Skyscanner among first skills launched on Microsoft’s Cortana

Skyscanner’s Cortana skill includes the ability to ask about indicative pricing on any flight route, in addition to the best time to book, and live flight status information Continue reading →

US users of Microsoft’s Cortana will be able to access quick and up-to-date information on flight queries in a third party deal with Skyscanner.

Skyscanner’s Cortana skill includes the ability to ask about indicative pricing on any flight route, in addition to the best time to book, and live flight status information.

The service has gone live on all Cortana powered devices in the US – including on Windows 10 desktop and phone, Cortana for iOS and Android.

Users can get started by saying “Open Skyscanner” on their Windows device, then follow up with queries on flight status, the cost of destination and the best time to travel.

Skyscanner has already been among the first to launch chat bots on both Facebook’s Messenger platform and Skype, as well as on Amazon’s Alexa voice service.

The flight search firm’s latest artificial assistant for Cortana is able to conduct the conversation and source answers about flights via both voice and visual cues, depending on which device the user engages with the skill on.

Skyscanner product director, Filip Filipov, said: “This is our first Artificial Intelligence skill using short interactions which is uniquely capable of conducting conversations and handling queries over voice and via text on screen.

“We believe that having the ability to ask simple, direct questions relating to flight information on any device enabled with the Cortana personal assistant is another step in offering a truly dynamic and informed eco-system of information to travellers on an unrivalled range of devices and contexts.”