Travel companies are adopting a variety of artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled tools, signaling a shift in the way business travel is booked and managed.
Altour, United Airlines, AMGiNE and Serko have all announced new AI technologies aimed at improving the travel experience, from personalized booking interfaces to real-time weather forecasts and automated itinerary planning.
Altour Launches AI Travel Management Suite
Travel management company Altour announced a new AI platform on Monday (July 22). Called Altour Intelligence, the platform aims to streamline travel planning for businesses and reduce costs. The suite includes five AI-powered tools for bookings, disruption prediction, customer support, policy compliance, and travel insights.
The new platform's 'ello-powered AI Book component provides a conversational interface for personalized travel bookings, AI Predict, powered by Lumo technology, provides proactive alerts on potential travel disruptions, AI Respond provides immediate support to travelers, AI Transform facilitates global travel policy rollouts through video content creation, and AI Insights acts as a virtual assistant, providing natural language access to travel information.
“At Altour, we believe good business starts with great travel,” Altour president Gabe Rizzi said in a news release, highlighting the platform's ability to meet the demand for efficient, personalized travel solutions.
United Airlines to offer AI-powered radar maps
United Airlines is using new technology to keep passengers better informed when weather-related flight delays occur. The airline now sends text messages with a link to a live local radar map, allowing passengers to visually see weather patterns that could affect their flight.
The initiative is part of United's broader strategy to provide real-time information to customers, especially during travel disruptions: The airline has dedicated customer service teams in its Network Operations Centers and is leveraging generative AI to create detailed messaging about flight changes.
“… We wanted to give our customers an easy way to access real-time information about their flights,” United Airlines Chief Information Officer Jason Birnbaum said in a news release. “By combining innovative technology tools with human power, we can give more customers more details about their flights, right there and then.”
United Airlines claims to be the first U.S. airline to offer such a specific message to customers.
New AI platform enters business travel booking market
Travel technology company AMGiNE has announced a new AI-powered platform aimed at streamlining corporate business travel bookings. The AMGiNE Automated Booking Tool (ABT) claims to simplify the often complicated process of booking business travel by using AI to interpret traveler requests and generate itinerary options.
The platform allows travellers to submit text-based requests through various channels such as email and Slack, moving away from traditional systems that require them to navigate multiple platforms. AMGiNE claims that the tool is the first to offer a unified platform for both travel agents and corporate travellers.
“We're addressing a major industry pain point by automating the servicing of diverse travel requests on one platform,” AMGiNE CEO Greg Apple said in a news release on Tuesday (July 23).
The system is said to improve agent productivity by automating itinerary creation and eliminating the need for special booking commands, while providing travelers with personalized recommendations that comply with corporate travel policies.
Early adopter Travel Inc. reports up to 160% increased efficiency for their team and customers. Eric Almond, Head of Product at Travel Inc., says the platform has transformed their workflow and booking process.
The launch of the service comes as the business travel sector recovers from pandemic-related disruptions and companies look for more efficient and cost-effective ways to manage travel. AMGiNE's service enters a crowded market where incumbents and start-ups are vying for a share of the corporate travel technology space.
AI-powered travel agency debuts
Zena, a new AI-powered digital travel agent, interacts with travelers using natural language processing and generative AI. The virtual agent was developed by travel technology company Serko in collaboration with UneeQ.
“Travel is emotional, and people need time to discuss and consider their options,” Simon Grieve, senior vice president of customer success at UneeQ, said in a news release Monday. “Zena is a digital human who can have natural conversations with customers to understand their travel needs and then make tailored recommendations.”
The system aims to tailor suggestions to travellers' preferences while providing real-time prices and availability. It offers 24/7 support and is integrated with ChatGPT for more complex interactions.
