Hong Kong Airlines has partnered with the DFASS Group to launch a new inflight duty-free programme called SkyShop.
Passengers flying with the carrier will be able to purchase items from an expanded catalogue featuring 17 new global brands and including Crabtree & Evelyn products, Hugo Boss fragrances, Super Dry watches and gadgets from MiLi. Premium brands such as Johnnie Walker and Gucci are also featured.
Duty-free products may be purchased either on board or at home using the airline’s online platform. By providing their flight details, passengers can pre-order products prior to boarding, and collect it onboard. SkyShop has also introduced a new "air-to-home" function that allows passengers to pre-order their items online and have their purchases delivered to specified Hong Kong addresses.
The partnership offers significant benefit to Hong Kong Airlines, as it allows the carrier to adopt DFASS in-house technology on inflight purchases, which will improve the buy-on-board service as well as crew efficiency in purchase processing.
This will be made possible through the use of the DFASS proprietary handheld computer (HHC) system, which according to the airline facilitates transfer of information from aircraft to the back office via wifi and allows "immediate access for customer fulfillment as well as managements reporting". In addition, Hong Kong Airlines passengers can place pre-flight orders directly with the cabin crew through the HHC, instead of having to fill in order forms.
Meanwhile, the DFASS Group is the largest global concessionaire in the inflight travel retail industry, and the partnership with the Hong Hong-based airline represents the company’s new presence in the retail-happy city. It will now be looking to find more airline partners in Asia, particularly in Greater China where high-end shopping is a religion.
In conjunction with the Lunar New Year celebration, the launch of SkyShop has also paved the way for a series of promotions that offer gift-with-purchases, as well as discounts of up to 35 per cent on selected products. In addition, gold and silver members of the carrier’s loyalty program, Fortune Wings Club, can enjoy a further 5 per cent reduction on their purchases.
For more information, visit www.hongkongairlines.com
Clement Huang
