Sales Problem with Traveloka; AirAsia Not Planning to File Report

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - AirAsia said they are not worried about the possibilities of losing sales potential from Traveloka. To date, 20 percent of AirAsia's ticket sales are attributable to online sales agents, and more than half is from Traveloka.

Despite suspecting unhealthy business competition, Indonesia AirAsia CEO Dendy Kurniawan said the airline has no plan to report the matter to the Business Competition Supervisory Commission (KPPU). He said that the KPPU can have their own initiative if they find that AirAsia passengers are aggrieved.

"To us, it is business as usual. We don't have time to deal with these indications," he said here on Monday, March 4. 

AirAsia Indonesia had ceased online sales partnership with Traveloka after their tickets "went missing" and became unavailable at the Traveloka app some time ago. AirAsia believe that it was not simply a technical issue.

“If there were technical problems, the sales teams of both companies would have immediately gotten in touch. We weren’t notified at all," AirAsia commerce director Rifai Taberi said.

Read also: AirAsia Suspends Ticket Sales via Traveloka

Rifai said the airline has been noticing "abnormal" behavior at Traveloka. AirAsia has been in contact with Traveloka's IT team since Feb. 12 when their tickets did not show up on search during certain hours, and then disappeared completely two days later. On Feb. 18, AirAsia tickets reappeared.

AirAsia Indonesia was disappointed and decided to permanently stop all ticket sales through Traveloka.

Traveloka's PR officer Sufintri Rahayu regretted AirAsia's decision and said their team wants to have a dialogue to find a solution.

"As Southeast Asia's biggest tech company in travel and lifestyle, we very much prioritize sustainable partnerships with all partners," she said in a written statement.

Meanwhile, KPPU commissioner Guntur Saragih hopes that business actors who feel they are hurt by unfair business competition would report to the Commission. He said that suspicions of blocking digital ticket sales could be a good input amid the investigation of alleged airline ticket cartel.

"We recommend that AirAsia come," Guntur said yesterday.

ANDI IBNU | CAESAR AKBAR