OpenAI didn't acquire Odessia for its revenue. It bought a team that built a working AI travel agent in months, plus a founder who ran a lodging company, which included hotels and short-term rentals, for a decade. It's a sign ChatGPT wants to do more in travel than send users to Booking.com and Expedia.

What Changed: OpenAI bought Odessia, an IATA-accredited AI booking agent, moving from travel partner to owner.

Who it Impacts: OTA leaders at Booking.com and Expedia, hotel distribution heads, and travel AI startup founders.

What to Watch: Whether ChatGPT booking improves enough to make OTAs mere suppliers while OpenAI owns the traveler.

Jet fuel doubled this year, and the carriers that widen the gap in 2027 are making the call on who absorbs it right now.

One room, one track, November 12 at the TWA Hotel at JFK: airline commercial chiefs, the manufacturers building their next fleets, and the people financing both, including John Ackerman, CEO of Los Angeles World Airports, on the infrastructure limit every growth plan eventually hits.

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New survey data shows where travel and finance programs still lag, and four ways companies can create a more connected T&E experience.

Source: Skift Research’s State of Travel 2026

Younger travelers were likeliest to book through OTAs, with 57% of 18- to 24-year-olds booking their last flight that way, versus 25% of those 65 and older.

Wil Reynolds, founder of Seer Interactive, said that if you use AI to scale guest communications, tell guests it’s a bot because people don’t like being tricked.