It seems as though nobody likes flying. From long lines and frequent delays to uncomfortable security pat-downs and cramped seating, commercial aviation gets a bad rap.
And yet, flying remains a miracle of modern engineering that previous generations couldn’t begin to fathom.
To magnify the wonders of aviation and minimize its warts, airlines are turning to a nascent technology that’s taking off faster than a fighter jet: artificial intelligence (AI).
AI is Preparing for Takeoff
With AI in aviation, airlines can minimize their emissions by conserving fuel, increase safety by detecting maintenance demands, and optimize routes in the air and on the tarmac, hopefully saving time and money for both carriers and passengers alike. But as this burgeoning technology begins to invade all parts of the travel experience, the question still remains whether it’ll be a tool to help consumers or an instrument to further line airlines’ pockets.
“Using artificial intelligence-enabled computer vision, we build a complete picture of turnaround operations to optimize processes, and to provide constant automated monitoring and alerts to facilitate second-by-second decision-making,” said Christiaan Hen, CEO of Assaia, a startup providing AI solutions to airports and airlines. “With increased visibility, airports can optimize performance, enhance efficiency, and ensure a safer and more sustainable environment.”
If its promises come to pass, AI could help planes soar to new heights, transforming the increasingly troubled aviation industry into something that is loved instead of loathed.
Will AI Make Air Travel More Sustainable and Reliable?
Major airlines, from United to American, are investing in AI companies and betting big on capabilities that promise to improve the flying experience for their passengers. Alaska Airlines, for example, is using artificial intelligence to plan more efficient routes for its aircraft.
“It’s like Google Maps, but in the air,” Vikram Baskaran, vice president for information technology services at Alaska Airlines, told The New York Times.
Because AI can cultivate data on everything from air traffic to weather from a slew of sources, and synthesize all of that information faster than humans can, Alaska Airlines saved 41,000 minutes of flight time and half a million gallons of fuel in one year.
Similarly, American Airlines is using AI to reduce customers' time on the tarmac. According to company documents, its planes spend 17 fewer hours taxiing every day and use an estimated 1.4 million fewer gallons of fuel annually.
“We make gating decisions thousands of times a day,” said Anne Moroni, vice president of operations planning and performance at American Airlines. “Saving precious time on the ground ensures more customers make their connections and we use our resources efficiently.”
There’s also an opportunity to improve on-time performance, as more than 20% of flights currently are delayed, according to the United States Bureau of Transportation Statistics. And with extreme weather from climate change threatening future airborne operations, that number could easily grow.
“Intense events are happening more often and outside their seasonal norms,” said Sheri Bachstein, chief executive of the Weather Company, which makes weather-forecasting technology.
JetBlue believes that AI weather forecasting company Tomorrow.io could save the airline $4 million a year by helping it avoid nasty weather-related delays.
Will AI Make Air Travel Safer?
It’s not just about saving money. Because safety has been top of mind for the airline industry in recent years — following multiple incidents onboard Boeing aircraft — it’s also about saving lives.
On that note, German airline Lufthansa is experimenting with leveraging artificial intelligence to perform predictive maintenance, helping identify potential hazards before they occur and decreasing the amount of downtime an aircraft must spend while it’s being serviced.
One of Assaia’s products utilizes sensors to detect dangerous situations during aircraft turnarounds and ensure ramp safety at airport gates, decreasing unsafe behavior by 50%.
The implications of this technology extend beyond commercial aviation as well. The U.S. Air Force made headlines after it announced the first successful AI dogfight. During the simulation, an AI-piloted aircraft went head-to-head with a human pilot for the first time in history. The computer-powered aircraft reached speeds of up to 1,200 miles per hour while it ran a machine learning algorithm trained on historical data. Although the results of the drill have not been made public, the implications for the future of military aviation seem clear.
“We need to recognize that AI is here. It’s here to stay. It’s a powerful tool,” Air Force Col. Tucker Hamilton said in a video published by the Air Force Research Laboratory.
Will AI Transform the Customer Experience?
AI’s incredible impact is being felt far beyond the cockpit as well. Airlines like KLM are using AI-powered chatbots to provide round-the-clock customer service, supporting consumers as they encounter issues. These virtual assistants can reduce wait times and ensure that real humans are available to address more complex problems. These systems can also be proactive in case of crises, automatically rebooking passengers in the wake of delays or cancellations.
Whether it's through a chatbot or an in-flight announcement, AI can provide multilingual support, thereby increasing accessibility globally. Pegasus Airlines is using AI-enabled voice-cloning technology to translate its onboard announcements in multiple languages from the captain’s voice.
The in-depth data that these technologies are generating can help individualize customer experiences as it identifies people’s specific preferences. For example, just as Netflix recommends content to its users based on their viewing history, in-flight entertainment can become similarly personalized in the sky. The content can even be intelligently tailored to the remaining flight time.
Will AI Change Airline Pricing?
On the backend, airlines are leveraging this powerful technology to fuel their complex pricing algorithms, which generate fares for potential customers as they shop around for flights. Dynamic pricing has long been a staple of the industry as fares are typically dictated by specific factors like availability, route competition or how soon before departure someone books. Now, AI technology has the potential to “personalize” prices and it’s leaving some lawmakers concerned.
Imagine a scenario where an airline’s “cookies,” which track activity across the internet, detect a customer’s visit to an online obituary. With that critical piece of information, would an airline gouge the fare when that same person goes to look up flights to the funeral? How about if it knows a customer’s income – will it raise prices for wealthier consumers to extract additional revenue, showing users totally different prices for the same flight searched for at the same time?
Earlier this year, Delta announced its plans to use AI in its pricing models, sparking immediate backlash that forced the airline to issue a statement.
“There is no fare product Delta has ever used, is testing or plans to use that targets customers with individualized prices based on personal data,” the letter read.
Despite Delta’s press release, the metaphorical cat is now out of the bag as Democratic lawmakers have introduced a bill that bans companies from using AI to set prices based on personal data and would prevent these price-gouging situations.
Across the aisle, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy of the Trump administration has also threatened to investigate any airline that does personalize its pricing.
"We would engage very strongly if any company tries to use AI to individually price their seating,” said Duffy.
On the flip side, what if that same technology could enable consumers to find cheaper prices and save more money? That’s why Google announced Flight Deals, an AI-powered search tool that empowers price-conscious consumers and directly challenges airline pricing.
It’s still unclear if the future of AI in aviation will best benefit the airlines or its cash-strapped customers.
Data Flying Through the Clouds
Whether it's designed for civilian or government aircraft, artificial intelligent systems rely on heaps of data. Thanks to the cloud, gathering, storing, and synthesizing that data into something actionable is possible.
Qatar Airways and American Airlines have each announced collaborations with different cloud providers to create personalized offerings to their passengers, “using data to streamline operations, reducing travel paint points” and advancing the customer experience.
So when a flight cruises through the clouds safely, sustainably and on time, travelers might have artificial intelligence to thank.
This is an updated version of the article originally published on Jun 25, 2024.
Chase Guttman is a technology writer. He’s also an award-winning travel photographer, Emmy-winning drone cinematographer, author, lecturer and instructor. His book, The Handbook of Drone Photography, was one of the first written on the topic and received critical acclaim. Find him at chaseguttman.com or @chaseguttman.
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