Ryanair to become digital travel leader following major Comtrade deal
Comtrade will help Ryanair become a digital travel leader following major deal. Pictured (L-R) are: Dejan Cuic, Solutions and Services Business Director, Ireland & UK, Comtrade; and John Hurley, CTO, Ryanair.
Comtrade, the leading software engineering services and solutions provider, today announces it has revolutionised the Ryanair passenger travel experience following a significant deal with the airline. Comtrade’s Irish operation partnered with Ryanair to develop the carrier’s myRyanair platform, an application that speeds up the booking process by over 20% and assists passengers with their entire journey.
The application allows customers to select their travel preferences by creating a personal profile, securely store payment and passport details and search Ryanair’s 1,800 air fare routes; ensuring faster bookings and flight check-ins. Based on a customer’s personal profile, myRyanair can assist with other travel-related activities, from tailored holiday tips to money-saving logistics. At the customer’s choosing, it can link them with other passengers whom they can share a taxi with, remember what plane seats they prefer or offer restaurant suggestions for the destination.
The launch of myRyanair signals the airline’s push to disrupt and transform the aviation industry by becoming a digital travel company with pioneering, customer-focused technology. With a strong emphasis on customer service, the carrier aims to grow its passenger numbers to 180 million per annum by 2024. myRyanair will play a central role in that commitment to growth and enhancing the user experience; acting as a travel buddy to millions of customers worldwide.
Working from the vision of Ryanair’s user interface (UI) design team, Comtrade developed myRyanair and turned it into an application capable of securely handling and processing the details of Ryanair’s 106 million annual passengers. With a focus on speed, it can also fill four Boeing 737s every minute at peak booking times.
The application was developed over a tight deadline of nine months, with Comtrade providing Ryanair with a complete scrum team of engineers to produce myRyanair using agile methodologies. In total, Comtrade invested 36,000 developer hours – the equivalent of 18 business years – into the project. From three weeks into the project until launch, myRyanair underwent constant testing and scrutiny from customers and senior management. In April 2016, it was shortlisted for Private Sector Project of the Year at the annual Tech Excellence Awards.
Comtrade is a Slovenia-headquartered software engineering company with offices in 11 countries across Europe and North America. Its Irish operation is headquartered in Stillorgan, Dublin.
Speaking about the project, Dejan Ćušić, Solutions and Services Business Director, Ireland & UK, Comtrade, said: “Ryanair is a forward-thinking company with a clear understanding of the digital world and the role it wants to play in it. The team recognised the changing needs of the airline’s customer base and myRyanair is the perfect solution; establishing Ryanair as a cutting-edge trailblazer with the customer experience at its heart.
“At Comtrade, we provide only the top experts and engineers to develop pioneering technology for the companies of tomorrow. That is why we could deliver and release such an outstanding product on such timelines. With Ryanair’s vision and our world-class engineers, we have created something truly special that will enhance the travel experiences of millions of people every year.
“We specialise in assisting companies with their digital transformation and our work with Ryanair is the perfect example of what we can do. We not only developed the myRyanair platform, we are working with Ryanair on an ongoing basis as they make the transition to becoming a technology-led travel innovator.”
John Hurley, CTO, Ryanair, said: “In the future, I see Ryanair as a digital travel leader that happens to have an airline attached to it. We want to use technology to personalise the user experience for our increasingly tech-savvy customer base and myRyanair is very strategic and central to that vision.
“The scale of myRyanair is phenomenal. It is built to handle the details of 106 million people and as we grow, myRyanair’s capabilities will grow with it. Our partnership with Comtrade was fundamental to turning myRyanair from a vision to a reality. With the team’s expertise, innovation and unwavering professionalism, Comtrade has helped Ryanair lay the foundations for the future.”
