Ansett Australia revived as AI-powered travel platform two decades after carrier's collapse
Ansett Australia was once the country's second-largest carrier but collapsed into administration after suffering financial troubles in 2001.
Its final flight was recorded early the following year.
Now, more than 20 years later, the brand is being revived not as an airline but as an AI-powered holiday booking platform called Ansett Travel.
Melbourne-based entrepreneur Constantine Frantzeskos said it was designed to be a 'hyper-personalised' travel agent that suggests trips and itineraries based on your preferences, calendar events and budgets.
'I didn't just acquire a lapsed trademark and domain, I resurrected trust embedded deep in collective memory,' Frantzeskos said on Monday.
'The original Ansett served Australians beautifully for 65 years before collapsing in 2002, leaving a void in reliability and brand warmth.
'I believe that legacy still matters, and that it's deserving of being reimagined for modern travellers.
'Ansett Travel isn't about replicating the past, it's about re‑engineering it through AI as the core, not as an afterthought.'
What Ansett Travel will offer
Frantzeskos has previously worked with Emirates, Dubai Tourism and Visit Victoria, and this time partnered with Victorian travel start-up Travlr.
He said the new platform is 'like the Costco of travel'.
It is open to everyone 'but if you want the really good stuff' — flights, hotels and holidays at near-wholesale prices — you will need to join Ansett VIP, he said.
An Ansett VIP membership is $99 a year.
Not all AI features are up and running but Frantzeskos said plans for things like auto-generated itineraries, pre-trip alerts, and personalised loyalty experiences are on the cards.
'Today's travel platforms are reactive,' he said.
'You search, compare, click. Ansett seeks to flip that model.
'It's designed to anticipate when users need a break – school holidays, anniversaries, executive downtime, great weather for a weekend away – and offer options before you even think to ask.
'It's not replacing human agents; it's doing what scale, data and logic do best – with finesse, not friction.'
The website is already live and offering travel deals for destinations including Las Vegas, Bali, Tokyo and Athens.
Before its collapse, Ansett reportedly flew about 10 million passengers annually.
More than 16,000 jobs were lost as a result of the company's downfall.
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