Shane Tackett on technology adoption
From Shane Tackett, EVP Finance and CFO, Alaska Airlines · · IATAtv
“We really were able to think about both the need to partner with technology companies who know this technology really well who can scale it who have the infrastructure to be able to do it in a way that we probably couldn't and to get ideas about the most likely use cases that might show results earlier rather than later.”
On , Shane Tackett, Chief Financial Officer & Executive Vice President of Finance at ALASKA AIR GROUP INC, spoke about technology adoption during Shane Tackett, EVP Finance and CFO, Alaska Airlines on IATAtv.
About Shane Tackett
Shane Tackett, Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President of Finance at Alaska Air, spoke at the 2024 IATA Annual General Meeting about the airline’s approach to artificial intelligence and operational challenges. Tackett said that Alaska Air benefits from being headquartered in the Pacific Northwest, near “the five most valuable companies by market cap on Earth” that are engaged in technology and AI. He noted that a Microsoft executive sits on Alaska Air’s board and has provided advice on how to begin using AI, and that the airline has sought partnerships with technology companies that can scale the technology and provide infrastructure that Alaska Air could not develop on its own. Tackett described the airline industry as inherently unpredictable, with daily disruptions from weather, maintenance, or employee availability. He stated that improving “operational resiliency” would benefit customers by helping flights arrive on time and would also improve the airline’s cost environment by requiring fewer assets. He expressed hope that AI could be applied to airspace management, noting that time is “ultimately what we’re selling to people” and that reducing trip time would benefit the company, guests, the industry, and the environment. He added that fuel is the airline’s largest input cost and that optimizing airspace and ramp operations could reduce fuel consumption.