FlySafair is turning to artificial intelligence to bolster its low-cost business model – and to deliver a more personalised customer experience usually associated with full-service airlines.
Kirby Gordon, chief marketing officer and vice-president of sales and distribution at FlySafair, told journalists on Wednesday that technology is “absolutely key” to helping the airline keep its costs low so its flights can be more affordable.
“We … are hyper-focused on operational efficiency. We seek to do volume [business], and the margins are paper thin, so efficiency on every level is key – and this is where technology comes in,” Gordon said.
“The high-touch, individualised attention is what you sacrifice when you focus on volume. But AI is allowing us to become more sophisticated by allowing us to engage with the customer in ways that are more human than, say, a bulk e-mail.”
In June, FlySafair launched an AI chatbot named Lindi to assist customers with general information, handle complaints and book flights. Accessible via WhatsApp, Lindi can perform tasks such as initiating bookings, changing flights and processing cancellations.
At present, the chatbot can only handle individual bookings, but Gordon said development work is under way to enable it to manage group reservations as well.
Just a few months into the pilot, FlySafair is learning how customers interact with the technology. Some tech-savvy users prefer dealing exclusively with the chatbot, others want a purely human touch – and many fall somewhere in between.
Social impact
Lindi is backed by the airline’s call centre, which provides human support when needed. But AI is increasingly being used in that environment, too.
Gordon said the company is also navigating the social impact of automation. Some staff members see AI as a threat to their jobs.
“It changes their role from someone who had to answer X number of queries a day to a higher level, where they are now doing quality assurance on the queries the AI has responded to,” he said.
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While customer engagement is one focus area, Gordon noted that it represents only a fraction of the airline’s operations. Flight maintenance – a major cost centre – offers even more scope for technological innovation.
FlySafair uses a system similar to the DataDot technology in vehicles, applying QR codes to track parts and maintenance records. Traditionally, new aircraft arrive with a “container-load” of paper documentation that must be maintained and stored in large, fireproof facilities. FlySafair’s digital system replaces that paperwork, allowing mechanics to sign off maintenance work using tablets.
Another project in development is AI-driven predictive maintenance.
“As a business and an industry, we have a phenomenal amount of data. Each aircraft has a raft of sensors on it and it’s so much that no human being can wrestle with all of it. So, there is a lot of work happening in machine learning and AI to do predictive maintenance,” said Gordon.
“With this predictive maintenance, we can listen to the aircraft, and if there is a vibration in this part of the aircraft, for example, we can predict from the historical data that there is a bolt that needs to be tightened in place ‘X’.”
Regulatory hurdles, however, are slowing down how quickly such technologies can be adopted. Predictive maintenance could, for instance, allow parts to be replaced just before the end of their lifespan instead of at rigid intervals, saving airlines money – but current aviation rules don’t yet allow that flexibility.
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For now, FlySafair is focusing on expanding Lindi’s capabilities, integrating knowledge from across the business to deliver a richer set of solutions to customers.
“A truly bespoke model would have a person for each customer to speak to; that would mean we employ 230 000 people and we aren’t going to do that, but the technology allows us to create a similar experience,” said Gordon. – © 2025 NewsCentral Media
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