi Arabian Airlines is currently restructuring Al Fursan after months of research and field studies, which targeted various customer segments on what they expect from a frequent flyer and rewards program.  These development programs will include the introduction of a new family program, which will be launched before the end of this year to support Al Fursan's 600,000 plus members, a number that is growing at a level of 3 percent a month.

Modern Offices & New Destinations:

As part of its upgrade program, Saudi Arabian Airlines is working on modernizing its sales and ticketing offices, adding a personalized touch in order to enhance relations with its customers.  It is expected that a number of new destinations will be added in addition to rescheduling flights and increasing frequency to the most popular destinations.  Saudi Arabian Airlines began this procedure by increasing the number of flights to Dubai to 44 flights per week.  Also, due to increasing demand for flights to Sharm Al Shaikh, Saudi Arabian Airlines announced a regular schedule to the Red Sea tourist destination all year round instead of the summer season only.  Overall, the Airline carried more than 5.2 million passengers during the summer period. 

Investing in Human Capital

In a step to develop its workforce, Saudi Arabian Airlines approved a series of specialized training programs for both its frontline and technical staff at all levels within the organization, in addition to developing the workforce in the administration and finance departments. This new direction will support the massive investments in technology and information to assist in achieving maximum efficiency in operations and management.

Eng. Khaled Al Molhem reaffirmed that these comprehensive development programs will represent a turning point in the future direction of the Airline, which will in turn reinforce its competitive edge locally, regionally and internationally, build its corporate image with customers and achieve a higher level of customer satisfaction.  These programs are considered to be the driving force in completing the privatization phase.  His Excellency ended by saying, "I have complete faith in the Saudi Arabian Airlines staff and every confidence in their ability to achieve the desired results in this critical phase, results which in future will be added to the long list of successes of our national carrier."

-Ends-

For further information please contact:
Farah Ibrahim
TRACCS
Public Relations for the Middle East and North Africa
Tel: 04-3672530
Email: farah.ibrahim@traccs.net

© Press Release 2007