Ryanair backs public cloud with AWS deal

Low-cost airline company Ryanair is poised to take a large chunk of its online operations to the public cloud after signing an enormous deal with Amazon Web Services (AWS).

Ryanair has aimed to close the “vast majority” of its datacentres for some time, targeting a final date of 2021 for them all to be closed.

In the meantime, it is replacing legacy systems with AWS’s database, analytics and machine learning platforms both to cut costs and improve reliability, but also to benefit customers. Ryanair says that by swapping its Microsoft SQL database for AWS’s database manager Aurora, it will make sending out email marketing to some 22 million customers across Europe significantly cheaper.

The airline operator already uses several AWS services on its public cloud platform, including running several core workloads through it - including its corporate website and hotel comparison site - as well as storing data through its Simple Storage Service (S3).

Ryanair’s CTO, John Hurley, described some of the logic behind the firm’s AWS switch: “We’ve chosen to work with the world’s leading cloud to develop and deliver services that will transform our customers’ travel experiences.

“By rebuilding core applications, converting data into actionable insights, and creating intelligent applications, we are putting the solutions in place to continue our leadership in the travel industry.”

Some of this rebuilding will see Rynair use AWS’s machine learning capabilities to improve the experience for website users. It is also reported that the airline will trial Amazon’s new chatbot technology, Lex, which uses automatic speech recognition to convert speech into text and natural language understanding to parse its meaning.

Hurley says Lex will prove particularly useful “by intelligently routing customer support requests to the right type of assistance – whether that be a customer support representative or an artificial intelligence-driven interaction.”