AI should make travel more human

AI will change travel. It is already changing how people search, compare, plan and communicate. The question is whether travel companies use it to remove friction or to remove the human part of the experience.

I believe the right answer is clear: use technology for the work machines are good at, and keep people where people make the difference.

AI can organise information, draft a first answer, translate a routine message, spot a pattern in customer feedback or help a Team Member prepare for a conversation. These are useful capabilities.

But travel is not only information. It is trust. A traveller wants to know whether a route is truly right for their family, pace and expectations. They need help when a flight changes or something unexpected happens in a destination.

AI should strengthen experts rather than imitate them. Give a destination specialist better access to product knowledge. Give a customer team a faster way to understand a traveller’s context. Then let the human make the decision and own the relationship.

If technology saves a Team Member time, that time should go back into the customer experience, better products or better decisions. If it only makes the business feel more distant, it is the wrong use of technology.