Air New Zealand and FLYR Labs have announced a strategic alliance to collaboratively develop advanced AI-based applications that utilize the Cirrus software platform.
The alliance marks an expansion of the affiliation between Air New Zealand and FLYR Labs which began in 2020. Under the agreement, the two companies will leverage the Cirrus software platform to develop complementary AI-powered products that enhance and optimize other aspects of the airline’s commercial operations.
The collaboration will see a team of FLYR Labs data science, software development, and other employees co-locate out of Air New Zealand’s headquarters in Auckland in the new year.
Michael Williams, Air New Zealand Group’s General Manager for Commercial, Strategy and Alliances says the airline has been working hard throughout the pandemic to build back better, including a continued focus on digitizing the business for both employees and customers.
“The Cirrus software platform has been key in optimizing our capacity and schedule planning, providing efficiencies for both our team and our customers. The next stage on our journey is looking to how we can use the software to further enhance our digital capabilities across the business.
“This alliance is also incredibly exciting for our people, who will have the opportunity to develop and implement software that’s leading the way in innovation in the aviation industry.”
Alex Mans, founder and CEO of FLYR Labs says: “FLYR Labs has worked alongside Air New Zealand to demonstrate how our Cirrus platform can improve passenger load forecasting and, by so doing, optimize revenue outcomes. It is very gratifying to announce that we have formalized the relationship with Air New Zealand and intend to work alongside their team to partner on the creation of additional solutions.”
FLYR Labs recently completed a $150m Series C funding round led by Laurence Tosi’s WestCap, Jeffrey Katzenberg’s WndrCo, Silver Lake, Peter Thiel, and others. Prior to this, FLYR Labs acquired Faredirect to expand its ancillary offerings, such as personalized seat, meal, and baggage offerings, and xCheck for its marketing technology tools that expand fare visibility across channels and drives demand.
