Virgin Australia partners with OpenAI for AI-led travel planning, shopping features

Virgin Australia has announced a partnership with OpenAI to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into its travel services, aiming to support passengers in planning and shopping for their trips. OpenAI’s president and cofounder, Greg Brockman, confirmed the development on X.


In a blog post on Saturday, the airline said it is adopting OpenAI’s API platform as part of its broader digital transformation efforts. The partnership will introduce AI-based tools that offer more personalised travel planning features.


Early work includes using AI to improve personalisation, streamline the customer experience and test how a Virgin Australia app could function within ChatGPT’s testing platform, Apps SDK.

“The airline is focussed on meeting customers in the places and platforms they use most to plan and shop for travel,” Virgin Australia chief executive officer Dave Emerson said.

This marks the first collaboration of an airline in the country with OpenAI.

Australia is ranked as a top 10 ChatGPT subscriber market, the company said.

According to the airline, customers will be able to describe the type of travel they need or the trip they intend to take and be directed to the most relevant flight options offered by Virgin Australia.

Virgin Australia recently launched an AI Trip Planner designed to help users navigate fares, identify destinations, and create custom itineraries. The airline has also been using AI-driven analytics to forecast demand and adjust airfare pricing.

The company said the team members will also be equipped with secure, enterprise-grade AI tools to execute operations.

The company noted that it has previously introduced several customer-facing features in the Australian market, including online check-in, which allows travellers to complete the process before arriving at the airport; Economy X extra-legroom seating on domestic services for added space; and baggage tracking, enabling passengers to monitor checked luggage.

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More recent additions included Pets in Cabin on selected domestic routes, allowing small pets to travel in the cabin; neighbour-free seating, which lets passengers pay to keep the adjacent seat empty; and a “middle seat lottery” promotion that offers prizes to travellers assigned to middle seats.

Meanwhile, in February, Air India entered into a codeshare partnership with Virgin Australia that allowed the Tata Group-owned airline's passengers to travel on a single ticket to 16 cities in Australia and New Zealand.

With this agreement, Air India customers could continue their journey on Virgin Australia's network, with their baggage checked through to the final destination on a single ticket.

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