Virgin Australia Buys Predictive Analytics Firm

Airline company Virgin Australia has acquired predictive analytics firm Torque Data, which it plans to integrate into its customer loyalty business, the Velocity Frequent Flyer programme. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

In addition to boosting analytics use for its own business, Velocity will now offer data analytics, campaign automation and consultancy services to third parties.

Torque was founded in 2001 and provides predictive analytics, intelligent campaign automation and data visualisation services to a broad range of clients. The company has offices in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and Singapore, and employs around 20 staff, who will all be retained following the acquisition.

In a statement, Virgin Australia CEO John Borghetti (pictured) said: 'The acquisition of Torque Data will enable the Virgin Australia Group to significantly expand its data analytics and campaign automation capabilities, supporting the accelerated growth of the Velocity business by enabling us to deliver more value to members and partners'.

The move follows rival airline Qantas' expansion of its customer analytics capabilities through its Red Planet data management business, which was spun out of the firm's Frequent Flyer business last year and provides media buying, analytics and research services to clients, partners, and internal business units.

Web sites: www.virginaustralia.com and www.torquedata.com.au .