By June Ramlee Published: 2010/11/26

THE new low-cost carrier terminal, or KLIA2, which will be operational by mid-2012, aims to gradually move away from traditional check-in and conduct more web-based check-in services.

Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) managing director Tan Sri Bashir Ahmad said that although there are concerns that not everyone is able to access the Internet, the airports are looking at ways to make the change possible.

This includes the fact that people cannot go online as broadband penetration in the country and region is still low.

"We know that this is going to be an issue but the airports are looking into that," he told the media when met at the "Check-in Asia" conference in Sepang yesterday.

Bashir said currently the ratio between traditional counter check-in and online check-in is 70:30.

The same ratio will be maintained when KLIA2 is operational in mid-2012, but MAHB aims to gradually move the operations more towards online check-in.

"We can do a lot with the space that we have now. When the check-in counters are not there we can use the space for so many things. Already we have so many enquiries," he added.

Meanwhile, Malaysian Airline System Bhd (MAS) managing director and chief executive officer Tengku Datuk Azmil Zahruddin said the airline is looking at offering a variety of options besides traditional counter check-in servives, for its customers to have a seamless experience when flying with MAS, as well as to minimise waiting time at the airports.

"Currently, we have mobile check- in services, online check-in, kiosks and also IPAD, al-though it is not in sale in Malaysia yet," he said.

He also said MAS was looking at ways to use social networks such as Twitter and Facebook to enable their custo-mers to check in in the future.

"We haven’t really figured out how this will work but we are looking at it and we are open to ideas," he said.

Azmil also said that MAS was looking at reinstating several new routes as it is now a profit-making company.

"We trimmed between 15 and 20 per cent of our routes, especially those non-profitable ones to Europe, but now we are reinstating slowly and focusing more on routes to Asia as this is where the growth is at the moment," he said.