Travel's AI fight is getting clearer: the real battle isn't checkout, it's control of discovery and intent, before a booking ever happens. OpenAI pulled back from direct transactions inside ChatGPT, but Google is pushing harder into the missing middle with commerce infrastructure that could eventually support travel.
The wait may go on for Google to finally enable in-chat travel transactions, but some devs aren't waiting. Instead, they're trying to figure out how travel could work in a system built for buying shirts and gadgets. Inside travel companies, the buildout is getting more operational. SAP Concur is embedding agentic expense and booking functions deeper into workplace software. And in moments of real-world stress, Skift found the industry's AI promises still run into a harder truth: when crisis hits, travel companies are still leaning on humans.
EDITOR’S PICKS
In a Crisis, Travel Companies Count on Humans — Not AI
by Adriana Lee
March 13, 2026
After Covid exposed how brittle travel's customer service infrastructure was, the industry pitched AI as the fix. Now, with the Middle East chaos, much of the tech that was supposed to help vanished from the narrative.
SKIFT PODCAST NETWORK
Travel companies spent years promising that AI would make everything easier. Then a real crisis hit.
In this clip from the Skift Travel Podcast, Sarah Kopit and Seth Borko explain why the Iran conflict exposed the limits of AI in travel, especially when travelers needed real help, fast answers, and human judgment.
SKIFT RESEARCH
Market Performance
How are public travel tech companies performing around the world? The Skift Travel 200 pulls the data you need to know to understand the market. Paid subscribers get full access here.
