American domestic airline Southwest Airlines has announced it has entered into a long-term agreement to bring the Amadeus Sky Suite by Optym to its operations, in order to upgrade its scheduling capabilities.

According to the carrier the new technology, which includes five new solutions including SkyMAX for network optimization, SkySYM for network simulation, SkyPLAN for frequency and capacity optimization, SkyCAST for network planning and SkyWORKS for intelligent schedule development.

The suite of five industry-first solutions gives Southwest the most comprehensive and advanced technology for all its network planning, simulation, forecasting and optimization needs. These tools will enable Southwest to boost the efficiency of its network which handles upwards of 4,000 flights every day.

“Better route planning techniques”

The ten-year agreement can be seen as the seal of approval by Southwest Airlines who were the first company to sign up for Optym’s SkyMAX and SkySYM tools three years ago. These solutions were expanded when Amadeus and Optym announced a partnership in 2016 to develop and market the full suite together on a global scale.

“These new tools will enable us to offer more to our customers through better route planning techniques and uncovering new ways to continue growing our network in a meaningful way,” said Adam Decaire, vice president of network planning at Southwest Airlines. “We are thrilled to continue our partnership with Amadeus and Optym and look forward to building an even stronger network planning team.”

“At Amadeus, we value the opportunity to support Southwest in its strategic investments to deliver continued growth,” said Elena Avila (above), executive vice president of airlines in the Americas.

Avila went on to add: “Deepening our partnership with this long-term commitment for flight scheduling is a testament to how well our companies work and innovate together. We believe airlines of all sizes, across the globe, will benefit from these innovative new technologies. Southwest is an ideal inaugural customer to demonstrate the breadth of those benefits.”