PAL goes in for Mercator's CRIS solution

Philippine Airlines (PAL) has become the first airline in the Asia Pacific region to migrate to Mercator's frequent flyer and relationship marketing solution, CRIS.

An implementation team from Mercator, which is the Dubai-based IT division of the Emirates Group, worked closely with Philippine Airlines in Manila, providing the technical resources and training essential to a successful launch.

CRIS will offer a wide range of new features to the 420,000 members of 'Mabuhay Miles', the airline's recently-launched frequent flyer scheme. Customers can now enrol via the Internet, view their mileage balance, book flights instantly and receive targeted promotions tailored to their specific needs.

Henry So Uy, executive vice-president, Philippine Airlines, said: "Mabuhay Miles is intended to offer our most loyal customers a much more rewarding experience, and help us deliver the best possible service to them.

"The successful implementation of CRIS allows us to do just that, as our members can now be assured of smooth and trouble-free services at every step of their journey, from reservations to ticketing to check-in."

After 60 years in business, Philippine Airlines now carries six million passengers annually on routes across three continents and prides itself on its excellent service and hospitality.

Hugh Pride, director of IT, Mercator, said: "We're delighted to work with Philippine Airlines, and we're confident that CRIS will revolutionise its relationship with its frequent flyers.

"The successful completion of the project was the result of great teamwork between Philippine Airlines and Mercator, and is yet another example of a Mercator project delivered on time and on budget."

Major airlines already using Mercator solutions include Air Algerie, Air New Zealand, Air Pacific, Air Zimbabwe, British Airways, Emirates, Grupo TACA, Olympic, Qantas, Royal Air Maroc, Royal Brunei, SriLankan and Varig.