Transatlantic Hackathon kicks off first London-Austin direct flight

30,000 feet above Earth, in a 787 Dreamliner, a team of developers put their heads together. Racing against the clock, they created a new app to save money whilst travelling, all before touchdown.

The in-flight hackathon, which finished yesterday afternoon, was organised by British Airways and RetailMeNot to mark the first direct flight between London and Austin, host city of the SXSW Festival.

Plane sailing

The Hackathon’s aim was to create a new web tool that will act as a money-saving travel companion once passengers touch down on the tarmac.

The new app is known as TakeOff and will find the best restaurant, shopping deals and special offers on both sides of the Atlantic.

It syncs with information from the passenger’s flight itinerary to identify relevant savings at the end destination.

Across the pond

The new route between London and Austin is part of a series of initiatives to bring the two cities closer together.

Jag Bath, Senior VP for Products at RetailMeNot in the US said the direct flight will help transatlantic companies like his save time and money:

Direct flights like this one from British Airways will enable our teams to collaborate more on innovative projects as we send company employees on transatlantic business trips.

Tech City News will be relocating to Austin this week to bring you the latest news and updates all the way from Hackney House Austin at the SXSW Festival. Find out more here.