While recent surveys have shown some hesitation from travellers in using artificial intelligence when booking, for airlines and airports the technology has been welcomed, featuring in three major recent innovations, reports OAG.
American Airlines and Google recently completed what OAG describes as a landmark trial, using AI-driven contrail forecasts in AA’s operational flight planning workflow alongside traditional considerations such as turbulence and wind patterns.
It found that the flights that followed the AI recommendations saw contrail formation drop by 62%, and as such the estimated warming effect from those flights fell by 69%. The second big innovation featured Google again, this time partnering with SITA to use AI to find missing bags.
Google’s Find Hub was integrated into SITA’s WorldTracer, enabling passengers to share their bag’s real-time location from Android devices directly with airline recovery teams inside the same system staff already use to trace delayed luggage, thus reducing lost luggage.
Rounding out the list is Heathrow Airport, which recently selected the AI-driven AIRHART platform from Smarter Airports as its new digital backbone, replacing its legacy systems.
OAG says it will improve real-time co-ordination across air lines, ground handlers, air traffic control, and terminal operators, with highlighted features including AI-driven disruption forecasting that anticipates congestion, gate conflicts, and turnaround delays before they cascade.
