Tony Fernandes: AirAsia.com will splash into OTA

According to AirAsia Group CEO, Tony Fernandes, the low-cost carrier upstart will be making some major changes; it will re-brand its air-ticket sales portal, AirAsia.com, as Red Beat Inc and take on the online travel agency (OTA) business in a big way.

Tony took to Twitter to share his plans, confirming it is in the air but not exactly in the pipeline. That is the down-side to sharing plans and ideas on social media.

What Tony has in mind is very ambitious, even for the lofty achievements he has under the belt. Moreover, this spells out the notion that AirAsia is aiming for the big boys in OTA like Expedia, Agoda, and Trip Advisor.

Of course, MARKETING has reached out to AirAsia for further comments. As far as the industry knows, this is not a new move for the low-cost carrier brand. After all, its move into air-miles collection, loyalty rewards, and playing in insurance and the hotelier business are clear signs. Getting into OTA on this scale and claiming it can possibly feature competing hotel and flight brands is definitely a major deal.

Text by: Victor Yap