AI knows how much you’re willing to pay for flights before you do

Fed by data on everything from Internet searches and Covid outbreaks to weather forecasts and football results, computers are learning how everyday life influences demand for flights. — Image by rawpixel.com on Freepik

Armed with mountains of data, artificial intelligence is emerging as an important tool for airlines to find the ideal fares to charge passengers, helping them squeeze out as much revenue as possible as the industry emerges from its biggest crisis.

Fed by data on everything from Internet searches and Covid outbreaks to weather forecasts and football results, computers are learning how everyday life influences demand for flights. In its most advanced form, AI blows up the arcane airfare codes and pricing bands that have straight-jacketed ticket sales for decades.