Last year, Alaska Airlines saved 1.2 million gallons of fuel (11,958 metric tons of CO2 emissions) by leveraging AI to optimise its flight paths. After renewing their partnership with Air Space Intelligence (ASI), the airline has offered some insight into how it is using tech to push towards its goal of being the most fuel-efficient US airline by 2025. Founded in 2018, ASI is a software-first company that facilitates complex air operations, developing technology that provides critical decision-making support.
Through advanced algorithms and machine learning, the AI powering ASI’s Flyways AI Platform analyses weather patterns, winds, turbulence, airspace constraints, and air traffic volume to generate optimised route recommendations. These are based on safety, ATC compliancy, fuel consumption, and time considerations, supporting pilots to choosing the best course of action. By promoting efficiency, the technology has on average delivered five per cent fuel savings and emissions reductions for flights over four hours.
Alaska also uses the Flyways Dispatch application to enable dispatchers to actively manage flights and address issues before they can negatively impact operations. Captain Bret Peyton, Managing Director of Network Operations Control at Alaska explained how the real-time insights and decision-making support helps:
“Being a dispatcher requires attention to detail, problem-solving skills, and quick thinking. [This technology] help us optimise our routes, save fuel, and reduce carbon emissions, giving us more confidence and flexibility in our decisions and allows us to focus on delivering excellent service to our guests.”
In Alaska’s case, this partnership illustrates how successfully leveraging AI can drive significant efficiency gains with a plethora of benefits to the industry.
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For more like this see:
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- Transitioning away from “an analogue airspace in a digital age”: The UK CAA’s airspace modernisation plan
- Leveraging AI to effectively combat adverse weather