Latest news with #AnsettTravel
Time of India
2 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Ansett Australia set for big return decades after collapse, but in never seen before avatar; here's what to expect
Over two decades after the collapse, Ansett Australia, which was once the country's second-largest airline, is all set to return in a new avatar. Ansett Australia collapsed into administration after suffering financial troubles in 2001. Its final flight was recorded early in 2002. More than 16,000 people lost jobs following the company's downfall. Now, two decades later, the brand is scripting a revival in a way Australians wouldn't have ever imagined. It is making a return not as an airline but as an AI-powered holiday booking platform called Ansett Travel , according to 7News. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Please select course: Select a Course Category healthcare Cybersecurity MCA others Product Management Design Thinking PGDM Leadership Public Policy Data Science CXO Operations Management Healthcare MBA Others Management Technology Finance Data Analytics Digital Marketing Degree Data Science Skills you'll gain: Duration: 11 Months IIM Lucknow CERT-IIML Healthcare Management India Starts on undefined Get Details Skills you'll gain: Duration: 11 Months IIM Lucknow CERT-IIML Healthcare Management India Starts on undefined Get Details How is Ansett Travel designed Speaking about Ansett Travel, Melbourne-based entrepreneur Constantine Frantzeskos said it was designed to be a 'hyper-personalized' 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 was quoted by 7News as saying on Monday (July 28, 2025). '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,' Frantzeskos continued. Live Events What will Ansett Travel offer Frantzeskos has worked with Emirates, Dubai Tourism, and Visit Victoria in the past. This time, he has 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. Ansett VIP membership An Ansett VIP membership is $99 a year, according to 7News. Not all AI features are live yet, but Frantzeskos said plans for things like auto-generated itineraries, pre-trip alerts, and personalized loyalty experiences are in the works. '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, or 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.
7NEWS
2 days ago
- Business
- 7NEWS
Ansett Australia revived as AI-powered travel platform two decades after carrier's collapse
The Ansett name 'is back', but not as Australians will remember the former airline. 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.
Perth Now
2 days ago
- Business
- Perth Now
‘Trusted name': Defunct airline's return
More than 20 years after closing its doors, Ansett is back – this time, as an AI-powered travel agency. Ansett Airlines – later Ansett Australia – served as the country's second-largest since 1936 before it was placed into voluntary administration and ceased operations in 2002, resulting in a loss of 16,000 jobs. Before its closure, the airline was once a mainstay of Australian culture as one of the major sponsors of the AFL and the major sponsor for the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Ansett Australia ceased operations in 2002. Credit: Supplied Last month, Melbourne entrepreneur Constatine Frantzeskos announced the airline's return as an AI-powered travel agency after 'the famous Ansett trademark had lapsed'. 'Ansett is back – reborn as Australia's first truly AI-run travel agency,' he wrote on LinkedIn. 'I registered the trademark, created a fleet of AI agents, and – thanks to a tech integration with Travlr – have now turned Ansett into a one-founder online travel agency.' The Ansett Travel website is powered by AI and designed to offer a 'personalised' experience. 'We use a combination of large language models, recommendation systems, and predictive pricing engines,' the website read. 'Our AI helps personalise your journey, surface better deals faster, and automate the back-end processes that traditional OTAs still handle manually.' According to the company's website, the travel agency operates with 500 airlines and three million hotels and aims to '(revive) a trusted name' and '(give) it a new identity'. Speaking to The Sydney Morning Herald, Mr Frantzeskos said Ansett Travel was 'building the personal travel agent of the future'. The Ansett brand is making a comeback – this time as an AI-powered travel agency. Credit: Supplied According to the website, the company is not 'trading on nostalgia'. 'The Ansett name still holds meaning – especially for Australians who remember a time when travel felt innovative, considered, personal, and premium,' the website read. 'We're not trading on nostalgia – we're reviving a trusted name and giving it a new identity: intelligent, intuitive, and value-driven.'
News.com.au
2 days ago
- Business
- News.com.au
‘Trusted name': Iconic airline makes comeback after more than 20 years – as an AI-powered travel agency
More than 20 years after closing its doors, Ansett is back – this time, as an AI-powered travel agency. Ansett Airlines – later Ansett Australia – served as the country's second-largest since 1936 before it was placed into voluntary administration and ceased operations in 2002, resulting in a loss of 16,000 jobs. Before its closure, the airline was once a mainstay of Australian culture as one of the major sponsors of the AFL and the major sponsor for the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Last month, Melbourne entrepreneur Constatine Frantzeskos announced the airline's return as an AI-powered travel agency after 'the famous Ansett trademark had lapsed'. 'Ansett is back – reborn as Australia's first truly AI-run travel agency,' he wrote on LinkedIn. 'I registered the trademark, created a fleet of AI agents, and – thanks to a tech integration with Travlr – have now turned Ansett into a one-founder online travel agency.' The Ansett Travel website is powered by AI and designed to offer a 'personalised' experience. 'We use a combination of large language models, recommendation systems, and predictive pricing engines,' the website read. 'Our AI helps personalise your journey, surface better deals faster, and automate the back-end processes that traditional OTAs still handle manually.' According to the company's website, the travel agency operates with 500 airlines and three million hotels and aims to '(revive) a trusted name' and '(give) it a new identity'. Speaking to The Sydney Morning Herald, Mr Frantzeskos said Ansett Travel was 'building the personal travel agent of the future'. According to the website, the company is not 'trading on nostalgia'. 'The Ansett name still holds meaning – especially for Australians who remember a time when travel felt innovative, considered, personal, and premium,' the website read. 'We're not trading on nostalgia – we're reviving a trusted name and giving it a new identity: intelligent, intuitive, and value-driven.'
Sydney Morning Herald
2 days ago
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
Ansett Australia is back. But not as you know it
It was once Australia's second-largest airline, ferrying more than 10 million passengers around the country every year before it collapsed into administration in 2002. More than 20 years after its final flight, Ansett is making a comeback. Melbourne-based technology entrepreneur Constantine Frantzeskos has revived the Ansett brand, bringing back the iconic Australian airline as an AI-powered travel agency. The Ansett Travel platform, which is now live, is designed as a hyper-personalised travel concierge that will offer predictive trip recommendations and itineraries based on a customers' preference, budget and calendar events. 'Ansett was such a wonderful, innovative brand. It was a pioneer of great service, they were the first ones to bring business class to Australia, and they were loved by their customers,' Frantzeskos said in an interview. 'I thought wouldn't it be a cool thing to genuinely bring this brand back to life. And that's what I'm doing, I'm building the personal travel agent of the future. 'This will be a travel agent that understands you, your family, your needs, your budget and where you've been. That's the vision.' Ansett had operated for 65 years and was the nation's second-largest airline before it was grounded in late 2001, with some 16,000 jobs lost as a result. Its downfall was seen at the time as a 'perfect storm' of poor culture, financial strain, union issues and fleet mismanagement.
