Malaysia Airlines' A380 Customer Experience Enhancement

In anticipation of delivery of its six A380 aircraft, Malaysia Airlines is inducting its cabin crew and all other front-line staff with specialized training, to ensure they create the most memorable customer experience for all passengers on-board the superjumbo.

Around 550 cabin crew have been identified and specially selected to undergo training in various aspects of Malaysia Airlines’ A380 inflight service hospitality between now and end of December 2012.

The first batch of 20 cabin crew had undergone the full two weeks on-board process familiarization and safety training since February, 2012. These training programmes were further enhanced to include the functional and emotional needs of Malaysia Airlines customers across the various segments and will continue until December, 2012.

The on-going soft-skill training enables the cabin crew to enhance their strengths in communication and engagement with passengers on the A380 aircraft which has a seat configuration for 494 comprising 8 in First Class and 350 in Economy Class on the main deck, together with 66 in Business Class and 70 in Economy Class on the upper deck.

Malaysia Airlines Head of Customer Experience, Dato’ Salleh Ahmad Tabrani said, “Our cabin crew training modules were based on an in-depth study of the passenger journey experience and feedback from our regular and loyal customers and the type of service they would like to experience on our brand new A380. With this set of training, our cabin crew will be able to bring Malaysian Hospitality to the next higher level with premium services by fulfilling the passengers’ emotional needs”.

“With an increased number of passengers compared to the B747-400, we will have 21 crew members on-board the A380, to ensure the delivery of impeccable inflight hospitality. It will be a challenge to manage the additional 135 passengers compared to the B747-400 capacity, but our cabin crew will need to pass strict standards of the training before being assigned for duties on the A380.”

“Customers who have purchased their tickets for travel on Malaysia Airlines’ A380 will be in for an exciting sensory experience. They will get to taste, hear, see, touch and smell premium on our A380, as we will be offering world-class meals, beverages, entertainment and on-board facilities,” he added.

In addition, other Malaysia Airlines front-liners are also undergoing similar training. These include teams from airport operations, ticketing/ reservations, Golden Lounges and the Global Customer Contact Centre. The training will be customized to suit each operational area to ensure a consistent delivery of premium experience throughout every customer touch point. This is the start of an on-going journey for Malaysia Airlines to become a preferred, premium airline.

Malaysia Airlines is all geared up for the arrival of the A380. These include simulator training for about 100 Malaysia Airlines pilots as well as the completion of airport operations readiness for the superjumbo, including ground service equipments and the holding lounges.

Malaysia Airlines will receive its first A380 in June 2012 and will make its debut from KLIA to London on 1 July 2012. The national airline will be the 8th carrier in the world to operate the A380.