With travel plans more complex than ever and customer expectations at an all-time high, the need for responsive, seamless service has never been greater. Whether it’s a last-minute flight change, a question about cancellation policies, or a simple request for itinerary details, travellers want answers fast – and they want those answers to be accurate, empathetic, and available 24/7, across any time zone. That’s where AI and smart contact centre solutions can help.
Travel’s Growing Appetite for AI-Driven Support
Recent industry trends make one thing clear: major travel brands are embracing AI to scale their customer service without compromising experience.
According to Airbnb, over 50% of its customer service interactions are now handled by its AI bot, launched in 2024. The company reports faster resolutions, better customer satisfaction, and increased agent efficiency – allowing their human team to focus on more complex or sensitive issues.
Similarly, Kayak has announced plans to launch AI agents capable of guiding users from the search stage all the way through to checkout. The goal? A seamless, stress-free journey for customers – and a lighter load on call centre staff.
These innovations aren’t just novelties, they’re setting a new standard for travel experiences.
Why Contact Centres Matter More Than Ever
Despite the rise of digital self-service, the contact centre remains a vital part of the traveller experience. When plans go wrong or decisions feel high stakes, most people still want to speak to a human. Someone who can offer reassurance, solve problems creatively, and act with urgency.
The difference today is that AI can now support those teams more effectively than ever before. By taking care of repetitive or low-stakes inquiries, voice and digital AI agents help free up human advisers for high-empathy, high-value conversations, like rebooking a missed flight or managing a multi-leg itinerary.
The Benefits for Travel Brands
Integrating AI into your contact centre strategy isn’t just about staying current with trends, it’s about unlocking measurable value for your business:
- Faster response times: Automated agents can handle thousands of queries simultaneously, cutting down wait times and reducing pressure on human agents.
- Higher satisfaction rates: AI can provide instant answers to common questions, while passing more complex needs seamlessly to human agents.
- Cost savings: By reducing call volumes to human agents and improving first-contact resolution, AI lowers overall service costs.
- Smarter insights: AI-powered systems can analyse trends, customer preferences, and sentiment in real time to help brands fine-tune both their products and their service.
What Travellers Really Want
At the heart of these advancements is a simple truth. Travellers want to feel taken care of. That means:
- Speed: Delays and disruptions are a part of modern travel. Quick access to help can make all the difference.
- Clarity: Travellers expect direct, jargon-free answers, especially when plans are uncertain.
- Empathy: Even the most advanced AI can’t replace the calm, confident tone of a trained professional in moments of stress – but it can help get them there more efficiently.
An Integrated Future Where Technology Meets Care
The future of travel customer service isn’t about AI versus humans, it’s about the right blend. Smart automation tools are often best used to augment and empower contact centre teams, not replace them.
A hybrid model of human and AI support helps meet these expectations at scale. AI helps travel businesses stay agile, while contact centre teams handle the exceptions, escalations and moments that make or break customer relationships.
We’re seeing growing demand from travel brands looking to modernise their service offering without compromising experience. The goal is a streamlined operation that delivers on both sides of the equation, efficiency and care.
Bringing it all together
In travel, support is part of the experience. Get it right, and your brand becomes a trusted companion. Get it wrong, and even the best destination can be overshadowed by the traveller’s service dissatisfaction.
For travel businesses looking to strengthen their contact centre approach, a clear framework can help:
- Start with journey mapping: Identify the high-volume, low-complexity touchpoints where AI can reduce friction, then pinpoint the high-stakes moments where humans make the biggest difference.
- Design for escalation, not isolation: Ensure customers can easily transition from AI to human agents without starting from scratch. AI should empower, not silo, the support experience.
- Measure what matters: Go beyond average handling time and look at customer satisfaction, resolution rates and customer effort scores. These metrics tell you how the experience feels, not just how it functions.
- Optimise continuously: AI gets smarter with every interaction. Use analytics, customer feedback and quality assurance to fine-tune your scripts, workflows and escalation paths.
Ultimately, the best travel support feels seamless, responsive, and human – even when it’s powered by AI.
TSA are Australia’s market leading specialists in CX Consultancy and Contact Centre Services. We are passionate about revolutionising the way brands connect with Australians. How? By combining our local expertise with the most sophisticated customer experience technology on earth, and delivering with an expert team of customer service consultants who know exactly how to help brands care for their customers.