Qentelli: Using AI to work at the speed of the customer

Rising fuel prices are forcing airlines to think beyond their usual preoccupations of customer service, safety, and regulation. Technology is now a greater priority than ever to streamline operations and introduce essential cost savings that could make all the difference on thin airline margins during these turbulent times.

Qentelli are builders of tech solutions who have entered the aviation market to help its enterprises become more efficient. Sanjay Jupudi, Founder and CEO, has led the company into the industry in partnership with David Harvey, Board Director and a renowned aviation expert. At Aviation Festival Americas, we sat down with both of them to discuss where AI adoption is falling short, especially as regards increasingly frequent IROPs scenarios.

Aviation is so complex, so data-driven, and customer facing across different variables. So it’s ripe for the solutions that Qentelli’s bringing to the market.

Jupudi notes that the industry’s enthusiasm for AI might actually be more of a hindrance than a help. Airlines are currently investing a lot on expensive proof-of-concepts, sometimes led by the misguided belief that AI is a silver bullet that can transform their organisation within a few months. Whatever solutions providers promise, preparing a workforce for AI while adhering to aviation’s strict safety standards is no easy feat. Harvey points out:

You’ve got to build a level of patience. People want solutions now, but you’ve got to build the right use cases.

Airlines also need to consider structural approaches, whether to decentralise tech development to different teams, build in-house centres for excellence, or bring in third-party expertise. Whatever the strategy they choose, the end result for the customer has to be consistent.

This is especially true during disruption, events which have been especially notable this year due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. Jupudi says IROPs could potentially be a huge opportunity for timely AI-powered communication:

The average attention span for consumers has gone down. You can blame the internet, you can blame social media, you can blame everything else. But you have to work at the speed of the customer.

Using agentic AI as a ‘co-pilot’ could help airlines better meet the expectations of passengers, who are used to high-tech features on platforms such as Google and Netflix. Jupudi concludes: