Ireland-based airline Ryanair is set to invest £10m each year in a technology innovation hub it is setting up in Dublin, media and marketing website The Drum reported yesterday.
Ryanair Labs, which was formally announced on Monday, will seek to launch startups operating in the digital and IT sectors which can enhance the online travel booking experience.
The unit will initially focus on mobile, content and customer profiling, and its first product launch is set to be an app that will offer Ryanair customers mobile boarding passes.
Kenny Jacobs, Ryanair’s chief marketing officer, told The Drum: “We want to capture data from the customers who are transacting with us and integrate it with other sources data we already have with a view to personalisation.”
The £10m will go towards staffing the unit. Ryanair is currently advertising for up to 200 positions for Ryanair Labs, including a chief technology officer and a head of digital marketing.
“We want to change the world of online travel and we’re going to do that through Ryanair Labs,” Ryanair head of communications Robin Kiely said on Monday. “Ryanair Labs will offer the perks and culture of a startup without the downsides.”