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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen
Category: Air & Sea Air & Sea
Published: 23 January 2018 23 January 2018

JetBlue today announced a new partnership with Cruising Store that deploys the power of artificial intelligence to help travelers customize their vacation experience and add flights and other offerings, all in one place.

Through JetBlue’s new cruise booking and planning platform, customers are able to bypass the often-confusing process of finding the right cruise and the traditional model of contacting a travel agent to book.

“AI is changing how we travel and our goal is to be at the front of the curve,” said Marty St George, executive vice president, commercial and planning, JetBlue. “We’ve already incorporated artificial intelligence into vacation planning and now our partnership with CruisingStore means customers will quickly be able to find the cruise that’s right for them and book their flights all in one place.”

One of the hardest parts of the traditional process is finding cruises to the destinations a traveler wants to see, on the dates they want, and for the budget they have in mind. JetBlue has joined with CruisingStore to introduce a new platform that helps travelers make informed decisions when selecting a cruise. The ‘intelligence engine’ technology takes JetBlue’s already robust cruise travel site to a new level, identifying cruise vacations that meet a customer’s budget, destination preferences, and other activities. Over time, the platform will evolve to further evaluate what matters most to travelers, providing even more customized options.

Officially launching in January 2018 in tandem with the JetBlue partnership, CruisingStore aims to innovate the cruise vertical with a more advanced, customer-focused and supplier-friendly cruise shopping experience. The results are unique cruise experiences at competitive prices.

CruisingStore is led by co-founders and cruise industry veterans whose combined leadership experience includes more than 30 years of experience at some of the world’s leading travel companies – including Dwain Wall, chief executive officer; John Henderson, chief technology officer; Tom Grasse, chief marketing officer; and Jill LaBarre, executive vice president of agency operations.

"We are incredibly excited to announce a partnership with JetBlue, who has been an innovator in the travel space for many years,” said Dwain Wall, chief executive officer of CruisingStore. “We have worked hard to create a solution to the many long-standing and intractable execution challenges facing the cruise and airline industries and with CruisingStore.com, we are pleased to have that solution now readily available.”

JetBlue provides customers booking cruise-centric vacation packages with a simplified booking experience. JetBlue’s partnership with CruisingStore is the latest in the airline’s evolution to offer more personalized trip experiences. Combining technology with JetBlue’s award-winning customer service, JetBlue seeks to create a one-stop vacation shop and seamless travel journey.