RESEARCH REPORT
Travelers are increasingly turning to AI agents to help plan and book trips. To remain visible, travel brands must be easy for those agents to understand, trust and act on.
5-MINUTE READ
September 9, 2026
Travel companies have spent decades earning customer loyalty. They have built programs, perks and experiences that turn repeat choices into lasting relationships.
But AI agents are changing how travel decisions get made. Instead of researching and comparing options themselves, travelers can ask an AI agent to evaluate flights, hotels, rewards, payment options and policies in seconds.
As AI plays a bigger role in those decisions, travel companies may need to think differently about how they attract and keep customers, and where they want to compete for that relationship.
Many travel executives expect AI-native platforms to become a key touchpoint between travelers and travel brands, influencing which airlines, hotels and services get chosen.
The appeal of AI in travel is clear. Travel planning can be complex, often requiring travelers to research, compare and book across multiple platforms. AI agents can simplify the process by helping travelers compare options, apply preferences and make more informed decisions. As a result, many travelers are open to using AI when making travel purchases.
But there is an important boundary: travelers want AI to simplify decisions, not necessarily make them.
That distinction becomes especially clear when money is involved. Just 10% of travelers would fully delegate payment execution to AI, according to Accenture's B2C Traveler Survey1 of 5,003 travelers across 12 markets. The finding reflects travelers' preference to remain in control at the point of purchase.
40%
would fully delegate comparison of travel options1
84%
would choose some form of AI-assisted payment1
10%
would fully delegate payment execution to AI1
Most conversations about AI in travel focus on the customer experience. But delivering it at scale depends on connected systems behind the scenes.
For an agent to work effectively, identity, loyalty, payment and booking systems need to work together. Today, only 30% of travel executives say their organizations are fully ready to orchestrate end-to-end customer journeys across partners, while customer data, payment, identity and loyalty systems remain widely disconnected.1
Travelers experience the effects of that fragmentation every day. Payments fail. Rewards cannot be redeemed. Information has to be entered multiple times, and support often breaks down when journeys span multiple providers. For an agent, every point of friction is a signal. Over time, those signals can influence which options get recommended.
Travel companies need to be agent-ready. That means delivering both recognizable value and reliable execution across the journey.
In fact, 86% of agent-mediated transactions are at risk of abandonment or switching to a competitor when something goes wrong in the purchase, according to our recent report, Agentic commerce: Make your brand unmissable.2 Yet many organizations still operate with fragmented systems behind the customer experience.
To support AI-assisted travel journeys, companies need connected systems, clear governance and strong traveler controls.
Three priorities stand out:
Building agent-ready capabilities is only the starting point. In an AI-driven market, success will depend on earning a place in the decisions travelers and agents make.
As AI agents play a greater role in shaping travel decisions, travel companies face a strategic choice.
Some may pursue both. Whichever path they take, success will depend on turning value into reliable execution.
While travelers remain in control, AI agents will increasingly shape the options they see and consider. The travel companies that thrive will be those that consistently earn a place in those recommendations.
Sources
1Accenture, B2C Traveler Survey, June 2026
2Accenture, Agentic Commerce: Make your brand unmissable, April 2026
