Aeromexico Introduces Aerobot, the First Airline Chatbot in the Americas

MEXICO CITY, Dec. 6, 2016 /CNW/ -- Aeromexico, Mexico's Global Airline, today announced the launch of Aerobot, a chatbot (automated system which engages in conversation with a user) for Facebook Messenger which lets customers search for flight and other information.

Aeromexico is the first airline in the Americas to offer a chatbot, which is available in Spanish and English.

Travelers can use Aerobot to search for Aeromexico and partner flights, entering information (origin/destination and dates) to obtain flight schedules and pricing. To complete the transaction, users are linked to Aeromexico's new mobile-friendly website. (Version in English for the U.S. market: http://m.me/AeromexicoNA)

The service also provides flight departure and arrival status by entering the flight number or route and date. It also answers frequently asked questions, such as baggage allowances, documents required to travel, etc.

Aeroméxico, recently launched its new digital ecosystem including an all-new website, new check-in kiosks at airports, and soon, a new mobile app, which all together will offer an omnichannel experience to making traveling easier.

Brian Gross, Vice President of E-Commerce at Aeroméxico, commented: "There are so many reasons for Aeromexico to launch a chatbot and offer conversational commerce which is taking off in North America and around the world. Mexican users are among the world's most avid users of Facebook and are constantly becoming more familiar with chat- and Facebook-based services".

"73% of Facebook users in Mexico visit the Facebook pages of their favorite businesses. Our customers are using these channels today, and we want to be among the first to offer them improved service via these channels and with artificial intelligence", added Gross.

Aerobot is a joint project of Aeromexico and Yalo, a leader in the development of chatbots which supports businesses to sell and build personal relationships via  Facebook Messenger and other messaging platforms.

Javier Mata, founder of Yalo, commented: "We believe interacting with businesses can and should be as easy as interacting with friends. Luckily, chat apps such as Facebook Messenger and the recent progress in artificial intelligence make this possible; until recently only SMEs had taken advantage of this huge opportunity. So when Aeromexico told us they wanted to radically improve their customer's experience on Facebook Messenger, we knew we had to work together".

"This is just the beginning of a new era for business-to-consumer communication", added Mata.

With Aerobot, Aeromexico strengthens its commitment to offering superior technology for searching and purchasing flights, improving service and creating a traveling experience which is unique, frictionless, and simpler for its customers, from planning travel through to arrival at the final destination

About Grupo Aeromexico

Grupo Aeromexico, S.A.B. de C.V. is a holding company whose subsidiaries are engaged in commercial aviation in Mexico and the promotion of passenger loyalty programs. Aeromexico, Mexico's global airline, operates more than 600 daily flights and its main hub is in Terminal 2 at the Mexico City International Airport. Its destinations network features more than 80 cities on three continents, including 45 destinations in Mexico, 18 in the United States, 15 in Latin America, four in Europe, three in Canada and two in Asia.

The Group's fleet of about 130 aircraft is comprised of Boeing 787, 777 and 737 jet airliners and next generation Embraer 145, 170, 175 and 190 models. In 2012, the airline announced the most significant investment strategy in aviation history in Mexico, to purchase 100 Boeing aircraft including 90 MAX B737 jet airliners and 10 B787-9 Dreamliners.

As a founding member of SkyTeam, Aeromexico offers customers more than 1,000 destinations in 177 countries served by the 20 SkyTeam airline partners rewarding passengers with benefits including access to 672 premium airport lounges around the world. Aeromexico also offers travel on its codeshare partner flights with Delta Air Lines, Alaska Airlines, Avianca, Copa Airlines and Westjet with extensive connectivity in countries like the United States, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia and Peru. www.aeromexico.com www.skyteam.com

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130315/MX77534LOGO

SOURCE Aeromexico

Alejandro Bosquez González, External Communications & P.R / North America, Tel. [phone], Mail. [email protected], http://www.aeromexico.com