AI in Travel

Google is laying new groundwork for AI-driven checkout. The underlying architecture can also handle more complex transactions, it says, putting travel squarely in its sights. 

There's no doubt that an independent and privately held Kayak, freed from the broader considerations of Booking Holdings, could have benefited from focused investment and attention.

Surveys by Skift Research across four major markets reveal shifting allegiances for loyalty programs, a widening confidence gaps among leisure travelers, and other trends for 2026.

Expedia’s hiring signals a phase change for AI in travel, where management discipline and ownership matter as much as the technology itself.

Sabre bets that its new agentic-ready APIs can let AI handle shopping, booking, and fixing trips in a single conversational flow, and it’s bringing a live demo to CES. The real test is whether customers trust it beyond the demo. 

Travel Slop, AI-generated info and itineraries rooted more in fiction than fact, risk real reputational harm for travel brands and platforms — particularly those mistaking “'good enough'” content for strategy.

We have answers to some of Ask Skift's most popular questions in 2025, including how travel brands use TikTok and the latest trends in hotel loyalty programs.

Travel’s reliance on legacy infrastructure continues to shape the ceiling for innovation. OnArrival aims to lower that barrier with an open-access platform that gives consumer brands a faster path to launching and scaling travel products.

Air travel has entered a new era, and airlines are redesigning the travel experience from the ground up. For American Airlines, this means leveraging AI, automation, and real-time data to deliver smarter discovery, greater transparency in choice, reduced friction, and enhanced customer care.

As the travel industry gears up for the winter holiday high season, please enjoy this guide to our favorite reports of the year.