How JetSMART achieved 80% automation on WhatsApp and webchat in just 6 weeks
In record time, JetSMART brought Austral to life as an AI Agent on WhatsApp and webchat — reducing call centre volume by 34% and automating 80% of customer conversations. And what started as an automation project has since expanded into a direct sales channel, letting travellers add services and pay without leaving the chat.
Penguins don't fly — until they find the right technology.
reduction in call centre calls
cost savings per interaction
About JetSMART
JetSMART has been transforming the regional air travel market since 2016 with a low-cost model that has enabled millions of people to fly for the first time. Today, it operates in Argentina, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay and Chile, and has established itself as the fastest-growing airline in South America. In 2025, it was recognised for the third time as South America’s Best Low-Cost Airline by SKYTRAX.
With the youngest fleet in the region – and the fifth youngest in the world – JetSMART operates over 80 domestic and international routes. Beyond its rapid growth, JetSMART has also embraced cutting-edge strategies and technologies to meet the ever-evolving needs of its customers, ensuring a smooth and efficient travel experience.
The problem
JetSMART, committed to delivering a modern and agile experience, faced a contradiction: its customer service relied almost entirely on traditional channels, with 99% of interactions handled via phone and email. These channels were limited to handling complaints and routine queries, with no way to offer or sell additional services to travellers. This didn’t reflect the digital, forward-thinking brand the airline had built.
Recognising this gap, the team saw the need to move towards a more digital service model — one that incorporated automation and self-service tools and, over time, the ability to generate revenue directly from its customer-facing channels — to better align with passenger expectations.
Objectives
JetSMART partnered with Hubtype to bring Austral — the only king penguin capable of flying, thanks to its place on the aircraft tail — to life as an AI Agent on WhatsApp and webchat. With Austral, travellers could get answers quickly, without needing to speak to a human agent. The impact is reflected in a CSAT score of 4.3 out of 5.
In addition to supporting customers on their preferred channels, Austral helped JetSMART reduce call centre costs and improve efficiency.
“We’ve significantly reduced costs and improved efficiency by automating 80% of our conversations in a short time. Hubtype’s support has been essential to what we’ve achieved with Austral.”
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See how Austral provides real-time information about flight reservation status in under two minutes via WhatsApp.
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Dependence on traditional channels slowed down support
JetSMART was handling 99% of customer interactions through its call centre and email.
High call volumes and elevated costs
Like many fast-growing companies, JetSMART received over 100,000 calls a month — making the operation resource-intensive and hard to adapt to shifts in demand.
Customer service channels that couldn't drive revenue
With nearly all interactions handled through the call centre and email, every customer touchpoint was a cost with no self-service capability and no way to generate additional income.
Implementation
In just six weeks, Hubtype gave Austral its digital wings, enabling it to handle frequent traveller queries through WhatsApp and webchat.
With full integration into JetSMART’s existing systems and powered by conversational AI, Austral launched as a high-performing AI Agent. Within ten days, conversations across the two new channels had doubled.
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New support channels
WhatsApp and webchat, both powered by Austral, allowed JetSMART to engage users in real time.
Accurate responses and automated flows with Smart Intents and Flowbuilder
The Smart Intents engine — powered by Natural Language Understanding (NLU) — combined with JetSMART's deep knowledge of its travellers, enabled Austral to detect customer needs effectively and deliver precise responses, thanks to generative AI trained on JetSMART's knowledge base. Flowbuilder, in turn, allowed the JetSMART team to design and update conversation flows quickly and easily, without technical dependencies.
Direct sales through Webviews
Through Webviews embedded in WhatsApp and webchat, travellers can add services to their booking — checked baggage, cabin bag, seat selection, pet in cabin, priority boarding or printed boarding pass — and pay without leaving the channel. Once confirmed, they receive a purchase summary directly in the chat.
Multi-language support for personalisation
Austral launched in Spanish, English and Portuguese. It was trained with regional language nuances to support travellers across nine countries and provide a more personalised experience.
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Less pressure on the call center after automation.
Handling via WhatsApp or webchat was cheaper than the average call cost.
Conversations managed by bots exceeded yearly automation targets within weeks.
JetSMART began automating simple cases in record time.
In their first three months of availability, travellers purchased baggage, seat selection, priority boarding and more directly through the channel.
The bot resolved the vast majority of queries without human assistance.
JetSMART's digital channels now surpass 200,000 monthly active users.
Impact
As soon as Austral launched, JetSMART encouraged its customers to use the new channels. The response was immediate: a 34% reduction in daily call volume and significant cost savings. Resolving a case via WhatsApp or webchat is now 67% cheaper than via phone.
Austral’s virtual wings have taken it far. Today, it automates 80% of customer queries engages more than 200,000 monthly active users. And beyond customer support, Austral has also become a direct sales tool — with thousands of additional services purchased by travellers through the channel. Meanwhile, human agents focus on complex issues — improving customer satisfaction and service performance.
What’s next for Austral
Following this success, JetSMART is exploring ways to continue elevating its conversational AI strategy: delivering an increasingly precise, personalised and self-managed experience for travellers through WhatsApp and webchat.
The focus is on giving passengers more and more self-service tools within the channel — with possibilities on the horizon such as purchasing a flight ticket directly through these same channels — putting travellers in greater control of their journey at every step.
Together, Hubtype and JetSMART turned Austral into an AI Agent capable of delivering fast, personalised support in line with JetSMART's commitment to efficient, customer-first service.
Hubtype continues to be a key partner, helping JetSMART expand Austral's capabilities and offer travellers an increasingly complete self-service experience.
Join the leaders of the industry
If you need a fast, efficient overhaul of your customer service operations, Hubtype is the partner you’ve been looking for. Book a demo today to see how we can transform your business.