Flying into the future: How an airline modernized revenue management with Google cloud

Introduction
An airline organization, once operating its Revenue Management Software (RMS) on-premise, has successfully completed the migration of this critical application to the Google Cloud Platform (GCP). RMS is central to helping the airline identify sales opportunities, maximize passenger revenue, and remain competitive by monitoring market fares in real time. The migration aimed to overcome the limitations of the legacy on-premise setup by leveraging GCP’s scalable and modern infrastructure.

The Problem
Previously, the airline’s RMS was running on outdated Windows Server 2012 and 2016 systems, along with SQL Server 2012/2016 Enterprise Database servers. This legacy infrastructure was integrated with various external data sources via on-premises SFTP and ESB. As the airline expanded, the system began to experience performance bottlenecks and scalability issues, which led to inefficiencies and potential downtime. Recognizing the need for modernization, the airline decided to migrate to GCP to enhance infrastructure scalability, improve performance, and future-proof its systems for further growth.

Objectives
The key objectives of this migration were to eliminate the performance bottlenecks and scalability challenges faced in the existing on-premise environment. The cloud engineering team identified the need for optimal right-sizing of instances, selecting the best machine types, upgrading operating systems, and implementing autoscaling and load balancing for web servers. Additionally, a high-availability architecture and redundancy measures were required to ensure continuous uptime, while also incorporating GCP’s managed services to streamline operations and improve efficiency.

Migration Process
The migration followed a phased approach to ensure minimal disruption and a smooth transition.

• Landing Zone Setup: The cloud engineering team collaborated with security vendors to build a secure cloud landing zone. This environment served as the foundation for hosting the RMS application and associated databases.
• Separation of Components: Previously hosted on a single large machine, the RMS application was broken down into multiple smaller Google Compute Engine (GCE) instances. This change improved the system’s scalability and allowed for better resource allocation. The virtual machines were handed over to the application team for software installation.
• RMS Setup: Six dedicated RMS servers were set up by the application team, who also managed the integration of SFTP, ESB, and APIs to ensure seamless communication with external data sources.
• Database Migration: The SQL databases were successfully migrated to Google Cloud VMs, with tables being optimized and separated to reduce performance issues.
• High Availability and Redundancy: To maintain uptime, the RMS application’s web servers were designed for high availability, while the database was set up with redundancy using multi-regional backups. This ensured that the system could recover quickly in the event of any failures.
• Managed Services: The organization leveraged GCP’s managed services, such as Cloud SQL, BigQuery, and Cloud Composer, to enhance performance, reliability, and operational efficiency. Google’s managed services ensured a fully supported infrastructure backed by SLAs.

Automating Monitoring and Alerts
After the migration, the organization automated its task monitoring processes using GCP Cloud Composer. Previously, the team manually tracked scheduled tasks and had no alert system for task failures. Cloud Composer was deployed to automate the management of scheduled tasks, with alert policies configured to notify the team of any issues. This improvement significantly reduced manual oversight and enhanced the organization’s ability to respond to potential problems more rapidly.

Cloud Composer Integration: In addition to automating task monitoring, a CI/CD process was implemented using Cloud Build. This process connected the airline’s Git repository to Cloud Composer DAGs, with associated scripts stored in Google Cloud Storage, making the deployment process more efficient and secure.

Business-Related Advantages
With the migration now complete, the airline has realized numerous business advantages:

1. Improved Scalability and Agility
The migration to GCP has enabled the airline to dynamically scale its infrastructure in response to real-time demand. During peak booking periods, the RMS application can automatically scale up to ensure seamless performance, then scale down during quieter times, reducing resource consumption. This elasticity ensures the airline can remain agile and responsive to market changes while avoiding the costs associated with over-provisioning.

2. Cost Efficiency
The shift from on-premise infrastructure to a cloud-based model has allowed the airline to adopt a pay-as-you-go approach, where expenses are aligned with usage. By reducing capital expenditures on hardware and eliminating maintenance costs, the airline has seen a significant reduction in operational expenses. Moreover, by leveraging GCP’s managed services, the airline has minimized the overhead associated with maintaining complex database and analytics platforms.

3. Enhanced Performance and Reliability
With GCP’s modern infrastructure, the RMS system now benefits from faster processing speeds, improved data flows, and a reliable server environment. The inclusion of high-availability and redundancy measures across the application and database ensures that the system remains operational even in the event of hardware or software failures. This reliability directly impacts the airline’s ability to make timely pricing decisions and maximize revenue, which is critical in the competitive airline industry.

4. Data-Driven Decision Making
The migration has empowered the airline with advanced data analytics capabilities. Utilizing BigQuery, the airline can now analyze vast datasets related to fares, competition, and passenger behavior in near real-time. These insights enable more precise decision-making, optimize pricing strategies, and identify new revenue opportunities. Furthermore, machine learning tools available within GCP allow the airline to continuously refine its forecasting models, further enhancing its ability to meet passenger demand effectively.

5. Increased Security and Compliance
GCP’s robust security features, including IAM (Identity and Access Management), encryption, and regular security monitoring, ensure that the RMS application complies with industry regulations such as GDPR and PCI DSS. By utilizing GCP’s built-in security features, the airline has minimized the risk of security breaches, ensuring that sensitive passenger and financial data remain protected.

6. Operational Efficiency through Automation
The airline has significantly improved its operational efficiency through automation. With Cloud Composer and Cloud Build, the airline has automated routine tasks such as scheduled task monitoring, remote script execution, and software updates. This automation reduces the risk of human error, improves system reliability, and allows the IT team to focus on more strategic initiatives rather than daily maintenance.

Conclusion
The successful migration of the airline’s RMS to Google Cloud has modernized its infrastructure, providing enhanced scalability, improved performance, and increased operational efficiency. By leveraging Google Cloud’s managed services, high availability, and automated monitoring capabilities, the airline has streamlined its operations while positioning itself for future growth. This migration marks a significant step in the airline’s digital transformation journey, enabling it to respond quickly to market changes and maintain a competitive edge in the industry.