Australian airline which collapsed in 2001 revived by tech entrepreneur thanks to trademark lapse
A once-mighty Australian airline which stopped flying in 2001 has resumed business – but not back in the skies.
Ansett Australia, formerly operated by Air New Zealand, collapsed into administration nearly 24 years ago and at its height was the country's second-biggest airline.
Ansett has now made a surprise triumphant return to the travel industry as an AI-operated travel agent known as The Ansett Travel Platform.
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Ansett planes ready for work at Sydney Airport in 2001. Dallas Kilponen
Melbourne tech entrepreneur Constantine Frantzekos is the brains behind Ansett's timely revival.
He said he spotted a "quiet opportunity" when he noticed the once-famous Ansett trademark had lapsed.
"I registered the trademark, created a fleet of AI agents, and – thanks to a tech integration with (Victoria's Startup of the Year) TRAVLR – The Future of Travel Commerce - have now turned Ansett into a one-founder online travel agency," Frantzekos said on LinkedIn.
Frantzekos claims Ansett is the country's first "truly AI-run travel agency" and said it uses artificial intelligence to shave money off the price of hotels, flights and holiday packages.
His new website is already live with advertisements for holiday deals to the likes of Tokyo, Athens, Las Vegas and Bali.
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Ansett Airlines was grounded in 2001 after Air New Zealand failed to find a buyer. National Film and Sound Archive
Frantzekos describes Ansett as "like the Costco of travel".
Around 16,000 people lost their jobs and a 65-year legacy circled the drain when the axe fell on Ansett in September 2001.
It flew an estimated 10 million passengers and had a 69-plane fleet before it collapsed.
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The new Ansett Travel website is live now. Supplied
The Ansett Airlines section of the passenger terminal at Essendon Airport in 1969. Fairfax Photographic
It was reported at the time that Air New Zealand failed to offload Ansett to Singapore Airlines and Qantas, while former Transport Minister John Anderson vowed the government would not "spend a dollar" to rescue it.
The former News Corporation acquired a 50 per cent stake of Answett in the early 1980s before Air New Zealand bought the airline in an ill-fated deal in 2001.
Ansett was founded by aviation pioneer Sir Reginald Ansett in 1935.
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