None of the AI tools are as sharp as users may expect — but the companies that have begun experimenting likely are farther ahead than those that have not started at all.
Online travel agencies and credit card companies — other than Chase — have Southwest-envy. Not having Southwest flights is a major hole in their travel offerings.
Twenty years later, Google is the leading global player in travel metasearch. Steve Hafner can do little about that but argues travelers can snack on Google but they should come to Kayak for better results when they are ready to book.
Advertising in travel metasearch used to be near the top of the list for online travel agencies and hotels. But then along came Google Hotels, YouTube, and TikTok, as well as hotel and online travel agency loyalty programs to deflate the value proposition.
Reports suggest that Life House, the startup that Rami Zeidan founded in 2017, is facing a wave of complaints from the hotel owners who use its software and services. A new CEO could give the company a fresh start.
Booking.com can argue that it doesn't used banned screen-scraping to access Ryanair flights. Meanwhile, Google, "an honest/transparent OTA," can do no wrong in Ryanair's eyes.