PIA to Partner With Hitit

[Abbas Ali]

Istanbul/Islamabad, 20 April 2018 - Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), the national flag carrier of Pakistan and one of the largest airlines in the Asia-Pacific region, chose Hitit Computer Services to support its services with several IT solutions. According to the agreement, PIA will process its operations via Hitit‘s solutions in the passenger service systems, operational planning and accounting areas.

Hitit Computer Services, which was named one of the Top 5 PSS providers in the field of aviation and travel IT systems, has enhanced its partnership ecosystem to the Asia-Pacific region thanks to this new agreement. Hitit, with its experience and know-how acquired by significant airline companies operating for many years in Turkey, will play a vital role during digital transformation process of Pakistan International Airlines.



Bilal Khan Pasha, General Consul of Pakistan; Bilal Munir Sheikh, Chief Commercial Officer, PIA; Kashif Rehman Rana, Chief Systems Officer, PIA; Nur Gokman, CEO, Hitit; Sezer Ozmutlu, Chief Financial Officer, Hitit; Mert Gulcur, Chief Delivery Officer, Hitit; Nevra Karaagac, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer, Hitit; and Muhammed Sohail Sajid, Pakistan’s Representative from Hitit, participated in the signing ceremony on the 18th April 2018.

Nur Gokman, CEO of Hitit, declared; "We met the challenges of a long tender process, against powerful competitors. At the end of the process, Hitit is proud and happy to have been chosen by PIA. The partnership agreement, supported by two governments, is a turning point in the field of aviation IT technology for both countries. I believe that with our state-of-the-art solutions, Hitit will provide significant momentum to PIA which has a strong vision of growth, and support PIA’s missions to upgrade its operations.

Kashif Rehman Rana, The Chief Systems Officer of PIA, said: “I appreciate that Hitit has joined PIA as the new service provider. As a customer-centric airline, PIA has always been aiming to provide world-class services for its travelers. We are sure that PIA will continue with this vision by means of end-to-end turnkey solutions and services of Hitit. I believe that the agreement between PIA and Hitit will be fruitful not only for both companies, but also for Turkey and Pakistan.”

Bilal Khan Pasha, General Consul of Pakistan in Turkey, said: “I’m really glad to participate in this contract signing ceremony. I have witnessed the development of the project. I would like to express my gratitude, because this project has grown into a partnership. By choosing Hitit as its service provider, PIA has started a new era. As Turkish Consulate General of Pakistan in Istanbul, I will ensure that any support required from our side is provided for this collaboration.

Source: hititcs.com

[Abbas Ali]

PIA to replace Sabre with Hitit Computer Services from 22nd for reservations system.

https://nation.com.pk/14-Aug-2018/pia-t ... -from-22nd

Abbas

[ammad]

PIA to replace Sabre with Hitit Computer Services from 22nd for reservations system.

https://nation.com.pk/14-Aug-2018/pia-t ... -from-22nd

Abbas

It is actually a very good decision. Getting rid of sabre is not easy and Sabre team/guys are politically very active.

[Abbas Ali]

A couple of days ago, a news channel was reporting PIA, Sabre case being heard at Sindh High Court.

By the way, PIA used to have its own computerized seat reservation system called "REPAK".

According to airline's 1982 advertisement:

"REPAK, PIA's own advanced computer system, makes your seat reservation in an instant, with accuracy and speed. The system notes down your seat preferences for the non-smoking section or vegetarian meals. Or even special food for health reasons. The system also provides accurate information about your connecting flights and hotel availability. And it takes our computers only seconds to do all this."



Abbas

[Abbas Ali]

According to news sources:

The first agreement between Sabre and PIA was signed in December 2000.

The current agreement between Sabre and PIA is ending in September this year.

Sabre is seeking court stay order on PIA's decision not to renew the agreement.

Sabre is not transferring/handing over passengers' reservation data to PIA.

PIA is seeking help from the Supreme Court.

PIA can save around two billion rupees annually through its agreement with Hitit Computer Services.

Abbas

[Abbas Ali]

Sabre has not been able to obtain stay order from Sindh High Court against PIA. The issue is sensitive and the national flag carrier airline is already in losses, the court said in its remarks.

Abbas

[ammad]

By the way, PIA used to have its own computerized seat reservation system called "REPAK".


Abbas

I know the Guy who actually wrote this System REPAK. There are many other systems written by him too, including DEPAK, for departure control.

His name is Farid Iqbal Qadri, and just like many other hard working Pakistanis', He never get appraised / promoted in his own organization the way it should have to be.

[Abbas Ali]

^ Thank you Ammad for the info.

Somewhere I read that REPAK was also exported to other airlines thus earning foreign exchange for PIA.

Abbas

[Abbas Ali]

PIA shifting from one service system to another

LAHORE: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) will have a new Passenger Service System by September 5, a Turkish web-based product by the title of HITIT. The management has entered into a new partnership with a computer services giant and solution provider HITIT after a competitive bidding process.

While the pretext for this decision is explained to be financial and operational, experts believe that this shift is also a significant move in the geo-strategic paradigm.

According to the sources, the current agreement with SABRE, an American product is expiring on Sep 18, 2018, after almost two decades and the management decided to select a new system through the PPRA Rules.

However, the Global Distribution System’s (GDS) agreement is still going on with the SABRE.

Because PIA would have risked making its agents unhappy had it chosen to opt out GDS that abruptly. The GDS offers extra monetary benefits to sales agents which had more or less created a lobby amongst agents in favour of GDS. In order to avoid a backlash from its sales agents PIA as for the time being continued with GDS however, it plans to opt out of it eventually, sources told.

The PIA entered into an agreement with SABRE with a vision of expanding its flight operation as the system was designed for such use. However, the national carrier could not materialize its policy of expanding its flight operation which resulted in SABRE becoming more and more expensive for the corporation for its contracting flight operations.

In addition to this, the PIA purchased additional components of SABRE for financial and inventory management like AIRMAX. However, did not use those components due to lack of capacity. Meanwhile, continued paying for these components.

Some major flaws of the SABRE were: there was no audit trail after 72 hours of the activity and if someone had reset their password after the activity, it could not be traced. Some of the employees were misusing it and the authority could not have done anything. The ancillary sale was also not available in the system.

Around the world, direct and indirect sale of ticketing has the ratio of 50 percent each. But in Pakistan due to the monopoly of travel agents the sale of direct ticketing is just 2 percent.

With this web based new system, people will be able to book tickets by themselves and will get all the options on the website.

If the PIA has continued this agreement with SABRE, it would have been cost the legacy carrier 50 million dollars in the next five years. On the other hand, the HITIT is costing half of the amount. With this change, the PIA will save up to 5 million dollars annually.

The new project is expected to be completed by end of this year. There are some conditions binding on both parties as per disclosure laws protecting the rights of companies.

The change will bring new Core Reservation System, Departure Control System, Frequent Flyer Program, Internet Booking Engine, Mobile Apps, Revenue Management, Schedule Management, Revenue Integrity, and Disruption Management.

While HITIT appears to be a more viable solution for PIA as compare to SABRE, it too has certain operational compatibility issues. Point to point flight operation is not considered HITIT’s prime forte, however, PIA officials argue that the vendor will provide a customized solution in this regard. The effectiveness and success of that solution would only be measured over time. Another factor is that HITIT requires extensive hardware up gradation which PIA officials claim had already been achieved.

When contacted, PIA Spokesperson Mashhood Tajwar said that the organisation was moving towards betterment and improvement in its passenger management system keeping in view the best operational and financial interests of the national carrier. He, however, did not confirm the date of implementation being the first week of September as such.

Source: The News

[Abbas Ali]

According to news sources, a seven-member team from Turkey has arrived in Pakistan to train PIA staff for using Hitit system.

Abbas

[Abbas Ali]

[ammad]

Test cutover is today. If PIA able to transform from Sabre to Hitit systems, it will be achievement and great step towards cost saving.

[Abbas Ali]

Karachi, September 12, 2018: In a major development PIA has shifted to leading Turkish IT Solutions Company, HITIT. The new system is in operation from 12th September, 2018.

Chairman & CEO PIA Muhammad Saqib Aziz has said that the new IT Solutions partner will definitely bring more modernization and convenience to our valued customers. He said every possible effort has been made to make the transformation glitch free. He has instructed PIA teams to remain available round the clock for smooth and swift transfer in all relevant areas of airline. He commended IT and Commercial departments for their untiring efforts to make this transformation possible.

PIA reservations, inventory control,rticketing and check-in procedures, flight operations, scheduling, Revenue management and accounting etc. will now use HITIT IT Solutions.

The transformation from the previous module was done in the shortest time period and training sessions were held with PIA officials and its partner travel agencies.

With the new IT solution PIA and its travel partners will be able to work more efficiently. The new IT solution is not only cost effective but offers additional value which will greatly help PIA in its business activity.

Source: PIA Press Release

[adamalikhan]

I'm struggling to comprehend how the reservation element of the website has gone live in the current state.

You cannot see the fares for different departure / arrival dates. I've never seen an airline website quite like it where you have this non-visibility!

[Abbas Ali]

According to news sources, PIA with new Hitit system on its first day of operation experienced technical issues with booking/ticketing, check-in, issuance of boarding cards, ticket refund etc. The airline's Flight Operations and Finance Department also faced problems. Travel agents also reported problems. Such issues with the system can cause loss of millions of rupees to PIA.

According to PIA spokesperson, Hitit is a modern system and airline's personnel is trained for using it. Some individuals want the new Turkish system to fail, the spokesperson said.

After several years, the American SABRE system has been replaced by Hitit at PIA.

PIA message on airline's website www.piac.aero:

"Dear Valued PIA Traveler,

After 17 years, in order to provide you a better service, we are switching to a new modern system.

We are expecting a smooth transition. However, if there are any problems effecting your travel please contact our hotline. Any inconvenience is regretted.

Pakistan International Airlines"



Abbas