Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia) has warned passengers who do not use confirmed reservations and fail to cancel them. The national carrier incurs heavy losses due to this phenomenon, said Ghunaim Rashid Al-Ghunaim, General Manager of Unified Reservation. Al-Ghunaim revealed that the reservation centers receive between 45,000 and 50,000 calls every day. He warned customers of long waits during peak hours. Al-Ghunaim said the service was still in its nascent stage and would require time for all users to adapt to it. Saudia has introduced several methods to facilitate reservations, including an automated service by which passengers can scan their reservations without needing to contact a reservation employee. Reservation employees will be questioned over any perceived shortcomings or negligence, Al-Ghunaim said, pointing to the existence of an electronic system monitoring all incoming calls and employees. The airline, he said, had the potential to increase its seat numbers on domestic and international flights, should the need arise, noting that between Sept. 1 and Oct. 9, Saudia made available 1,932, 274 seats on domestic flights and 1,358,602 on international flights. – Okaz __
