Qantas is building a group-wide AI capability

Qantas is investing in a “group-wide AI capability” with planned uses so far spanning corporate and customer support, inflight catering waste and procurement.

The airline used its full-year financial results [pdf] to outline a “strategic investment in technology”, although specific discussion of the program is absent from an investor call, which skips several slides.

On the AI front, the airline has so far launched and scaled a “generative AI assistant for senior corporate teams with tailored training to drive productivity". 

In the coming 12 months, Qantas intends to use “AI-driven modelling to optimise inflight catering planning and reduce food waste”; and a “new AI-based procurement contract lifecycle management” platform “to reduce value leakage”.

It will also undertake “a full redesign of Qantas.com by the end of FY26”, which will include the integration of a “conversational AI assistant”.

The planned investments in technology run more broadly than AI.

Other programs of work include introducing a new device and app for airport and lounge staff “to enrich service and engagement” with customers; “data-enabled fleet health monitoring to anticipate maintenance needs”; and a “data-driven continuous pricing capability”.

The airline is also anticipating investing in an expanded secure-by-design approach to technology and software development. 

In the year just gone, Qantas said its technology and digital expenses climbed 12 percent in the year, driven by “higher IT licence and support spend” as well as “supply chain transformation projects”.

Although it did not break down its investments to an individual line-item level of detail, the airline also indicated it had invested both in its “group cyber” capabilities, its corporate systems, and in the “group-wide AI capability.”

Within its loyalty business, Qantas flagged investment into “member engagement”, which translates into work on its mobile app and the use of “technology to enable seamless customer journeys”.

Qantas recorded a statutory profit after tax of $1.61 billion, up 28 percent year-on-year.