Data-driven journeys: How AI is reshaping business travel

The business industry travel is not immune to the uncertainty around how to best use AI. But rather than approaching this shift with uncertainty, our industry should see it as an opportunity to modernise, raise standards, and deliver a far better experience for the people who travel for work. 

Transforming the customer journey 

AI has the potential to transform the digital layer that sits around every journey. It is great at providing choice, personalisation and direction – quickly. From itinerary planning to real-time support, it can simplify tasks that frustrate travellers the most. Whether it’s sourcing last-minute accommodation, navigating disruption, or finding somewhere suitable to work between meetings, AI can provide fast, personalised answers that keep travellers moving. 

This isn’t about replacing people. It’s about augmenting the expertise of travel consultants and operations teams, freeing them to focus on higher-value work and improving the support travellers receive. At the end of the day, it is there to make processes easier, enabling teams to focus on tasks that need a personal touch.  

Elevating business travel: The benefits of AI 

The gains for businesses can be significant. Take expense management as an example. AI can assist with quicker and more accurate expense reporting, being used for report generation, data extraction, and policy compliance checks. The hours once lost to manual reconciliation are returned to finance teams and travellers alike. 

When it comes to booking, AI can compare options and suggest the best one, to fit both the customer and employee needs. This not only prevents decision fatigue for the customer but also means quick options to the client. This saves time and means more customers can be directly supported. This opens the door for more proactive, consistent customer service, allowing agents to focus on complex or sensitive queries that benefit from a human touch. 

The business travel industry is a complex one, but the use of AI to streamline and assist with processes like travel approvals, payment & reconciliation and client interaction are right up there as phase one wins, laying the foundation for a more efficient industry. 

Hoops and hurdles 

Of course, AI isn’t suddenly a saving grace that can be plugged in and expected to run seamlessly. It takes effort for it to fully integrate with current systems and established ways of working. 

We, like many industries, are still grappling with discovering which processes work well with automation and which do not. This is where industry bodies play a vital role. We think it is important to set out guidelines for use and outline best practices – after all, we want the industry to be aligned and learn from one another. 

We look to provide best practice, knowledge on the capabilities, knowledge on the risks and guidance on how to succeed. We believe that trade associations across industries should also be addressing this technology head-on, as it has the potential to significantly shake up how organisations operate. 

The excitement around AI must also be matched with caution. Efficiency gains should never come at the expense of duty of care or data security. With cyber threats growing and personal data integral to a seamless travel experience, organisations must ensure robust protections are in place. Industry bodies will continue to play a central role in helping businesses of all sizes navigate these responsibilities.  

The coming years: A look at potential  

Looking ahead, AI presents a huge opportunity for the business travel sector. Travel Management Companies (TMCs) can use it to cement their role as the strategic backbone of travel for work – bringing together human expertise, real-time intelligence, automated processes and personalised support. TMCs already sit at the heart of corporate travel; AI will amplify their ability to deliver safety, efficiency, sustainability and value. 

AI will reshape business travel – that much is certain. The question is how we choose to shape that transformation. With shared standards, responsible adoption, and collaboration across the sector, AI can strengthen our industry, enhance traveller wellbeing, and raise the bar for what good business travel looks like. 

This is a pivotal moment. Embraced correctly, AI won’t simply modernise business travel – it will enable it to thrive.