Ansett Australia revived as AI-powered online travel agency by Melbourne tech entrepreneur after its trademark lapsed
Former carrier Ansett Australia has been revived as an AI-powered travel agency by Melbourne-based tech entrepreneur Constantine Frantzeskos.
He said the new version of Ansett is designed as a personalised travel concierge which will make predictive trip recommendations and plans based on customers' preferences.
'This will be a travel agent that understands you, your family, your needs, your budget and where you've been. That's the vision,' Mr Frantzeskos told The Age.
Ansett's brand was revived as the old airline 'stood for something Australians still value: innovation, trust, and great service", according to the new travel website.
Mr Frantzeskos said trademark for the former carrier had lapsed and the domain name www.ansett.travell was up for grabs.
He said despite the airline's bleak collapse, where 16,000 jobs were lost, many Aussies could still appreciate the nostalgia behind the brand.
'It's a shame it went away, but I think that brand voice is still compelling, and people have nostalgia for it,' Mr Frantzeskos said.
'Just because the corporate entity behind something didn't work doesn't mean that the brand still doesn't mean something. When I mention what I'm doing to people, they get a big smile on their face.'
The revived version of Ansett - which will compete against major online travel agencies such as Expedia, booking.com and Webjet - has stressed it uses AI to organise pricing and schedule trips.
'This is Ansett, reimagined for the way we live and travel now,' Ansett's website reads.
'We don't just show you endless options — we personalise your travel journey from the first click.
'We use AI to surface the best prices, strip out the noise, and recommend what actually matters to you.
'You won't find generic upsells or bait pricing here — just smart, fast, near-wholesale deals.'
Ansett flew Aussies around the country and overseas for 65 years and was the second ranked airline to Qantas before it was grounded.
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