AirAsia aiming to become travel technology company

AIRASIA Group Bhd is aiming to become a “travel technology company,” as the low-cost carrier announced it is working with Google Cloud to incorporate machine learning and artificial intelligence in its business.

“AirAsia has been at the forefront of adopting new digital technologies since our inception in 2001. We are now in our next phase of development where we are expanding beyond air transport and digitalizing our operations and processes to become more efficient,” AirAsia Group CEO Tony Fernandes said in a statement.

AirAsia will collaborate with Google Cloud to find solutions for business challenges in areas such as demand forecasting and targeted marketing; customer experience and loyalty; and operational efficiency.

“Google Cloud enables us to make full use of the data we own, opening up new opportunities and enabling us to build new businesses. We are building two big platforms: airasia. com, which will be our one-stop digital travel platform where our customers can book their travel needs from flights, accommodation, tours, ground transport to entertainments; and BigLife, our lifestyle site which will be like Kayak, Tripadvisor, Groupon and eBay rolled into one,” Mr. Fernandes said.

BigLife includes AirAsia’s digital investments under RedBeat Ventures, such as the money app BigPay, inflight connectivity platform Rokki, online marketplace Ourshop and logistics services RedBox and RedCargo.

Mr. Fernandes said both platforms will “help drive much more business into AirAsia with the help of data.”