Spirit Airlines Adds New Flight Scheduling Technology

Spirit Airlines announced it will adopt new flight scheduling technology in Amadeus SkySYM to apply Artificial Intelligence (AI) to simulate and optimize the performance of its flight schedules moving forward.

The move is a timely one as it comes just ahead of the peak summer travel season.

According to the ultra-low-cost carrier, “the next-generation solution takes in a wide range of operational data and creates a side-by-side, virtual representation that highlights pinch points in the operation that the Network Planning Team analyzes as they create efficient airline schedules.”

Spirit is using the tech to aid schedule development by analyzing historical performance data to suggest improvements for future schedules and looking at forecasted enplanement data such as load factors and connections and incorporating it into future schedule recommendations.

Examples include pinpointing trends and identifying cascading effects on flights to recommend adjustments to turn time or block time and changes to connection times or changes to ground time depending on load factors and the popularity of a given route.

“Large commercial airlines like Spirit operate 24/7, 365 days a year, and working through disruptions is part of life in our industry, whether it’s from weather impacts, Air Traffic Control-related constraints, and other various events that can arise in the airspace or at airports,” John Kirby, Vice President of Network Planning, said in a statement. “SkySYM helps us proactively identify potential operational pinch points and minimize the impact through enhanced schedule design. Our team does a phenomenal job planning our network and investing in new tools will help us to continue providing a great travel experience for our guests.”

“There are hundreds of variables that make up a successful airline schedule, and optimizing this complex puzzle requires the very latest data science capabilities,” added Renzo Vaccari, Senior Vice President, Sky Suite, Amadeus. “By applying AI for schedule simulations, Spirit gains a deeper understanding of where delays are likely to occur so it can take preventative measures, like reallocating buffer time from one part of its schedule to another.”