The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration is preparing for a major transformation of the nation’s airspace. Artificial intelligence and predictive analytics are expected to play an increasingly important role in how flights are managed.

One example of what that future could look like is already operating at Alaska Airlines. Here, dispatchers use an AI-powered system to analyze enormous amounts of aviation data. The system also identifies more efficient flight routes.

How Alaska Airlines Uses AI to Manage Flights

At Alaska Airlines’ Network Operations Center near Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, dispatchers oversee approximately 1,500 flights on a typical day.

Their work requires them to constantly monitor air traffic, weather conditions, wind patterns and other factors that can affect flights.

To help manage this information, Alaska uses Flyways AI, a software platform developed by Air Space Intelligence.

The system processes large amounts of real-time information and presents potential options to dispatchers. As a result, dispatchers can evaluate different routes and select the safest and most efficient alternative.

Rather than making decisions independently, the technology functions as a decision-support tool for human dispatchers.

“It doesn’t decide the route or waypoints that a dispatcher uses to get an airplane from A to B,” explained Capt. Bret Peyton, managing director of Alaska’s network operations control. Instead, the system provides suggestions that can help make flight planning more efficient.

AI Can Predict Problems Before They Happen

One of the biggest advantages of Flyways AI is its ability to look beyond current conditions.

The system analyzes information about weather, winds, air traffic and other variables. Therefore, it can anticipate how conditions could develop during a flight.

That predictive capability can allow dispatchers to identify potential congestion or inefficient routes. It helps them address problems before those problems become more difficult to solve.

According to Alaska Airlines, using Flyways has helped the airline save tens of thousands of hours of flight time. It also saves approximately one million gallons of fuel each year.

The results demonstrate why federal aviation officials are increasingly interested in similar technology.

From Airline Operations to the Entire U.S. Airspace

Alaska Airlines began using Flyways in 2021, making it one of the earliest major airline implementations of the technology.

Air Space Intelligence has since expanded its work to other major airlines, including Delta Air Lines and United Airlines. Additionally, they work with the U.S. Army and Air Force.

Now, the company has been selected by the FAA for a much larger challenge.

The agency awarded Air Space Intelligence an $875 million contract. This contract is to develop the Strategic Management of Airspace, Routes, and Trajectories system, known as SMART.

The project is part of a broader effort to modernize America’s air traffic control infrastructure.

Why the FAA Wants Predictive Air Traffic Management

FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford has argued that the current U.S. airspace system remains safe. However, he says it is not operating as efficiently as it could.

One major problem is the difficulty of obtaining a unified view of the entire national airspace system.

Thousands of aircraft, airports, weather systems and air traffic constraints interact simultaneously. Small disruptions in one location can therefore create delays and congestion much farther away.

Predictive analytics could help identify those problems before they become major bottlenecks.

Instead of reacting after congestion develops, controllers and aviation officials could potentially make small adjustments to routes and schedules in advance.

AI Is Not Intended to Replace Air Traffic Controllers

The FAA has emphasized that the SMART system is intended to support air traffic controllers rather than replace them.

That distinction is important because aviation decisions require human judgment, particularly when conditions become unpredictable or safety concerns emerge.

Alaska Airlines experienced a similar challenge when it first introduced Flyways.

Some dispatchers initially questioned whether the technology might eventually attempt to make decisions on its own.

According to Peyton, that skepticism diminished once dispatchers saw how the system actually worked and observed the immediate benefits.

The experience illustrates a broader challenge facing AI adoption: technology may be capable of processing information at a scale humans cannot match. Nonetheless, aviation professionals still need to trust and understand the systems providing those recommendations.

Can Airline AI Scale to the Entire Country?

The biggest question facing the FAA is whether technology that works for an individual airline can successfully manage the complexity of the entire U.S. aviation network.

Alaska Airlines operates a large fleet. However, the FAA must coordinate an ecosystem involving thousands of aircraft, airports, airlines, military operations and air traffic control facilities.

The U.S. has one of the world’s busiest and most complicated airspace systems, making the transition considerably more difficult.

If successful, however, the FAA’s modernization effort could fundamentally change how flights are routed and how congestion is managed.

The Future of Air Travel Could Be More Predictive

The development of SMART represents a shift away from relying exclusively on static information. It moves the system toward a more predictive model of air traffic management.

AI systems could continuously analyze changing conditions and help aviation professionals anticipate what will happen next.

For passengers, the benefits could eventually include fewer delays, more efficient routes and lower fuel consumption.

For airlines, better route planning could reduce operating costs and improve the use of aircraft and crews.

And for the FAA, predictive technology could provide a more comprehensive picture of America’s increasingly crowded skies.

The experience of Alaska Airlines offers an early glimpse of that future. What began as an AI decision-support system for airline dispatchers could become part of a much broader transformation of the U.S. airspace.

The technology will not eliminate the need for human expertise. Instead, its success may depend on how effectively humans and AI can work together. This will help make America’s skies safer, more efficient and better prepared for the growing demands of modern air travel.