The airline will use Microsoft Azure as its preferred cloud platform for its key applications and workloads, significantly accelerating its digital transformation
With travel and tourism this year expected to exceed pre-pandemic levels, companies are preparing for a future where consumers expect their travel experience to mimic the rest of their lives: more connected, more personalized and more on demand than ever.
Through their partnership, American and Microsoft aim to use data and digital technologies to meet customer demands while optimizing business processes to provide American team members with the tools to enable a seamless experience. smoother journey for consumers. For example, companies envision a future in which every aspect of the customer experience and airline operations will be optimized using advanced analytics and other digital technologies, from improved baggage tracking and automatic flight diversion based on weather conditions to the use of digital twins to simulate operations at major hubs and proactively adjust to increase efficiency.
“Operar de manera confiable miles de vuelos en todo el mundo para llevar a los clientes a cientos de destinos es fundamental para American, razón por la cual la aerolínea eligió la tecnología de Microsoft para respaldar nuestras aplicaciones”, dijo Maya Leibman , directora de información de American Airlines . “Con el poder de Microsoft Azure, American puede innovar y acelerar su transformación tecnológica, brindando a los miembros de nuestro equipo herramientas mejoradas para brindarles a nuestros clientes una experiencia de viaje mejorada”.
“As the airline industry continues to transform, building a digital technology foundation in the cloud will be essential for future resiliency,” said Judson Althoff, executive vice president and chief commercial officer of Microsoft. “Through our partnership, American Airlines is taking a forward-thinking, cloud-centric approach to using data, artificial intelligence and our collaboration platforms to reinvent not only its own operations, but the experiences of its employees and customers.”
American and Microsoft are already moving toward innovative and transformative experiences for airline employees and customers.
Using data to streamline operations and reduce travel pain points
When a plane lands at America’s largest hub, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), getting to the gate quickly is critical to keeping the operation running smoothly. American and Microsoft are applying the power of artificial intelligence, machine learning and data analytics to reduce taxi time, saving thousands of gallons of jet fuel a year and giving connecting customers extra time to make their next trip. flights. Based on Azure, American’s smart gate program provides real-time analysis of data points, including route and runway information, to automatically assign the closest available gate to arriving aircraft. Previously, gate decisions for American’s 136 gates in DFW required more manual input from gate planners. Now the program can look at multiple data points simultaneously for hundreds of daily arrivals, saving more than a minute of taxi time per flight.2 emissions.
Improve frontline collaboration to drive better customer experiences
To get a flight out on time, it takes a lot of team members behind the scenes. Every day, maintenance staff, ground crews, pilots, flight attendants and gate agents work together to ensure every flight departs on time. Until recently, these team members, who are always on the go and rarely tethered to a desk, relied on access to information via desktop or laptop computers. American and Microsoft created the ConnectMe app, which team members can access from any mobile device through a Microsoft Power Apps-enabled app in Microsoft Teams. With information now at your fingertips,
Building a Cloud Platform for the Future of Airline Operations
Running the world’s largest airline is no small feat. Now, through American’s partnership with Microsoft, the airline will migrate and centralize strategic operational workloads, such as its data warehouse and several legacy applications, into an Operations Hub in Azure, becoming one of the first global airlines to adopt a comprehensive cloud strategy for all. their business areas. With its Operations Hub on Azure, American plans to save costs, increase efficiency and scalability, and advance its ambitious sustainability goals.
In addition to their cloud partnership, the companies are deepening their relationship to support Microsoft employee travel. Through the highly preferred partnership with American, Microsoft employees will receive new and improved benefits when they choose American or its alliance partners for business travel. Additionally, American and Microsoft may use feedback from Microsoft employees to inform future innovations to continue driving a more connected, seamless and personalized travel experience.