skylink travel ai

SkyLink, Another AI Startup, Automates Traveler-Agent Communications

Travel management company sources are abuzz over SkyLink, a heretofore stealth-mode firm enhancing corporate travel messaging with artificial intelligence. According to its creators, it’s bringing Silicon Valley to corporate travel. That means more than just faster and better — it’s a “fundamental rethink” that can shift “what an industry looks like,” according to co-founder and CEO Atyab Bhatti. The tech……

Username or Email Address

Remember Me

Lost your password?

Before starting The Company Dime with David Jonas in 2014, journalist Jay Campbell a decade earlier created travel business newsletter The Beat . In 2006, Jay co-founded Travel Procurement magazine and in 2010 helped integrate them with Business Travel News . He served as BTN's editorial director until 2013. Jay made his travel industry media debut in 1993 at the Air Travel Journal of Boston while earning his undergraduate degree in journalism at Boston University. He would be happy to connect on LinkedIn . He's here at CorporateTravel.social on Mastodon.

Cornerstone & SkyLink: Travel Automation Meets Artificial Intelligence

Cornerstone and SkyLink are partnering to bring travel booking and management into the modern world of AI-driven speed, precision, and flexibility. Book your trips via alternative channels like email or Slack, chat with SkyLink’s AI to adjust itineraries, and maintain all of the benefits of Cornerstone’s mid-office and back-end integrations.

Join us as we demonstrate the travel management capacities that SkyLink can offer, and apply to be one of three lucky companies to help beta test our cutting-edge new offering!

Lierin: (00:03) Good morning and afternoon everybody, and welcome to our webinar. today Cornerstone is hosting SkyLink. so this is actually going to be really exciting. SkyLink is an artificial intelligence and automation, company. And, we’re, we’ve got a lot of exciting things to show you with, with what SkyLink is doing and how we’re integrating with Cornerstone technology. So this webinar is going to be recorded. I’m recording it right now, and, everybody who is here will be getting the recording after this show. but we are going to give it a little bit of time. I see that we still have a lot of people coming in. We’re climbing at a pretty good rate. so Mat and Atyab, if we can hold tight for another minute, I think we should be ready to go.

Mat: (00:53) Absolutely. No problem at all.

Lierin: (00:57) Excellent. For everybody in right now too, I’ll let that there is a chat feature at the bottom of your options for the webinar here. You should be able to go into the chat box and any question you type in there will go straight to me and I’ll make sure it gets to our panelists throughout the webinar. So some of the questions we’ll be holding to the end, but if there’s something that you have, really pertinent to what’s being discussed at the moment, feel free to just shoot me the question over there and we’ll get it answered for you. We’re still climbing here, but it looks like we might be topping out.

Mat: (01:44) Yeah, it’s good, good turnout today,

Lierin: (01:47) Definitely. I’m always excited to see a good amount of people come out to see what we’ve got new going on.

Mat: (01:54) Especially for the lazy days of summertime and where people are running off getting off the beach and cooling off in their room listening to a webinar from ours.

Lierin: (02:06) Well, I’ll tell you what, it’s raining where I am, so I don’t know. This webinar might be a bit of a productive use of this time for right now, in this weather anyway. what, it looks like we’re pretty stable, so I’m going to say we can get going. For everybody that’s joined recently, let me go ahead and reiterate the webinar is being recorded. So you will get the recording of this afterwards. And there’s a chat box in your options over there. If you have any questions at any point during the webinar, go ahead and shoot me the question. it will probably be held to the end unless, you’ve got something really pertinent to what’s being discussed at which point I’ll bring it up to the panelists at that point and we’ll go ahead and answer it then. So yeah, let me go ahead and introduce: we’ve got Cornerstone and SkyLink. Cornerstone, CEO Mat Orrego here, and SkyLink CEO Atyab BhAtyab here. And we’re going to be discussing a lot of really exciting artificial intelligence automations that SkyLink is going to be bringing to the travel industry. Mat, I’ll let you go ahead and take it away.

Mat: (03:18) Alrighty. Thank you. Lierin. So, hey, welcome everyone. Welcome, Cornerstone customers and friends and colleagues from, all across the travel industry to really our, our kind of ongoing series now of webinars, that are introducing, some really important partnerships for Cornerstone and collaborations with some really exciting companies that I think are are wonderful opportunities to help our customers not only leverage Cornerstone technology, but , innovative tools that are emerging, to help, both travel operations and, travel procurement programs. So today we’ve got SkyLink with us and their co-founder and, and CEO, Atyab. Our conversation today is how we intend on really increasing agency productivity and the productivity across the selling platform of agencies and how we, at the same time, we can increase customer satisfaction through AI and automation. So welcome Atyab, good to have you with us today.

Atyab: (04:30) Thank you, Mat. I appreciate you. And folks, it’s great to great to see everyone who’s attending and thanks for taking the time out of your day. As a brief introduction to myself and the team: My background primarily comes from being a traveler myself as a consultant at McKinsey, where, where I focused a lot of my time on business digitization, op models, and corporate finance, particularly with the travel industry, across suppliers, travel management organizations, and then also across the infrastructure players. And SkyLink is really nothing without its team. so I’d like to also give mention to Kush our, co-founder and CTO of SkyLink. We’re a part of Y Combinator, the technology accelerator that created organizations like Airbnb, Coinbase, Stripe, Reddit, et cetera. And then we also have on our team, Doug Anderson, who is a senior advisor to the organization, former CEO of MSGBT and CWT.

Atyab: (05:25) But without further ado, I’d love to jump right into it. So one of the things that, as Mat mentioned, it was it SkyLink and Cornerstone kind of hit two premises of the travel management industry, where Cornerstone has done a phenomenal job with mid-office automation, making sure your quality control is, their travel policies are enforced, they’ve effectively turbocharged the travel agent from these bid office and back office tasks. And then there’s that natural, kind of inclination of how can we drive a similar level of automation on the front office. And, historically it’s, it’s been quite challenging to do this largely driven by the prevailing technology that’s existed. AI and machine learning have been buzzwords for the past 10 years, but as I’m sure everyone here has seen, Chat GPT has made more than a splash when it comes to actually redefining what artificial intelligence is and leveraging that kind of technology, you can effectively start to drive optimizations that we could never see before is particularly across the front office, automating things like your booking workflows and your non booking workflows, but doing it in a way that is actually meeting the travelers where they operate today.

Atyab: (06:36) And what we mean by that is targeting the areas of like, where these travelers communicate both in their enterprise chat channels like Slack and Teams, but then really also in in their email as well. And we’re doing this in a way that’s incredibly comprehensive, focusing on things like security, making sure we have SOC two compliance, which is the US enterprise grade standard. And then on top of that, managing data privacy, making sure everything meets the standard enterprise requirements so that we can serve your kinds of organizations in a way that is not only compliant, but to distinctive in the sense that it allows you to deliver best in class experiences to your travelers and to your agents. So, broadly speaking, one of the things that really drove the genesis of skylink was covid. we, while, while, while we saw corporate travel pre 2019 be this $1.4 trillion industry, it effectively got turned on its head overnight, a 71% market contraction driven by the pandemic.

Atyab: (07:40) But what did that mean for organizations like TMCs and corporate travelers? Well, really, it was simple. TMC agents were forced to actually comply with policies oftentimes not being direct, reflected in the GDS while still managing the standard processes of getting travelers from their origin to their destination and back. But what was interesting to us really started what was the rebound on corporate travel. And what we really started to see there, we spoke with several large travel management organizations, leaderships. And what we found was that in the post covid environment, the rate of acceleration of the return of corporate travel has been faster than anything we anticipated. But with that, there’s also been talent shortages. Agents are not a commodity. They’re actually quite difficult to get. The average agent is 52 years old, oftentimes, many of them have actually retired.

Atyab: (08:35) Several of them switched jobs during the covid environment when furloughs were happening. And as a result of this, these shortages have spread talent thin. So how do you actually combat this? Well, we took a look into the numbers because the data speaks the truth. What we found was that across the average TMC, the average agent is doing roughly 1.2 bookings per hour. Now, when you comp this back with their fully loaded cost, you’re looking at anywhere from $20 to $30 per hour, an hourly rate. Now, these agents are doing a fantastic job delivering the value to your corporate traveler. But the challenge faced is that their attention gets spread thin as a result of these shortages. And as a result of the increased rebound on corporate travel, enabling your talent to actually maintain that distinctive human touch that really drives value to your end corporate traveler, but still allowing them to be more productive and supported is becoming increasingly more critical.

Atyab: (09:36) So how did we actually address this problem? Well, we defined it as twofold. One was that we recognized that the inbound workflow for a traveler comes from two primary venues. The first is actually email. Now, every traveler loves to send an email to their EA, and the EA might oftentimes pinging the travel agent to actually execute the transaction. And on the other side, occasionally the traveler will directly email the TMC. Now, while OBT adoption rates have been anywhere between 40 to 70%, depending on the industry and organization that that inbound email flow consistently shows itself as a lever that travelers prefer. But what’s interesting, beyond that, the coordination of actually sending that email is happening on the chat side. folks are coordinating with their colleagues, pinging them, letting them know, I need to be in location A and location B, and by intercepting the workflows right where they’re happening, we can drive actual, we can, we can naturally intercept that, that conversation and help drive down email volume as well.

Atyab: (10:40) So taking this bifurcated approach of enabling the digital chat agent inside the Teams and Slack environment while supporting the email functionality provides this increased productivity when it comes to actually servicing your clients in a way that you could never before. And that’s largely enabling higher availability, lower wait times, and faster resolution. So what does this look like? Well, on the first hand, we have SkyLink Chat. SkyLink Chat can be used by agents or travelers to actually do rapid research within your systems. You can talk with SkyLink, just like you would with a travel agent giving complex inputs of, I need to go from these three cities and come back at any given point. But what’s interesting with this is that it can respond back in a matter of seconds. Tasks that might take anywhere from 15 minutes for a simple trip to 30 minutes for a more complex one can now be handled in under two minutes, total end to end.

Atyab: (11:35) Now, what’s powerful about this as well is the way that Skyline can be configured. It can serve up suggested options that are aligned to your business priorities. So what does that mean? Well, that means that if you have a preferred supplier or your, your, your customers are looking to drive cost savings and lower cost options, you can start solving for these particular scenarios and serving up the results to the traveler directly in a programmatic fashion. And I encourage you to actually check the, check the OBT data of your clients and compare it to the agent book data of your clients. And what you’ll find is that by actually providing curated options and giving visibility to the end traveler, you actually nudge their behavior towards lower cost options and eventually also green options as well. But as mentioned, chat isn’t the only resolution, really.

Atyab: (12:25) It’s about showing what’s the power of email as well to be able to flexibly understand complex inputs and create options rapidly in a way that we can never do before, can drive, can, it can effectively eliminate the research component an agent has to do when actually doing a booking for a traveler. And as a result of this, now, you can programmatically detect details when they’re missing. You have higher quality control given the fact that you have a machine really driving consistent behavior across the organization. And on top of this, you can customize it on a per client basis, but I think it’s one thing to talk about it. I’d love to give everyone a little bit of a demo here. So if we pull up this slack right here, this is a regular Slack channel, and we’re going to talk with SkyLink. We’re going to say a relatively complex trip.

Atyab: (13:12) We’ll do, Hey, I need a flight from London to New York on August 1st, then NYC to SFO. So we’ll switch from City Id to airport Id now on August 5th, and then San Francisco to Los Angeles on August 15th. So keep in mind, we’re intentionally making errors here. We wanna have spelling mistakes, different types of way of conversing, just to show that flexible human level understanding is incredibly important when folks are communicating. And what’s happening on the backend here is SkyLink is actually understanding your request and presenting you with options. And so if you look here, we sent this at 9:14, we got a response back within, I believe roughly 12 seconds now, London to New York. And these are real flights. You can actually click and expand and look this up as well. But what’s interesting about this is that these flights are roughly $16 to $1,700.

Atyab: (14:17) But look at what’s right here, this behavioral nudging now, right now what we’re doing is we’re calling out, it’s a cheaper flight, but we can customize this to actually just say, here are your three options without insinuating it’s cheaper or it’s a green flight or the preferred supplier. But what’s powerful about this is that if you show these three curated options, you can fundamentally drive behavior in a way that you wouldn’t be able to be before. And so if we go here and we click accept on this JetBlue flight, what’s going to happen is SkyLink will then revert this back very similar to like an OBT workflow and allow the traveler to book it based on their profiles and their credentials as well. Now, what you’ll find is that it jumps to that next leg of the journey that’s at New York to SFO flight. Here we have a JetBlue and, options, two JetBlue options available. But say you don’t fly JetBlue. Say you want to fly United and you’re an Alliance member, well, you can converse with SkyLink just like you would with the agent and say, do you have anything from United?

Atyab: (15:17) And what’s really exciting about this is you can change the airline the time you’re departing the dates these, the city, the particular airport, and have this very natural conversation across the different things you might want in your flight path, just like you would with a travel agent, right, directly in your current chat channels. And so you’ll see here we have the New York to SFO flight. We have two United options, and again, that third cheaper option, at 4:30 PM And so if we expand this out, it’s an economy cabin. You can change this to business if you like. and what’s interesting is that once you accept this, it, it interprets what you’re asking and, and goes to the next leg. The great thing about SkyLink as well is that it can programmatically enforce your policy. What that means is that if something is out, out of policy, Skylin can present the particular option to you, but then also flag that, hey, you can’t actually book this without approvals.

Atyab: (16:13) And alternatively can be customized to simply not present out of policy options as well. And so if you look here, we have that SFO flight, and one of the things I wanna call out is how we had egregiously, misspelled and miscommunicated what we were actually asking, which was the San Francisco, Los Angeles, like making all these errors, right inside the chat channel. But SkyLink is able to understand it dynamically and provide you with the options here. And again, you can ask for a later time, change the airport, you can switch at request a business classify, and if that flight is at a policy, have it get flagged as well. And just like that, you’ve been able to book a multi-city trip from London to New York, to l to SFO, to LA all within a matter of roughly, if we look at the timestamp here, four minutes.

Atyab: (17:01) Now, we know that TMCs don’t just need chat. They get a tremendous amount of email volume as well. But what happens when you can programmatically sort through your emails and for resolutions that Skyline can actually take care of, handle them automatically, and the ones that the skyline can’t handle, push them to the agent. Well, that fundamentally changes the way that you operate. It allows you to become increasingly more productive. And so what you’ll see here is this relatively complex flight. Now, depending on the tenure of the agent that the capacity they might have, this kind of request typically takes anywhere from 25 to 35 minutes. Because it’s multi-city. Now, if this was simpler, it would be roughly 10 to five minutes. Now, we’ve actually gone ahead and sat with your, with agents across travel management agencies and found that roughly 65 to 75% of the time these agents are spending is actually on the research component of figuring out what options to actually present the traveler with.

Atyab: (18:01) And that that drives majority of the time that they’re actually spending. And the actual booking component is, is quite quick for these organizations. And so right now, we sent this out at 9:17, and if we open up the response 9:18, we have all the options listed out in the email right here. Now just like chat, you can actually respond back and customize what what you’re looking for. And again, what we’re showing you here is all the airlines available, but we can filter, we can make it so that, not only are we showing you the airlines, but we actually request whether or not you need hotels, in, in your itinerary as well. And we’re detecting different aspects of your trip. Like one, your preferences, you’re not asking for hotels, but you’re staying multiple days asking for these particular questions preemptively to drive streamlined operations.

Atyab: (18:56) So now what we say is I’ll take option A and option E, do you have anything via anything leaving around 4:00 PM for flight three? So we’ll send this out and again, you’ll be able to have this end-to-end email conversation with SkyLink directly. What’s powerful about this is that SkyLink doesn’t even need to communicate directly with the end traveler. It can actually intercept the request and communicate for the agent as well, where the agent can just chat with SkyLink either in the email function or in the chat function and say, here are the three places I need to go. Can you list out all the options? And then by simply just copy pasting all of a sudden that 35 minute workflow is taking two to three minutes to get done. And that is incredibly powerful. And so we come here, there we go. We ask for that 4:00 PM flight. We got a 4:00 PM, 4:10, and then obviously the low cost option being shown here, which is more than, 50% less. So we’ll go and say, I’ll take Option I.

Atyab: (20:09) And so once we kick this out, styling just like this will run a standard backend OBT like flow that allows the actual booking to get executed as well, or leave it up to the agent to actually execute this in the event. There are certain externalities that we need to take into account because what we do recognize fully is that the travel agent can never be replaced because they know things about the corporate traveler that may not be documented or something that a computer cannot interpret. And as a result of this, the traveler can take over, actually execute the end booking. But all the homework that needed to go into this is being taken care of by Skyline right here. And so there we go, record locator travel booking confirmation. Now, one of the things that we pay close attention to is we can customize the way that this information and the UX is laid out, to your particular organization. So that all that is all the workflows that SkyLink is integrating with are very representative of how the agency does them today. And so now jumping back to the presentation here, and if there are any, go ahead.

Lierin: (21:16) Just one question, if you don’t mind, came in asking: If this would work with Microsoft Teams as well as Slack?

Atyab: (21:23) Yes. So the chat functionality can sit inside any of the major chat enterprise systems, so Slack and Teams can easily be supported. And we have Slack today and we also have Teams in the pipeline. The, the representation of the visuals look a little bit different ’cause Teams may Teams as you, you like interface looks different than Slack, but it, the, the end-to-end workflow looks very similar.

Lierin: (21:49) Thank you.

Atyab: (21:50) Hopefully that answers questions, right? But one of the great things that Skyline can do just beyond these kinds of workflows is it’s non booking workflows. If given access to your backend systems like Cornerstone System, we can pull certain information as it’s mapped to the travelers. Things like info on your existing bookings, itineraries, invoices, e receipts, things that your agents might get, message for today. we can actually pull that information directly from your backend system, either serve it up to your agent or to the traveler themselves in a way that they wouldn’t have, in a way that wouldn’t require human intervention. And that is, that is the power of when you sync up your front end operations with your back and mid-office and back office operation is you get this full end-to-end integrated workflow. Now, it is important to recognize that while Skyline can do quite a bit, the agent is always in the loop.

Atyab: (22:47) And so now it’s, you can think of it as an analog, an analogous to getting your iPhone the first time. people, always had access to books, they had access to their laptops, but when they, when they got the iPhone, they had access twenty four seven even while they’re walking on the sidewalk to the global breadth of information. Now, what that means is that at the end of the day, people are still doing a substantial portion of the work, but solutions like SkyLink and, and generally tech, these iterative technologies that have come out just make these people, these agents far more productive than ever before. And to sum it up simply, I think really what this drives is three main things. It’s improved client satisfaction. You can detect things that are missing. You can serve them much faster.

Atyab: (23:35) Instead of having that two hour back and forth between the agent or, a 30 minute call that’s taking the traveler’s time away, they can, they can actually just communicate directly with the SkyLinks digital agent right inside their pocket. On top of this, this drives agent productivity by obfuscating away these relatively complex, relatively simple or straightforward workflows that take quite a bit of time, agents can focus on the things that Mater most. An example I think that’s great of this is, what a calling the airlines is something that only an agent can do to, to kind of handle some of these more complex requests. And on top of that, the financial benefit, now all of a sudden you can reduce your cost basis over time and incrementally drive revenue, by serving more and more of your agents via chat.

Atyab: (24:25) We have a case study that we haven’t released yet, but the insight that we saw from it was a very large travel management organization opened up chat for an enterprise with more than 50,000 full-time employees. And what they saw by opening up the chat channel, albeit at this point it was backed by agents, was the drawdown in email volume. All of a sudden now all these travelers are hopping onto Slack and Teams conversing with the agents and found no need to actually email their particular clients. This particular TMC lowered their emails for this organization and eventually shut off email altogether. And as a result of this chat became the core, primary venue that they were actually using to communicate, and that led for massive productivity gains. But the difference here was that you can’t scale your agents like you can technology. And that’s where organizations like Skylink can play a powerful role in serving your customers in a way that they couldn’t have been done before. I’ll pause there and open it up for questions.

Lierin: (25:32) Yeah, we’ve got a couple. First question: can SkyLink book cars and hotels and can it process exchanges?

Atyab: (25:41) So we’re in the process of getting those integrations done today. We’ve been fortunate enough to work with a fantastic vendor that helps us aggregate air content, and our systems are fully capable of booking hotels and cars as well, but we’re building out those integrations, especially during these like beta customer phases so that we can do a full service suite of all the different aspects of the tech stack.

Lierin: (26:04) Cool. The second question: Can it read screenshots if somebody sends in a flight option they want?

Atyab: (26:11) So we have this capability, we just have not deployed it yet. we’ve been primarily focused on some of these like, natural language, based bookings, but we know that this has been requested and it’s in our roadmap and we have it available. We just haven’t put it into, the production environment yet.

Lierin: (26:26) Excellent. next question: Does this service work with Sabre, Travelport and Amadeus? And other than a Cornerstone integration, are there any other web services or APIs needed for it to work?

Atyab: (26:38) Yes. So you, we can integrate with any API to actually drive the automation layer. we work with a fantastic aggregator that allows us to access the content across all the major GDSs, including, getting marine fairs, travel port, even travel port subsidiaries that are in the process of getting deprecated like Apollo, Sabre, and, Amadeus as well for the air content. Now, as we look to expand into hotels and, and some of these other, content venues as well, we’ll be importing their APIs as well to increase this functionality.

Lierin: (27:16) Another question is: does it actually build a PNR or just relay the info to an agent?

Atyab: (27:23) It can do both. It really depends on the internal systems of the TMC. And so in the event that the TMC wants the agent in the loop, we can relay the info back to the, to the TMC agent themselves. Now, in the event that you want to actually have the p and r built, we have to look at your systems to see how you’re actually running your processes today. But SkyLink does have that capability because we actually work with vendors that have decades of experience in actually, enabling bookings usually through a traditional like, traditional like desktop application. Their systems allow you, us to execute the actual p and r on the backend. And so SkyLink is operating as a middleware layer that is making their systems execute the backend just like you would with an OBT. but we just, we, we can do that. We just make sure that the agent is in the loop too, just so they have context on the conversation.

Lierin: (28:17) Cool. Does it support any other languages?

Atyab: (28:22) Yes. So Skyline can support several languages. it can do Spanish, Punjabi, Chinese not as great as Punjabi, but like all the major languages, German, Spanish, Chinese, we can actually do an example of it right now if that would be helpful, if folks are interested. But yes, it can support all the major global languages, with relative fidelity. it’s best with English, but it is in parody or slightly better than what a Google Translate might give you if you were to, move between English and, and Google Translate

Lierin: (28:52) A follow up question is asking specifically about Japanese

Atyab: (28:58) Specifically about Japanese, we, I would have to look back on that, but I do believe we can support Japanese, in terms of switching, being able to interpret what’s being asked and responding. but let me get back to you on that. I know that we can do Mandarin and we can do Spanish and major European languages, and I believe Japanese is in there as well.

Lierin: (29:19) Excellent. Are there use cases in operation today with the iQCX integrations?

Atyab: (29:26) Not at the moment. That’s something that Mat and I have been discussing right now. Really what we’re at is looking to co-create this journey with your organizations. And so what we want to do is hear what you have to say and what you’re looking for and then, work together to see how we can get there eventually.

Lierin: (29:48) Excellent. And can it connect to workflow management tools like Salesforce or front to process emails?

Atyab: (29:56) So, yes. So we can do those integrations. Typically, we ask that the TMC integrate with our systems to actually do that. Alternatively, we can help support on that implementation effort. It really, like, there’s a bit of a co-design effort where we look at your enterprise architecture and manage, understanding how your systems are tacking talking to each other so we can plug in skyline.

Lierin: (30:18) Cool. those were the questions that I’ve had so far. I’ll let if I get any more in.

Atyab: (30:23) Great.

Mat: (30:25) Wonderful. Well, hey, I’ve got some questions. So, when, I look at the interactions, and I know we’re early days in looking in our collaborations, and Cornerstone’s been really involved, in building out it’s workflow automation, it’s mid-office to be able to be integrated into, third party, kind of interactions. And so how that happens, I mean, is really key. I mean, when we look at, automation and AI coming together, there tends to be a conversation that takes place in various aspects of, especially post ticketing issues, such as schedule changes such as, managing refunds and exchanges and handling all of that process. And, and that’s where some of the complexity of, of travel comes in.

Mat: (31:19) One of the challenges that, many of our customers are having is, is understanding the value, for example, and the residual value of an unused ticket. And so, looking at all the rules that airlines have put out, as to how that happens, can this ticket be exchanged? What’s the parity of that, compared to that ticket, how do you see your platform or just AI in general being able now to kind of interpret this complexity, in the industry that, is, like you said, a lot of agents spending time researching and, and figuring out if I can do something. What do you say to that?

Atyab: (31:54) No, I, I I think that’s a great question. And, and I think beyond just SkyLink, but the, the, the AI advent that’s been happening over the past two years, AI can rapidly understand deeply complex concepts and its ability to reason is improving substantially. , these AI models that came out two years ago, or let’s say start with 10 years ago, like an Amazon Alexa or a Siri were relatively simplistic. They wouldn’t be able to understand the nuances of, here are the 20 different rules we have to address. Here’s how we, how we actually go ahead and, and resolve ’em, right? But then when these chat G P T models came out, these new G P T models had the ability to reason the initial models were a bit like a high schooler. they, they, they could understand what you’re asking.

Atyab: (32:41) They could write a response, but they weren’t as astute as say, like a seasoned professional. But when you take these models and you train them in a way that is incredibly robust, where they have specific use case duties that they’re designed to address, then they can start to programmatically understand the, the different requirements you’re solving for. So in the example that you just gave, which was the exchange of a particular ticket, right? You can train these models and the this task is relatively complex to be able to create an architecture where these models are doing it with a very, very high quality, to be able to understand here are the 50 different rules for this particular airline, and there are 50 different airlines we have to address. Now all of a sudden, we have 250 different scenarios on a per airline basis that we’re looking on a total basis that we’re looking at now. And AI can programmatically understand these and then also be able to adapt and see what the potential options are and serve that back up to the agent in an incredibly fast and efficient fashion. Right? You can generally expect over half the time to go down, and then a portion of that tends to get handled by the agent as well.

Mat: (33:51) Right. And so, I, because I see that, that agents are having to go outside of the, the booking environment, whether it’s a G D Ss or otherwise to get this information, they’re having to go onto the airlines website, they’re having to look up these kind of things. So do you see that, that the SkyLink platform is almost also going to incorporate that knowledge management? Yeah. Now that, that the industry so much needs, I mean, because as we talked about, post pandemic, I mean, it’s a, it’s an industry that’s losing that knowledge rapidly. Yeah. It’s documented there, but it’s hard to find and it’s hard to curate.

Atyab: (34:29) Yeah. And, and, and I, I think that’s exactly right. Effectively creating a very nuanced search engine one that actually finds specific information that doesn’t require the, it’s no longer about Google searching. It’s effectively talking to Skyline to actually, instead of a, to directly answer the question you’re looking for, right? We believe and we tracking towards getting there over time. it’s, it’s documenting and finding where all this information exists is the first part of the problem, right? Like, you need to know here are the, 500 different places all this information is laid out in then pulling that information, making sure it’s up to date constantly and, and making sure that the systems can talk to it, that’s something that’s our bread and butter, right? And, and then enabling the agent to be able to have those conversations is, is incredibly powerful too.

Atyab: (35:16) And so, just like you mentioned Mat, like, it, it, it is about getting there eventually and, and understanding what are the particular things that are taking up the agent’s time the most. And so that research component, that r and d that comes today, that that is exactly what we’re targeting and, and we’re starting with these like primary workflows that we like to call, like the bookings and the r and d and the itinerary development and the p and r, and then, programmatically moving from there all the way down to, making sure it’s, hitting all the right spots in terms of, getting all the research and, and the, the details around an exchange or the policy of a particular client so that they don’t have to go ahead and read it. Or a new agent comes in and doesn’t have to ask another agent, but instead can just have this whole end-to-end conversation, with Skyling to figure out what are, how to answer all of their questions directly.

Mat: (36:06) Yeah, exactly. Because I, it’s, it’s, for me, it’s, I love those automations that we’re going to put together initially. I mean, those are ones that, you and I hear, from, our customers that, are, are really important because they just, waste time. Can you send me a copy of itinerary? Can you do this? Can you, those are, yeah, those are the obvious ones. But even in a chat, in a channel Slack channel, you can say, Hey, can I exchange this reservation for, for this unused, with this unused ticket? Exactly. And just bring that back to them because that, that’s where the complexity hits. That’s where, if they could say yes, and the answer is yes, you can do this. You want me to do it for you, bam, it’s done. Or, you can’t, or, , you, you might, if you can get a waiver on this, that kind of thing. Yeah, exactly. ’cause that’s just a much faster interaction.

Atyab: (36:57) Yeah. And, and, and that’s, that’s exactly how we’re thinking about it. Like the, the way that we operate in the operating models of travel management agencies will fundamentally change now. Yeah. And it’s not just travel management agencies. This is like a broad base shift on, on the advent of like how our economy works and how these industries work, across banking, manufacturing, the, the use of AI to actually drive these operational efficiencies will be very similar to how telephone made communications faster. The internet made information accessible. This will be the, the, the next iteration of that kind of, evolution of technology.

Mat: (37:36) Yep. Yep. Alright, we’ve got about, seven minutes left here. Let’s, let’s talk about our next steps.

Atyab: (37:43) So next steps wise, folks, we are looking for beta customers that are willing to design and co-create and actually specify, what are the specific things you might be looking for, across, the capabilities, of both Cornerstone and Skyline together, and really just provide, working with us to provide feedback to, to iterate and co-design what great really looks like. one of the things that, both our organizations really value is kind of working from the user’s perspective because there’s no better input than, than the end user who kind of tells you what the pain points are and where, where they want to be able to see like, , kind of this new, efficiency gain. And so we’re looking to solve for beta customers upfront. We have a couple of spots available, but they’re closing up quite fast. and so if folks are interested, please reach out to either , myself or Mat and, and, and express your interest, in, in, in a collaboration here.

Mat: (38:42) Wonderful. Mat. I’ll hand it off. And that’s what we’re really, looking for now. I mean, it’s, like you said, it’s early days in all of this. I mean, these, this, we, we have, we have proof here that, that, that this works, that it can work. and, now we need, , if we need transactions, we need those integrations to come through. We need to train the models in how to do this well. and , and, and learn from that experience because it’s a, it’s a bit of a reset in our industry and, and it’s not a reset for, for the worse. It’s a reset for the better, I think.

Atyab: (39:17) Definitely. And, and I, and I think one of the powerful things here is that the travel industry uniquely gets the opportunity to leapfrog. I, I think it’s no, it’s no secret that sometimes technology can be a little bit of a laggard in certain industries. And, as a result of this, we, we have a lot of legacy systems we might be using, but the benefit now is that you can, you can rapidly jump over that and, and, and experience the next iteration without having to have done all the legwork that came over the past 10 years. And so it is really just like you mentioned, the early days of like co-creating, bringing like good to great and really executing here.

Mat: (39:57) Absolutely. Absolutely. So before we close out, Rin, do we have any other, questions

Lierin: (40:03) We do, in fact, so a couple questions here for the end. at, you mentioned marine fairs earlier. Can Skyland interpret an email from a client with say, five travelers all coming from different places who all need to get to one destination at roughly the same time, for example, to board a vessel?

Atyab: (40:22) That, that’s a great, that’s a great question, and it’s a use case we want to be able to address. we’ve, we, we would need to see what this workflow looks like to be able to train Skyline to actually handle it. The, the, the benefit of SkyLink is that as it understands more and more complex scenarios, it’s able to adapt to them. And so d as long as we can access the content and we know what this workflow looks like and it’s a meaningful workflow, and that it’s happening frequently enough, we can adapt to it and, and, and, and resolve it as well. I don’t wanna commit to, to saying yes for these five folks, we can get them onto a vessel, but until we actually see what it looks like and ha have the details there, but it is definitely within the realm of like, doable as long as we make sure we have access to the content and to the profiles associated with those folks.

Lierin: (41:10) Cool. can SkyLink use the G d s or umbrella traveler profiles to make bookings?

Atyab: (41:16) Yes. Yes, it can. So it can, it can pull the profiles from these systems as well. We’ve been speaking with a couple of folks, across those kinds of organizations to make sure that, we can work to get those integrations live in a way that’s very high fidelity and, and has everything mapped internally.

Lierin: (41:33) Cool. next question is, does SkyLink manage the look to book ratios of any customer chat so that the airline sources being pulled upon aren’t getting a large volume of hits and charges with every, which somebody needs to pay?

Atyab: (41:48) Yeah, so we do, we do the best to drive those optimizations. What we do like to do is work with the TMCs agents to see how they run that process flow, today. And then what we do is we try to make sure we’re in parity on that look to book ratio so that we can recreate the agent flow as closely as possible.

Lierin: (42:05) Cool. next question is, does or can the system give travel advisements depending on the location the traveler is going to?

Atyab: (42:13) We don’t have that feature yet. that is another feature that’s been asked about, and we plan on bringing it, I believe quarter two or quarter three of next year. we can pull it up if there’s a lot of demand for it, but not today. It’s, it’s, it is a functionality we can add in, and we have the capability to do it. We just need to understand how those systems look on the backend to be able to give a concrete answer.

Lierin: (42:35) Awesome. And this is the last question that I have here, written up, is how does the system advise tickets are not guaranteed until ticketed?

Atyab: (42:45) How does say, sorry, could you say that again?

Lierin: (42:48) d how does the system advise that tickets are not guaranteed until ticketed?

Atyab: (42:56) Oh, I see. I th Well, it depends. Like if you, you could customize the workflow with SkyLink, I think I showed this on chat, on how we can change the way that responses are laid out. And so in the event that you wanna say, Hey, this issue is ticketed, we will run the booking confirmation, over and, and send you the kind of the standard of post ticketing or post booking workflow where it goes from booking to ticketing. we’ll, we’ll send the email out just the way that you normally do it to confirm that you actually have that particular flight or hotel. Awesome. and so it’ll effectively reunify your traditional workflow. And you can think of Skyline kind of running that same workflow in like an O B T like fashion, except instead of an O B T, you’re chAtyabng with it.

Lierin: (43:37) Cool. So what I’m going to say here, we don’t have any other questions, but, when I send out the recording for the webinar, everybody is more than welcome to respond to that email with any other questions that you have, and we’ll make sure we get them to and Mat so that they can be answered for you.

Mat: (43:54) Wonderful. And I’ll add one more thing there, is that we will, as part, of that email, we’ll send out a short survey, with that, that also, allow you to express your interest in, in joining one of our betas. and as I said, this is, this is an evolution and a revolution of sorts. And so, I really very willing, to, to meet first obviously with those folks that are interested and, and sort of lay out a plan on, on how that would work. We certainly have our ideas of where the integrations between the SkyLink, platform and the Cornerstone Automation platform will come together. And we presented some of those, integrations here, but really wanna listen to others as well too, because we’re, we’re building this from the ground up and we wanna make sure we’re working with folks that,

Atyab: (44:44) Yeah, I, I just wanna echo Mat’s point, like, AI is, we, there’s a lot of hype around it, and there’s a lot of like,

Atyab: (44:52) Very loud voices in the room when it comes to ai, to actually drive like, value and, and, and efficiency. It’s, it’s really about taking it from the perspective of the, the agents and the travelers and, and co-creating it like that. There, there’s a lot of noise that we have to like, kind of work through so that we can really make sure that this is addressing the core problems that, that, this industry faces and, and which ones they want to resolve. And so, kind of working with folks like yourself and making sure that, that journey is very smooth and, and it is truly a journey of, of all three parties here, to, to make sure that it’s like very cohesive and productive for everyone. But, thank you folks for your time and thank you, Mat, for having me.

Mat: (45:35) Thank you, AAB, good to have you with us and, good to be working with you. Alright everyone, thanks and have a wonderful day and and a wonderful week. Take care.

Atyab: (45:45) Thank you folks. Bye.

Providing Faster Service to Travelers with SkyLink

Last updated November 23, 2023

In today’s fast-moving world, travelers expect quick and efficient service. SkyLink equips travel providers with tools to meet these expectations. This article discusses how to utilize SkyLink for providing faster service to travelers.

Step-by-Step Guide

• Utilizing SkyLink's Instant Response Features :
• Implement SkyLink’s AI and automation tools for immediate response to inquiries.
• Streamlining Booking Processes :
• Leverage SkyLink’s streamlined booking system for rapid reservations and confirmations.
• Integrating Real-Time Itinerary Updates :
• Utilize SkyLink’s real-time update capabilities to keep travelers informed.
• Optimizing Customer Support with SkyLink’s AI :
• Use SkyLink’s AI to quickly address and resolve traveler queries.
• Monitoring and Improving Response Times :
• Regularly review response metrics and implement strategies for continuous improvement.

SkyLink enables travel service providers to offer faster and more efficient services, enhancing the overall travel experience for their clients.

Reducing Call Volumes with Efficient Online Support

Explains how SkyLink helps in lowering call volumes to travel management companies.

Boosting Traveler Satisfaction with SkyLink

Tips and strategies for using SkyLink to enhance overall traveler satisfaction and experience.

The Latest AIs, every day

AIs with the most favorites on Toolify

AIs with the highest website traffic (monthly visits)

AI Tools by browser extensions

AI Tools by Apps

Discover the Discord of AI

Top AI lists by month and monthly visits.

Top AI lists by category and monthly visits.

Top AI lists by region and monthly visits.

Top AI lists by source and monthly visits.

Top AI lists by revenue and real traffic.

Revolutionizing Travel with AI and Automation

Updated on Feb 24,2024

Table of Contents:

Introduction

Skylink: Revolutionizing the Travel Industry

• History of Skylink
• Integration with Cornerstone
• Benefits of Skylink in Travel Industry

AI and Automation in Travel

• Driving Efficiency and productivity
• Enhancing Customer Experience
• Addressing Talent Shortages

Challenges in Post-Pandemic Travel Management

• Adapting to Change
• Talent Shortages and Operational Challenges

Skylink's Solutions for Travel Agencies

• Enhancing Booking Workflows
• Automating Non-Booking Functions

Transforming Client Satisfaction and Agent Productivity

• Improving Workflow Efficiency
• Increasing Booking Accuracy

User-Friendly AI Solutions

• Incorporating Chat and Email Features
• Customized Options for Travelers

Early Implementation and Beta testing

• Collaborating for Success
• Beta Customer Engagement

Skylink's Future Roadmap

• Expanding Language Support
• Integration with Additional Services
• Embracing Innovation in Travel Management

Introduction:

In today's ever-evolving travel landscape, the integration of artificial intelligence and automation has become paramount. Skylink, a pioneering AI and automation company, is at the forefront of revolutionizing the travel industry. By partnering with Cornerstone, Skylink aims to streamline operations, enhance customer experiences, and drive productivity across agencies.

History of Skylink:

Founded by industry experts with backgrounds in business digitization and corporate finance, Skylink brings a wealth of experience to the table. Through partnerships with technology accelerators like Y Combinator, Skylink has positioned itself as a leading player in AI-driven solutions for the travel sector.

Integration with Cornerstone:

The collaboration between Skylink and Cornerstone marks a significant milestone in the travel industry. By integrating cutting-edge AI technologies with Cornerstone's platform, the partnership promises to deliver innovative tools that empower travel agencies to excel in a competitive market.

Benefits of Skylink in Travel Industry:

Skylink's solutions offer a range of benefits for travel agencies, including increased productivity, enhanced client satisfaction, and improved operational efficiency. By automating key processes and leveraging AI for decision-making, Skylink aims to transform the way agencies operate in a post-pandemic world.

In a rapidly changing landscape, the role of AI and automation in travel cannot be overstated. By harnessing the power of technology, agencies can drive efficiency, enhance customer experiences, and address critical challenges such as talent shortages and operational complexities. Skylink's innovative solutions pave the way for a new era of travel management.

The aftermath of the pandemic has brought about a host of challenges for the travel industry. From adapting to new norms and regulations to Coping with talent shortages, travel agencies are facing unprecedented hurdles. Skylink's AI-driven approach offers a pathway to overcome these challenges and thrive in a competitive market.

Enhancing Booking Workflows:

By streamlining booking workflows and automating non-booking functions, Skylink empowers travel agencies to boost efficiency and accuracy in their operations. Through customized options and real-time responses, Skylink ensures that agents can focus on delivering exceptional service to clients.

Transforming Client Satisfaction and Agent Productivity:

Skylink's solutions are designed to enhance client satisfaction by providing rapid responses, personalized recommendations, and efficient handling of requests. By optimizing workflow efficiency, Skylink enables agents to deliver a higher standard of service while increasing their productivity.

Incorporating chat and email features, Skylink offers a user-friendly interface that simplifies communication and streamlines the booking process. With customizable options for travelers and automated responses for agents, Skylink ensures a seamless experience that caters to the unique needs of each client.

Early Implementation and Beta Testing

As Skylink embarks on its journey to reshape the travel industry, early implementation and beta testing are essential steps in refining the platform's capabilities. By collaborating with beta customers and gathering feedback, Skylink aims to fine-tune its solutions to meet the evolving needs of travel agencies and clients.

With plans to expand language support and integrate additional services, Skylink is committed to driving innovation and efficiency in the travel sector. By embracing new technologies and listening to user feedback, Skylink is poised to lead the industry towards a brighter, more automated future.

In conclusion, Skylink's partnership with Cornerstone marks a pivotal moment in the travel industry's evolution. By leveraging AI and automation, travel agencies can enhance their operational efficiency, boost client satisfaction, and navigate the complexities of post-pandemic travel management. As Skylink continues to innovate and collaborate with industry partners, the future of travel looks brighter and more seamless than ever before.

The above is a brief introduction to Revolutionizing Travel with AI and Automation

Let's move on to the first section of Revolutionizing Travel with AI and Automation

Find AI tools in Toolify

Join TOOLIFY to find the ai tools

Get started

• Discover Leanbe: Boost Your Customer Engagement and Product Development
• Unlock Your Productivity Potential with LeanBe
• Unleash Your Naval Power! Best Naval Civs in Civilization 5 - Part 7
• Master Algebra: Essential Guide for March SAT Math
• Let God Lead and Watch Your Life Transform | Inspirational Video
• Magewell XI204XE SD/HD Video Capture Card Review
• Discover Nepal's Ultimate Hiking Adventure
• Master the Art of Debugging with Our Step-by-Step Guide
• Maximize Customer Satisfaction with Leanbe's Feedback Tool
• Unleashing the Power of AI: A Closer Look
• Transform Your Images with Microsoft's BING and DALL-E 3
• Create Stunning Images with AI for Free!
• Unleash Your Creativity with Microsoft Bing AI Image Creator
• Create Unlimited AI Images for Free!
• Discover the Amazing Microsoft Bing Image Creator
• Create Stunning Images with Microsoft Image Creator
• AI Showdown: Stable Diffusion vs Dall E vs Bing Image Creator
• Create Stunning Images with Free Ai Text to Image Tool
• Unleashing Generative AI: Exploring Opportunities in QE&T
• Create a YouTube Channel with AI: ChatGPT, Bing Image Maker, Canva
• Google's AI Demo Scandal Sparks Stock Plunge
• Unveiling the Yoga Master: the Life of Tirumalai Krishnamacharya
• Hilarious Encounter: Jimmy's Unforgettable Moment with Robert Irwin
• Google's Incredible Gemini Demo: Unveiling the Future
• Say Goodbye to Under Eye Dark Circles - Simple Makeup Tips
• Discover Your Magical Soul Mate in ASMR Cosplay Role Play
• Boost Kidney Health with these Top Foods
• OpenAI's GEMINI 1.0 Under Scrutiny
• Unveiling the Mind-Blowing Gemini Ultra!
• Shocking AI News: Google's Deception Exposed!
• Upgrade Your Slow Computer: Benefits of Formatting and Color Options
• Unleash the Power: Bozeman Intel Heavy Frigate Combat Review
• Explore the Fascinating World of Computers and Their Impact on Society
• Unboxing and Review of the Best Laptop with 12th Gen Intel Core i3 by Tech Guru Narayan
• HP Victus 16 vs HP Victus 15 | In-depth Comparison
• Unboxing and Review of HP Pavilion x360 Convertible 14-DY1047TU
• Unlocking the Future: The Power of Smart Cities Explained
• Boost Your Website's Visibility with Effective SEO Writing
• Master the Art of SEO Writing: Essential Tips and Best Practices
• Experience the Versatile Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 with Intel i5 12th Generation

Create Consistent AI Characters for Free: Influencers, Cartoons, and MoreTable of Contents Introduc

Discover the Future of Cybersecurity: DARPA's Cyber Grand ChallengeTable of Contents Introduction T

Create Perfect Voice ReplicasTable of Contents 🌟 Introduction 🔹 What is Jibber Intelligence? 🔸 How

The Best AI Websites & AI Tools Directory

• Most Saved AIs
• Most Used AIs
• AI Browser Extensions
• Discord of AI
• Top AI By Monthly
• Top AI By Categories
• Top AI By Regions
• Top AI By Source
• Top AI by Revenue
• More Business
• Stable Video Diffusion
• Top AI Tools
• 33+ Best AI Tools for Writers & Marketers in 2024
• Privacy Policy
• [email protected]
• Voice conversion
• video creator
• text to video generator
• Low-Code/NoCode
• Data Analytics

Copyright ©2024 toolify

Travel Made Personal With the World’s Most Powerful AI-Powered Platform

Whether you’re a travel expert, an influencer, an organization, or a traveler, we make travel smart, personalized, and secure—and deliver the best possible value. Mondee brings you closer to the world one extraordinary trip at a time.

Discover the Benefits of the Mondee Marketplace

Within minutes of signing up, you will see how special the Mondee Marketplace is. The best part is that it’s easy to get started; the hardest part is narrowing down the places to visit. Start exploring.

Mondee Makes Travel Personal

For Travel Agents, Travel Experts, and Influencers, we offer access to an expansive global inventory, key insights to help you build your business, built-in fraud protection and fintech features, and unprecedented control over your earnings. For Organizations , offering employee or member leisure travel benefits is a great way to build loyalty, give perks, and earn commissions. 
With multi-language support and the ability to process payments in
selected currencies, Mondee supports you wherever you are in
the world, and wherever you’re going.

Travel Experts get more with Mondee.

Travel is your business. You want to help
your clients efficiently plan the perfect trip, 
get paid quickly and securely, and level up your travel expertise.

Influencers earn faster with Mondee.

You want to give your followers (and yourself) a first-class travel experience. You want to monetize your travel content and let your influence soar.

Organizations hit their goals with Mondee.

You want to deliver a leisure travel 
benefit your employees and members
will love — all in one smart, flexible, cost-saving platform.

Meet Abhi  

  Our AI assistant Abhi is the heart of the Mondee Marketplace. Powered by the most fully-integrated AI travel platform available, Abhi streamlines and simplifies how you plan, book, share, and even make changes to your trips to ensure more memorable, highly personalized travel experiences.

Find out what sets Abhi apart.  

Meet Abhi, Our Game-Changing AI Travel Assistant

Our AI travel assistant Abhi can find the best flights in seconds, answer complex questions, suggest itineraries, and connect travelers with local experts to craft personalized travel experiences. Read on to see why Abhi is the all-in-one leisure travel planning and booking solution for your employees, members, or customers!

Personalized Recommendations

Insights for Your Business

Customized, Bookable Travel Itineraries

Access a vast 
travel inventory,
at deep discount.

The Mondee Marketplace gives you access to an expansive global travel inventory with negotiated rates lower than what’s offered on other popular travel sites. Building on our status as a leading airfare consolidator, we now connect over 65K travel agencies and travel experts with top airlines, hotel and vacation accommodations, cruise lines, and car rentals from around the world to book trips at great fares.

World-Class Travel Brands and Inventory to Meet Your Travel Needs

Our wide-ranging travel partners offer a near-infinite array of travel options for any type of journey. Here are just a few of them:

Our AI and Human Expertise Unite to Create Meaningful, Hyper-Local Travel Experiences

Mondee helps our customers craft truly unique, personalized travel experiences . Our cutting-edge travel tools meet the current and future needs of travel professionals – working harder so you don’t have to!

With our proprietary AI solution, Abhi, we continue to disrupt and transform the travel industry with our specialized data drawn from the knowledge and expertise of Mondee’s 65K+ global travel experts.

We put the information at your fingertips so you can connect with who and what matters most. Mondee unlocks the world.

What People Are Saying About Mondee

“The integration of generative AI into the platform has led to one of the most impressive final products in this early stage of the tech , certainly more useful than anything released so far by the large online travel agencies.”

“ Top AI Travel Assistant: [Mondee’s Abhi] is all about efficiency and convenience . Abhi combines technology like generative AI, deep learning and a recommendation engine to generate travel itineraries based on a user’s age, interests and other criteria with recommendations for a given destination.”

Download Our Travel App to Serve your Customers on the Go

To manage your clients’ or organization’s leisure travel, download our world-class Mondee Marketplace travel app to start crafting custom travel experiences, with discounted rates and 24/7 traveler support from our innovative AI travel assistant, Abhi. With the Mondee Marketplace app, you can run your business from anywhere.

Follow @MondeeTravel for Inspiration

Sign Up Today to Take Your Travel Business Further

Ready to get started? Mondee’s technology delivers beyond what you knew was possible, making the business of travel planning seamless, intuitive, and secure. Sign up today to start exploring!

Which AI trip planning tool is the best? Here's how Expedia's and Booking.com's compared.

• Expedia Group's Romie and Booking.com's AI Trip Planner are AI-powered travel tools that can help travelers plan and manage their trips.
• Both tools can recommend destinations, places to stay, and things to do and even create a full itinerary for your trip.
• However, these AI travel planners are still in their early stages and can't yet be relied on completely.

This new travel adviser can help travelers plan and manage their trip – and then come with them on vacation.

Expedia Group revealed a new artificial intelligence assistant last month that users can access anytime via their phones. Named Romie, the alpha version available now via Expedia’s iOS app in the U.S., can help build itineraries, summarize travel plans discussed in group chats, warn customers of trip disruptions and more.

Jeff Miller, Distinguished Product Manager at Expedia Group, said “travel is a complicated business and part of the complexity is about orchestrating and managing all the parts of your trip.” The company previously introduced a travel planning feature powered by ChatGPT last year, but the new assistant marks an expansion of its AI capabilities.

“Romie’s job is to meet you where you are, not wait for you to come,” he said. The feature uses the same OpenAI models that power ChatGPT, but Expedia is “open to using other tech or models” as well.

Make travel easy: We tested ChatGPT itineraries in 5 US tourist spots

Learn more: Best travel insurance

Romie is the latest AI-powered travel tool , joining other travel platforms utilizing the technology to make a seamless, more customized experience for travelers. In an Oct. 2023 Booking.com survey of more than 27,000 travelers across 33 countries, 56% said they want to use AI to help inform upcoming travels.

Last summer, Booking.com launched its own AI Trip Planner, which also uses ChatGPT to help travelers find accommodations and build out personalized itineraries.

“Imagine having a conversation (with) the AI Trip Planner and being able to render or change what you see (on the Booking.com website) to match the content of your conversation,” Adrienne Enggist, Senior Director of Product at  Booking.com , told USA TODAY. “The hyper-personalization, really, can be supercharged to make your travel planning more productive, much easier.”

USA TODAY’s Nathan Diller and Kathleen Wong tested Romie’s itinerary-building capabilities against Booking.com’s AI Trip Planner to see what it’s like using AI to plan a trip to Rome from Sept. 9-12. Here’s what they found.

What is it like to use Romie?

I started by making a hotel booking on Expedia, which users need to use Romie’s itinerary-building features. iPhone users in the U.S. can opt-in to access the early version of Romie via the EG Labs section of the Expedia app, but the company does not yet have a public launch date.

I reserved a room at Suitedreams – just under $627 for three nights in September – with an “excellent” rating and over 1,000 reviews. Then I phoned a friend (or AI assistant, rather) to help with the rest. 

When I clicked through to my itinerary, Romie suggested restaurants near the hotel unprompted, with distances listed. When I clicked on one, it took me to a chat function where I could see various restaurants’ Yelp ratings, hours of operation and other info. I could peruse certain details from there, but other buttons moved me to the Yelp app.

Romie cannot complete restaurant reservations for users, but I was able to add bookings to my itinerary by telling the chatbot when I’d be eating. Miller emphasized that Romie is not “just automatically charging your credit card on your behalf.”

“We don't think that experience is quite ready yet, let’s put it that way,” he said. “But we do think that we can still guide you to be able to take action for yourselves.”

Romie also recommended “some of the best things to do” in Rome, like the Colosseum and the Vatican Museums. The chatbot was also able to suggest bookstores when I asked and give me directions to one I selected. When I requested other activities near my hotel, Romie provided several tours I could book through the Expedia app.

I did run into some hiccups when I clicked on the Colosseum option Romie listed on my itinerary page. The AI program pulled up a “B&B in Rome 2 stops from” the landmark, even though I already had a hotel. When I clicked on the listing, it took me to what looked like an external website that suggested I book it on Airbnb – a competitor to Expedia Group’s Vrbo.

When I asked whether I needed tickets for the Vatican Museums, Romie said yes, sharing a website where I could buy them. But the URL was not hyperlinked and I could not click through, nor could I copy and paste it from my phone, meaning I’d have to manually type it into my browser.

Curious to try another method of communication, I added Romie to my phone contacts to use its text message feature. Romie was similarly able to recommend coffee shops near my hotel that way, but this time, I had to tell the bot where I was staying. Unlike in the app, it did not have my booking information.

I also requested help with booking a rental car. Romie acknowledged my parameters – my travel dates and the budget I shared – and sent me an Expedia link. However, when I clicked on it, I was shown hotel listings.

At one point, I asked for a full itinerary for my three-night trip. Romie asked about my interests – I listed food, historical sites and art – and offered a detailed plan with activity and dining suggestions for the morning, afternoon and evening. I tried that separately with the in-app chat function and was given less of a true itinerary than a list of things to do.

“Launching an early version of Romie in EG Labs provides registered participants with the opportunity to test out products and share their feedback in real-time to help Expedia troubleshoot bugs prior to public launch,” Miller said.

Romie’s other features fell outside the purview of my hypothetical trip, but Miller said the tool will get to know users’ preferences over time, with “progressive intelligence” being a key principle.

“An assistant that forgets what you told it isn't very useful, especially in a complex process like travel planning that we all know takes weeks or sometimes months,” he said. “So, that notion that Romie’s learning as it goes and remembering is very important to what we think an assistant needs to do.”

Based on my test run with the current version of Romie, I’d recommend it to travelers as a starting point for generating ideas and tracking itinerary items of interest. However, given the apparent glitches in the user experience, I wouldn’t rely solely on the tool.

– Nathan Diller

How to use AI to plan a vacation: And what you should know first

What’s it like to use Booking.com’s AI Trip Planner?

Booking.com’s AI Trip Planner is only accessible via the Booking.com mobile app in English-speaking markets, including the U.S., U.K., Australia and New Zealand. Once I created an account, a pop-up screen prompted me to “start chatting” with the AI Trip Planner. The AI tool greeted me and asked how it could help my trip planning – it also warned me that it’s “still learning.”

According to Enggist, the AI language model is still in its “early discovery, early planning space.” It acts like a well-traveled friend who can provide guidance based on your answers, interests and tastes. The tool can recommend destinations, places to stay, and things to do and even create a full itinerary for your trip. 

“It’s less about generating search results and more about curating lists of things that are potentially ideal for you,” she said. 

In the future, Booking.com hopes to “extend the helper all the way through the journey,” like updating your ground transportation if your flight is delayed, Enggist said. 

I asked the AI Trip Planner to find me a hotel room in Rome for three nights in September, and it asked for specifics, like a preferred location or type of hotel. I said it would be my first time, and I didn’t know where to start. The tool responded with three hotel options, all of which are based in Rome’s city center, highly rated and cost between $264 and $602 for the stay.

While I could learn more about the hotels and read their reviews on the app, I couldn’t book directly through the AI Trip Planner. For that, I’d have to go to the hotel’s page on the app or website. I also couldn’t book a rental car through the AI Trip Planner.

I then asked the AI Trip Planner to come up with things for me to do during my trip, and it gave me eight “popular attractions and activities,” such as visiting the Colosseum and the Pantheon – typical Rome must-dos. I asked if the tool could help me get tickets to the Colosseum, and it told me that I had to visit the website for the Colosseum or a third-party vendor like Viator to do so. 

“The AI Trip Planner makes recommendations that are more niche or more hidden gems,” Enggist said. However, I found that even when I gave more specifics about what to do – like if I were a foodie – the first results were still the most popular or famous choices, which also means crowds and often overly touristy places.

When I asked for vegan restaurant recommendations, it gave me five. Although there were no links for me to learn more or how to contact the restaurants, I was able to ask for more detailed descriptions, like what I could expect from their menu and the atmosphere. 

I asked the AI Trip Planner to help me get from one of the recommended hotels to one of the suggested vegan restaurants. I was pleasantly surprised at how detailed the results were: I was told the stations and lines if I wanted to use the metro, or take a 20-minute walk “through some of Rome’s most beautiful neighborhoods.” 

Finally, I asked the AI Trip Planner to give me a three-day itinerary in Rome if I love food and am vegan. It broke down each day into the morning, lunch, afternoon and dinner, including what to do and where to eat each meal. The itinerary is a good starting point for travelers, but since it told me to visit the Colosseum and Roman Forum in the afternoon – which is peak visiting time – I’m not sure it accounts for crowds or long lines.

While I wouldn’t depend on the AI Trip Planner for my complete trip itinerary, I would certainly turn to it for help finding accommodations and initial ideas in the beginning stages of my trip planning.

If I were hoping to go on a beach vacation and had a budget in mind but no destination, this is where chatting with the AI Trip Planner would come in handy. I also liked how it helped narrow down my hotel options based on location and price, which is sometimes a challenging yet essential part of planning a vacation. Based on the vagueness of the AI Trip Planner when asked about day-to-day activities, I likely wouldn’t use the tool for restaurant recommendations or things to do since you need to leave the platform to book or get further details anyway. 

These AI travel planners are designed to personalize and simplify the travel planning process. Although they aren't yet at the stage where you can rely on them completely, only time will tell.

– Kathleen Wong

The Key Points at the top of this article were created with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and reviewed by a journalist before publication. No other parts of the article were generated using AI. Learn more .

Advertisement

Supported by

Can I Opt Out of Meta’s A.I. Scraping on Instagram and Facebook? Sort Of.

Social media users voiced worries about a move by Meta to use information from public Instagram and Facebook posts to train its A.I. But the scraping has already begun. Here’s what to know.

• Share full article

By Jesus Jiménez

Last month, Meta announced that it was going to expand its artificial intelligence services around the world, and the company let users in Europe know that it would use their public information to train its A.I. services starting on June 26.

The notifications sent to users of Facebook and Instagram in Europe, letting them know that their public posts could be used to train the A.I. services, including Meta’s chatbot, prompted privacy concerns and backlash as users wondered where the policy change would next be in effect.

But for those living in the United States, where online privacy laws are not as strict, Meta A.I. has already been using public posts to train its A.I. It’s unclear where else Meta might expand the program.

Privacy watchdogs have raised concerns about the data usage, and a lack of specifics about what Meta will do with people’s information. But Meta says it is complying with privacy laws, and that the information it is gathering will make services more relevant to the users in a given region.

Here’s what to know about Meta’s A.I. chatbot and how you can opt out of sharing your information.

Meta’s chatbot is its answer to ChatGPT.

Meta A.I. is a smart assistant software powered by artificial intelligence, available on apps including Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram — it can be used in feeds, chat and search. Similar to OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Apple’s Siri or Amazon’s Alexa, it is designed to respond to almost any prompt a user gives it.

For example, you might ask: Who’s the greatest tennis player of all time?

“The eternal debate!” Meta A.I. responded to that query. “While opinions may vary, many experts and fans consider Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic to be among the greatest tennis players of all time.”

Meta A.I. is powered by LLaMA 3, the company’s new and powerful large language model, an A.I. technology that can conduct conversations and create images.

The chatbot learns from Instagram and Facebook posts.

The announcement to European users sparked some backlash on Reddit, Tiktok and Twitter, including in the U.S., where Meta was not required to notify users — and therefore users may not have realized — that it had been training its A.I. with their public posts.

When asked, the smart assistant said it learned from “a massive data set of text” online. The information came from web pages, books, articles and research papers. But some of the data set also came from social media posts — including Facebook and Instagram posts, Meta A.I. said, adding that its training came from “anonymized and aggregated” data.

On a page about its generative A.I. features , Meta said photos and text from public posts on Instagram and Facebook were used to train its generative A.I. models, but that private posts and private messages were not used. Users’ prompts for the A.I. features are also fair game.

A spokesperson for Meta — and its chatbot — did not specify exactly how the public information was being used other than to “build and improve A.I. experiences.” It is not clear when Meta began to scrape data from users based in the U.S.

In the U.S., opt out by setting your account to private.

For Meta users in the U.S., there isn’t a way to stop Meta A.I. from learning from your public social media posts, as there are no privacy laws specific to this.

“While we don’t currently have an opt-out feature, we’ve built in-platform tools that allow people to delete their personal information from chats with Meta A.I. across our apps,” Meta said in a statement on Friday.

Those using Meta apps within the European Union, Britain, the European Economic Area and Switzerland were notified that they could opt out, according to Meta.

Here’s how to opt out (for those in Europe).

Visit the Meta Privacy Center from your Facebook account, click on “data settings” and then click “off-Facebook activity.” Then select “manage your data” and turn off “data sharing,” as well as “A.I. model training.”

In E.U. countries, users will also see “G.D.P.R. settings.” From there, users can click on “exercise my rights,” and submit a request to opt out. Users also must give a reason for opting out.

On Instagram, users can tap on “settings,” then “about,” and then “privacy policy,” which will lead to information on Meta A.I. and how to opt out.

Is it legal for Meta A.I. to use my data?

In Facebook’s legal terms , that company says that “if you share a photo on Facebook, you give us permission to store, copy, and share it with others.” Depending on your settings, that photo can be used for other Meta products, according to the company.

In Europe, even with the opt-out feature Meta introduced to comply with privacy laws, watchdog groups have raised concerns about the sweeping nature of the data usage.

The European Center for Digital Rights, known as NOYB (None of Your Business), filed complaints in several European countries about Meta’s policy change.

“Meta doesn’t say what it will use the data for, so it could either be a simple chatbot, extremely aggressive personalized advertising or even a killer drone,” Max Schrems, the chairman and founder of NOYB, said in a news release.

Jesus Jiménez covers breaking news, online trends and other subjects. He is based in New York City. More about Jesus Jiménez

Explore Our Coverage of Artificial Intelligence

News  and Analysis

Target is the latest retailer to put a generative A.I. chatbot in the hands of its workers, with the goal of improving the in-store experience  for employees and shoppers.

Ilya Sutskever, the OpenAI co-founder and chief scientist, has helped found a new A.I. company, Safe Superintelligence, which aims to build A.I. technologies  that are smarter than a human but not dangerous.

Nvidia has leapfrogged Microsoft and Apple to become the world’s most valuable public company , an ascent that has been powered by demand for the company’s chips, which have made it possible to create A.I. systems.

The Age of A.I.

While some big companies are finding uses for A.I., many smaller businesses are just starting to dabble in the technology , if they use it at all.

First came “spam.” Now, a new term has emerged to describe dubious A.I.-generated material: “slop.”

BNN Breaking had millions of readers, an international team of journalists and a publishing deal with Microsoft. But it was full of what appeared to be generative A.I. errors .

Customer Login

Compare and book lowest flights on over 400 airlines, book international flights and hotal.

• View More Car Bike Visa Home & Villas Group Booking Umrah
• More Holiday

Book Domestic and International Hotels

Trending Searches

Super Offers

Book new york to dubai flight ticket at best price.

Save upto 2000 rupees. Save UPTO 30% OFF*

Umrah Package From New York

Book Umrah Package Get Umrah Package at Affordable Price Hurry up.

Online Hotel Booking - Save Upto 50% OFF*

Hotels at Great Prices Book Now Hotel Offers 2023

Skylink Travels

Book Flight ticket Online Get New Year 2024 Offer ! Save UPTO 30% OFF*

Amritsar to Delhi Flight HURRY UP | Save upto 30% OFF*

bank test test

booking Referral offer flight booking bank offer

Start Just at 599 HURRY UP

Book Hotel at the best Price only on Skylink Travels

Started from 500 Visit us or download the App now Skylink Travels

Book your Cheapest hotel near you Hotel in Affordable price HURRY UP |

CHOOSE SMART GRAB BIG SKYLINKFLY BGHJH

20% off first booking offer get the deal now

Low fare deals for your next trip

New york city.

Best Places To Visit In New York City

Book Your Trip Package to Vancouver.

Places To Visit In Seattle

Airlines Brand

Get upto 25% off* on flights flat 8% off* on hotel tickets.

Use Code SKYFLY and get upto 25% off on your first Flight Booking

Get exclusive offers and prices

One click bookings, trip notifications, sign up for exclusive offers.

Exclusive access to coupons, special offers and promotions.

Our Services

Hotel & Resort

Holiday Packages

WL Software

Customized Software

Why Skylink Travels?

The main player in web-based flight appointments in USA, Skylink Travels offers extraordinary offers, probably the most minimal airfares, restrictive limits and a consistent internet booking experience. Flight, lodging and occasion appointments through the work area or portable site is a wonderfully client cordial experience, and with only a couple of snaps you can finish your booking. With highlights like Instant Discounts, Fare Calendar, MyRewards Program, MyWallet and some more, the general booking experience with Skylink Travels continually enhances its item and keeps on offering the best to its clients.

Booking Flights with Skylink Travels

Book your flight tickets with USA driving flight booking organization since the year 2024. While booking trips with Skylink Travels, you can expect a definitive internet booking experience. With premium client care, an all-day, every-day devoted helpline for help, and north of 5 million enchanted clients, Skylink Travels invests heavily in empowering consumer loyalty. With the least expensive flight ensure, book your tickets at the most reduced airfares. Profit from incredible offers, and select arrangements for faithful clients and get moment refreshes on your flight status and charge drops.

Domestic Flights with Skylink Travels

Skylink Travels is USA driving player for flight appointments and has a predominant situation in the homegrown flight area. With the least expensive charge ensure, the experience is incredibly worth it at the most minimal cost. Moment notices guarantee current flight status, moment passage drops, astounding limits, moment discounts and rebook choices, cost correlations, and a lot of additional fascinating elements.

Print Your E-Ticket

Please wait ... we are searching for the cheapest fare for flights, this may take upto a minute.

• Check In 20-02-2018
• Check Out 01-11-2018

Please Wait ... We are searching the best bus for you

• Depart - 20-02-2018

Please Wait ... We are searching the best car for you

• Travel Date- 20-02-2018
• Return Date - 22-02-2018
• Hours - 22-02-2018

Confirm Recharge !

iOS 18 makes iPhone more personal, capable, and intelligent than ever

New Levels of Customization and Capability

Photos Gets a Unified View, New Collections, and Customization

Powerful Ways to Stay Connected in Messages

Enhancements to Mail

Big Updates to Safari

Introducing the Passwords App

New Privacy Features Designed to Empower Users

Apple Intelligence Transforms the iPhone Experience

• In Apple Maps , users can browse thousands of hikes across national parks in the United States and easily create their own custom walking routes, which they can access offline. Maps users can also save their favorite national park hikes, custom walking routes, and locations to an all-new Places Library and add personal notes about each spot.
• Game Mode enhances the gaming experience with more consistent frame rates, especially during long play sessions, and makes wireless accessories like AirPods and game controllers incredibly responsive.
• Users get new ways to pay with Apple Pay , including the ability to redeem rewards and access installments from their eligible credit or debit cards. 5 With Tap to Cash, users can send and receive Apple Cash by simply holding two iPhone devices together. 6 Tickets in Apple Wallet bring a richer experience for fans, putting key event information like stadium details, recommended Apple Music playlists, and more at their fingertips. 7
• SharePlay with Apple Music allows even more users to share control of music playing from HomePod, Apple TV, or any Bluetooth-enabled speaker, making listening together more fun and engaging.
• The AirPods experience gets even more personal, private, and convenient with Siri Interactions, allowing AirPods Pro (2nd generation) users to simply nod their head yes or gently shake their head no to respond to Siri announcements. For even clearer call quality, Voice Isolation comes to AirPods Pro, ensuring the caller’s voice is heard in loud or windy environments. AirPods updates also provide the best wireless audio latency Apple has ever delivered for mobile gaming, and add Personalized Spatial Audio for even more immersive gameplay.
• In the Notes app , formulas and equations entered while typing are solved instantly with Math Notes. New collapsible sections and highlighting make it easier to emphasize what’s important.
• In Journal , an all-new insights view helps users keep track of their journaling goals, and the ability to search and sort entries makes it easy to enjoy past memories. Time spent journaling can be saved as mindful minutes in the Health app, and users can log their state of mind right in Journal. A Journal widget is now available for users to quickly start an entry from the Home Screen or Lock Screen, audio recordings are automatically transcribed, and users can export and print journal entries.
• Calendar becomes even more helpful by showing both events and tasks from Reminders . Users can create, edit, and complete reminders right from Calendar, and the updated month view provides an overview of events and tasks at a glance.
• In the Health app , Medical ID has been redesigned to make it even easier for first responders to find the most important information in an emergency. The Health app can help users better understand their data during pregnancy by making adjustments and recommendations to reflect changes in their physical and mental health.
• Emergency SOS Live Video allows users to share context through streaming video and recorded media. In the middle of an emergency call, participating emergency dispatchers can send a request for a user to share live video or media from the user’s camera roll over a secure connection, making it easier and faster to get help.
• The Home app introduces guest access, providing users with easy ways to grant guests control of select smart home accessories, set schedules for when guests can access the home, and more. For an effortless home entry experience, hands-free unlock with home keys leverages Ultra Wideband technology to allow users to instantly open supported entry locks as soon as they are six feet away from their door. With convenient updates to the Energy category, the Home app makes it easier for eligible users to access, understand, and make more informed decisions about their home electricity use.
• Accessibility updates include Eye Tracking, a built-in option for navigating iPhone with just eyes; Music Haptics, a new way for users who are deaf or hard of hearing to experience music using the Taptic Engine in iPhone; and Vocal Shortcuts that enable users to perform tasks by making a custom sound.

Text of this article

June 10, 2024

PRESS RELEASE

The release introduces all-new customization options, the biggest-ever redesign of Photos, powerful updates for staying connected, and Apple Intelligence, the personal intelligence system

CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA  Apple today previewed iOS 18 , a major release that features more customization options, the biggest redesign ever of the Photos app, new ways for users to manage their inbox in Mail, Messages over satellite, and so much more. Users will be able to arrange apps and widgets in any open space on the Home Screen, customize the buttons at the bottom of the Lock Screen, and quickly access more controls in Control Center. Photo libraries are automatically organized in a new single view in Photos, and helpful new collections keep favorites easily accessible. Mail simplifies the inbox by sorting email into categories using on-device intelligence, and all-new text effects come to iMessage. Powered by the same groundbreaking technology as existing iPhone satellite capabilities, users can now communicate over satellite in the Messages app when a cellular or Wi-Fi connection isn’t available. 1

iOS 18 also introduces Apple Intelligence , the personal intelligence system for iPhone, iPad, and Mac that combines the power of generative models with personal context to deliver intelligence that’s incredibly useful and relevant. 2 Built with privacy from the ground up, Apple Intelligence is deeply integrated into iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia. It harnesses the power of Apple silicon to understand and create language and images, take action across apps, and draw from personal context, to simplify and accelerate everyday tasks.

“We are thrilled to introduce iOS 18. It is a huge release with incredible features, including new levels of customization and capability, a redesigned Photos app, and powerful ways to stay connected with Messages. There are so many benefits for everyone,” said Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering. “This release also marks the beginning of a tremendously exciting new era of personal intelligence with Apple Intelligence delivering intuitive, powerful, and instantly useful experiences that will transform the iPhone experience, all with privacy at the core. We can’t wait for users to experience it.”

iPhone users have new ways to customize the Home Screen, Lock Screen, and Control Center. Users can now arrange apps and widgets in any open space on the Home Screen, including placing them right above the dock for easy access or perfectly framing a wallpaper. App icons and widgets can take on a new look with a dark or tinted effect, and users can make them appear larger to create the experience that is perfect for them.

Control Center has been redesigned to provide easier access to many of the things users do every day, and it gets new levels of customization and flexibility. The redesign delivers quick access to new groups of a user’s most-utilized controls, such as media playback, Home controls, and connectivity, as well as the ability to easily swipe between each. Users can now add controls from supported third-party apps into Control Center to quickly unlock a vehicle or jump right into capturing content for social media — all from one place. The new controls gallery displays the full set of available options, and users can customize how the controls are laid out, including adjusting them to the ideal size and creating entirely new groups.

For the first time, users can now switch the controls at the bottom of the Lock Screen, including choosing from options available in the controls gallery or removing them entirely. With the Action button available on iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, users can quickly invoke controls available in the gallery.

Photos receives its biggest-ever redesign to help users easily find and relive special moments. A simplified, single view displays a familiar grid, and new collections help users browse by themes without having to organize content into albums. Plus, collections can be pinned to keep favorites easily accessible. A new carousel view presents highlights that update each day and feature favorite people, pets, places, and more. Autoplaying content throughout the app brings libraries to life, so past moments can be enjoyed while browsing. Because each user’s photo library is unique, the app is customizable, so users can organize collections, pin collections to access frequently, and include what’s most important to them in the carousel view.

iMessage receives all-new text effects that bring conversations to life by amplifying any letter, word, phrase, or emoji with dynamic, animated appearances. Users can better express tone by adding formatting like bold, underline, italics, and strikethrough. Tapbacks expand to include any emoji or sticker, and now users can compose a message and schedule to send it at a later time.

When messaging contacts who do not have an Apple device, the Messages app now supports RCS for richer media and more reliable group messaging compared to SMS and MMS.

iOS 18 introduces Messages via satellite for the times when cellular and Wi-Fi connections aren’t available. Powered by the same groundbreaking technology as existing iPhone satellite capabilities, Messages via satellite automatically prompts users to connect to their nearest satellite right from the Messages app to send and receive texts, emoji, and Tapbacks over iMessage and SMS. 3 With Dynamic Island, users always know when they are connected to a satellite. Because iMessage was built to protect user privacy, iMessages sent via satellite are end-to-end encrypted.

Later this year, Mail will introduce new ways for users to manage their inbox and stay up to date. On-device categorization organizes and sorts incoming email into Primary for personal and time-sensitive emails, Transactions for confirmations and receipts, Updates for news and social notifications, and Promotions for marketing emails and coupons. Mail also features a new digest view that pulls together all of the relevant emails from a business, allowing users to quickly scan for what’s important in the moment.

Safari, the world’s fastest browser, 4 now offers an even easier way to discover information on the web with Highlights and a redesigned Reader experience. Using machine learning, Safari can surface key information about a webpage. For example, users can review a summary to get the gist of an article; quickly see the location of a restaurant, hotel, or landmark; or listen to an artist’s track right from an article about the song or album. Reader has been redesigned to offer even more ways to enjoy articles without distraction, with a summary and table of contents included for longer articles.

Building on the foundation of Keychain, which was first introduced more than 25 years ago, the new Passwords app makes it easy for users to access their passwords, passkeys, Wi-Fi passwords, and verification codes. The app also includes alerts for users regarding common weaknesses, such as passwords that are easily guessed or used multiple times and those that appear in known data leaks.

iOS 18 gives users even more control with tools to manage who can see their apps, how contacts are shared, and how their iPhone connects to accessories.

Locked and hidden apps offer users peace of mind that information they want to keep private, such as app notifications and content, will not inadvertently be seen by others. Users can now lock an app; and for additional privacy, they can hide an app, moving it to a locked, hidden apps folder. When an app is locked or hidden, content like messages or emails inside the app are hidden from search, notifications, and other places across the system.

iOS 18 puts users in control by letting them choose to share only specific contacts with an app. In addition, developers now have a way to seamlessly connect third-party accessories with iPhone without letting an app see all the other devices on a user’s network, keeping a user’s devices private and making pairing seamless.

Deeply integrated into iOS 18 and built with privacy from the ground up, Apple Intelligence unlocks new ways for users to enhance their writing and communicate more effectively. With brand-new systemwide Writing Tools built into iOS 18, users can rewrite, proofread, and summarize text nearly everywhere they write, including Mail, Notes, Pages, and third-party apps.

New image capabilities make communication and self-expression even more fun. With Image Playground, users can create playful images in seconds, choosing from three styles: Animation, Illustration, or Sketch. Image Playground is easy to use, built right into apps like Messages, and also available in a dedicated app.

Memories in Photos lets users create the stories they want to see just by typing a description. Apple Intelligence will pick out the best photos and videos based on the description, craft a storyline with chapters based on themes identified from the photos, and arrange them into a movie with its own narrative arc. In addition, a new Clean Up tool can identify and remove distracting objects in the background of a photo — without accidentally altering the subject.

With the power of Apple Intelligence, Siri takes a major step forward, becoming even more natural, contextually relevant, and personal. Users can type to Siri, and switch between text and voice to communicate with Siri in whatever way feels right for the moment.

With Private Cloud Compute, Apple sets a new standard for privacy in AI, with the ability to flex and scale computational capacity between on-device processing, and larger, server-based models that run on dedicated Apple silicon servers. When requests are routed to Private Cloud Compute, data is not stored or made accessible to Apple and is only used to fulfill the user’s requests, and independent experts can verify this privacy.

Additionally, access to ChatGPT is integrated into Siri and systemwide Writing Tools across Apple’s platforms, allowing users to access its expertise — as well as its image- and document-understanding capabilities — without needing to jump between tools.

Additional features in iOS 18 include: 

Availability

The developer beta of iOS 18 is available through the Apple Developer Program at developer.apple.com starting today, and a public beta will be available through the Apple Beta Software Program next month at beta.apple.com . iOS 18 will be available this fall as a free software update for iPhone Xs and later. Apple Intelligence will be available in beta on iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, and iPad and Mac with M1 and later, with Siri and device language set to U.S. English, as part of iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia this fall. For more information, visit apple.com/ios/ios-18-preview and apple.com/apple-intelligence . Features are subject to change. Some features are not available in all regions, all languages, or on all devices. For more information about availability, visit apple.com .

• Messages via satellite will be available in iOS 18 along with Apple’s existing satellite features in the U.S. on iPhone 14 and later.
• Users with an eligible iPhone, iPad, or Mac, and Siri and device language set to English (U.S.) can sign up this fall to access the Apple Intelligence beta.
• SMS availability will depend on carrier. Carrier fees may apply. Users should check with their carrier for details.
• Testing was conducted by Apple in May 2023. See apple.com/safari  for more information.
• The new Apple Pay features are available on cards from participating banks and card providers in certain markets. Subject to eligibility and approval.
• Apple Cash services are provided by Green Dot Bank, Member FDIC, and only available in the U.S. on eligible devices. Learn more about the terms and conditions . To send and receive money with an Apple Cash account, users must be 18 and a U.S. resident, or if under 18, part of an Apple Cash Family account. Tap to Cash transaction limits are subject to change, including lowering limits, at any time during the developer or public betas without notice.
• Ticket enhancements in Apple Wallet are available for events from participating ticket issuers.

Press Contacts

Nadine Haija

[email protected]

Tania Olkhovaya

[email protected]

Apple Media Helpline

[email protected]

Images in this article

Travel Venture Capital Hit a Decade Low in 2023: Where the Growth Is Now – Skift Research

Pranavi Agarwal , Skift

June 20th, 2024 at 2:35 PM EDT

Travel venture capital hit a decade low of $2.9 billion in 2023, but early 2024 signals a rebound with increased investments from Asia and the Middle East and a focus on experiences and AI.

Pranavi Agarwal

Skift Research’s latest report explores the state of venture capital investment in the travel industry. Below we present 5 key insights and takeaways.

Insight 1: Venture capital investment in the travel industry has dropped to its lowest level in a decade.

Travel had only $2.9 billion of venture capital (VC) investment in 2023, compared to $5 billion in 2022 and nearly $9 billion in 2019. It was the lowest level in 10 years. 

The number of deals has also dropped considerably, from 1,021 deals in 2019 to only 587 in 2023. The number of deals in 2023 dropped more than 20% vs 2022 – the second steepest decline since the 2020 lockdowns. 

The declines in travel investment track the overall declines in VC, which continues to struggle in a tough macroeconomic environment marked by higher rates and declining valuations. 

In 2020 and 2021, travel VC underperformed the total VC market. However, in 2022 and 2023, both saw similar declines, with each down about 40%.

Insight 2. There is an on-going shift towards investment into later-stage, mature companies . 

Though 2020 and 2021 saw a surge in early stage (pre-seed or seed capital) VC raised by start-ups, there was a move toward late-stage funding in 2023. 

For example, there was a drop last year in VC funding across every deal stage – except late-stage Series F. That shows that when investors did invest, it was in safe, mature companies.

Insight 3. Where the growth is: Tours & experiences, AI & automation and hospitality employment.

There has been significant investment into the tours and experiences sector. This has been led by large funding rounds in OTAs Klook and GetYourGuide. Investors see opportunity and untapped prospects for the tours and experiences sector: It is highly fragmented with a long tail of small suppliers and is rapidly shifting online. Read our deep dive on the Experiences sector here: The Last Outpost of Travel: A Deep Dive into Tours, Activities and Experiences 2023 . 

Hospitality employment has also seen significant growth in VC investment, predominantly led by funding rounds in Instawork, which offers on-demand staffing apps and recruitment services. Funding into Instawork grew from $8 million in 2022 to $60 million in 2023 with its latest series-D round focussed specifically on implementing AI and machine learning into its operations. 

AI, automation & predictive analytics in 2023 is another key area of investor interest. At Skift’s 2024 Data & AI Summit, Chris Hemmeter, Managing Director of Thayer Ventures, said there remains a large opportunity for technological advancement in the travel industry – a gap which could be potentially filled by AI. “We find ourselves now with this incredible technical debt and in a real problem, because at the same time that our [hospitality] industry has been playing catch up and just layering technology on top of itself, the traveler has changed,” Hemmeter said.

However, investors aren’t just investing “for the sake of AI,” said Kurien Jacob of Highgate Technology Ventures:

“We don’t look for an AI company in travel, you don’t have that approach”, but rather “you look for companies that can use the best of AI”.

According to Hemmeter of Thayer Ventures, “Every quality company is going to have some sort of AI tool integrated into their value proposition”.

Investors are increasingly seeking companies that can efficiently implement AI into their tech stacks and strategies rather than investing in AI companies on their own. Read our deep dive into AI in travel: Generative AI’s Impact on Travel for further reading.

Insight 4. There is an increased fragmentation and shift eastward in the list of top-10 countries investing in travel venture capital .

In 2021, the top 10 countries held a 91% share of the travel venture capital market; in 2023 they held 85%.

The U.S. continues to be the single largest country for travel VC investment, accounting for $722 million in 2023 – 25% of the global total. But we are increasingly seeing a shift east, with Singapore and India taking the number 3 and number 5 spots, respectively. India has moved up from 7th place in 2021. 

Insight 5. We expect that 2024 will see an increase in VC funding in travel. 

Based on preliminary data from the first quarter of 2024 and in line with the on-going shift towards investment into larger, late-stage mature companies, we expect that investors will continue being highly selective.

We think the trend is for fewer deals, but for them to be of a larger average size versus 2023.

This should culminate into an overall increase in travel VC funding in 2024. For example, year-to-date there have already been at least 10 companies (such as Travelperk, Mews and Guesty) that have raised more than $100 million of venture capital funding.

Additionally, as the interest rate environment improves into 2025 and 2026, we should expect VC deal flow to further improve. We have found a strong inverse correlation between U.S. interest rates and the amount of VC funding in the U.S. travel industry. Our analysis shows that every 0.1% decrease in the U.S. interest rate could mean an increase of around $50 million in VC investment in U.S. travel companies. 

Read the full report for methodology and further analysis of the travel venture capital market by region, company and sector. 

Venture Investment Trends in Travel 2024

Venture Capital investment in travel hit a decade low of $2.9B in 2023, but early 2024 suggests a rebound, with larger deals, growing Asian and Middle Eastern investments, and a focus on tours & experiences, AI and hospitality employment.

What You’ll Learn From This Report

• The size of the travel startup financing market from 2009 – 2023, with projections for 2024
• 2023 funding by deal stage, region, company and sector
• Key 2023 funding trends in travel startups: tours & experiences, corporate travel and expense management, property management technology, short-term rentals, OTAs and AI automation & predictive analytics, amongst other thematic buckets

This is the latest in a series of research reports, analyst sessions, and data sheets aimed at analyzing the fault lines of disruption in travel. These reports are intended for the busy travel industry decision-maker. Tap into the opinions and insights of our seasoned network of staffers and contributors. Over 200 hours of desk research, data collection, and/or analysis goes into each report.

Subscribe now to Skift Research Reports

After you subscribe, you will gain access to our entire vault of reports, analyst sessions, and data sheets conducted on topics ranging from technology to marketing strategy to deep dives on key travel brands. Reports are available online in a responsive design format, or you can also buy each report à la carte at a higher price.

Get Skift Research

Skift Research products provide deep analysis, data, and expert research on the companies and trends that are shaping the future of travel.

Have a confidential tip for Skift? Get in touch

Tags: AI in travel , artificial intelligence , deals , employment , funding , investment , skift research , thayer ventures , the prompt , tours and activities , travel venture capital

Photo credit: Unsplash/ Image is of a unicorn money box and it represents the tours & experiences operators Klook and GetYourGuide which are each private companies with valuations above $1 Billion, thus granting them unicorn status. Klook and GetYourGuide were the top two most funded travel companies in 2023.

Auto Review Hub

A.I. Shows 10 Ways Air-Travel Will Change in the Next 20 Years

Posted: June 21, 2024 | Last updated: June 21, 2024

A.I. Shows What Air-Travel Will Be Like in 20 Years

Imagine stepping onto a jet that’s not only sleek and stylish but also incredibly fuel-efficient. In 20 years, air travel will be dominated by these eco-friendly marvels. Gone are the days of clunky, fuel-guzzling planes. Instead, picture glistening, aerodynamic designs that glide through the air with minimal drag, all while sipping fuel like a fine wine.

These jets will be the epitome of cutting-edge technology, marrying form and function in a way that’s both futuristic and environmentally conscious. So, next time you look up and see a plane, imagine a world where flying is as green as it is fast. The future of air travel is looking bright—and pretty darn polished.

Commercial Airline Interiors

Step inside the future of commercial airline cabins, and you'll think you've walked into a high-end lounge. Picture this: interiors bathed in soft, white tones, illuminated by chic overhead lights that create a cozy, inviting atmosphere. Oak wooden floors underfoot add a touch of elegance, while spacious tables invite you to work or dine in style.

And speaking of dining, how about a glass of fine wine from the in-flight bar? Yes, a bar—complete with leather pillows to lounge on as you sip and socialize. This isn’t just air travel; it’s a mile-high luxury experience, blending comfort and sophistication in a way that makes you almost forget you’re flying at all.

Helicopters

The helicopters of the future are set to redefine air travel with their aerodynamic designs and dual tail rotors, ensuring a smoother, more stable ride. Powered by jet engines, these smooth machines will not only zoom through the skies, but also boast water landing gear, making them versatile enough for sea and land.

Picture arriving at a neon-lit heli pad that looks straight out of a sci-fi movie, glowing vividly against the night. Whether you’re touching down on a yacht or an urban rooftop, these advanced helicopters promise a blend of cutting-edge technology and style, ensuring every journey is as thrilling as it is efficient.

Domestic Airplanes

Domestic airplanes of the future will pack in innovation and efficiency. We'll have more seats cleverly tucked below the main deck, maximizing space without compromising comfort. Safety gets a boost with extra emergency exit doors, ensuring quicker, smoother evacuations if needed.

For a unique travel experience, select passengers can enjoy views from two bubble windows on top of the plane, offering a breathtaking view as they soar through the skies. These aircraft will also use reduced materials, proudly showcased by strategically placed lift hole in the wings, giving them a futuristic, lightweight design. It’s all about making domestic flights more efficient, safe, and exciting.

Third-class Airline Seats

Welcome to third class, where comfort meets innovation in a futuristic twist. Forget cramped seats; in 20 years, you’ll relax in spacious egg pods, complete with plush pillows. Each pod offers privacy and a personal sanctuary, shielded by an electronic door that whispers open and shut with the touch of a lever.

Entertainment? Slip on your TV glasses and dive into your favorite movies or shows. And the ambiance? A soothing wash of neon lights, creating a cool, modern vibe that makes even budget travel feel like a first-class experience. These aren’t just seats—they’re your personal oasis at 30,000 feet.

Military Helicopters

Future military helicopters will be a marvel of engineering, combining the horizontal spinning rotors of a Helo with the versatility of standard-issue choppers. These hybrid beasts will be fully equipped with cutting-edge radar jamming technology, making them stealthy and formidable in any mission. Designed with water landing gear, they’ll excel in search and rescue operations, effortlessly transitioning between sea and land. 

What sets them apart is their dual transport cabins, allowing for seamless movement of personnel—one cabin for those heading out and another for those returning. These helicopters are not just machines; they’re multipurpose powerhouses, ready to tackle the toughest missions with unmatched efficiency and sophistication.

Flying Cars

Envision zipping through the skies in a car straight out of "The Jetsons," but with a modern twist. These flying cars will have the iconic bubble shape, but they’ll come equipped with more seats to fit the whole family, chosen or otherwise. Powered by small jet engines, they’ll soar above traffic, offering a blend of speed and convenience.

Steering might be handled by a sleek driving wheel — or, better yet, let the AI take over. These futuristic vehicles will navigate designated air roads — already being built — with precision, making your daily commute more like a joyride through the clouds. Get ready for a future where your car not only drives on roads,but also flies above them, making traffic jams a thing of the past.

International Airplanes

Future international airplanes will look familiar, but come with impressive upgrades. These advanced mega jets will feature higher safety standards, ensuring peace of mind for every passenger. Interiors will be brighter, thanks to more strategically placed lights, and wider runways will make takeoffs and landings smoother than ever.

In the next 20 years you may very well be boarding a plane with two floors of seats, offering more space and comfort for long-haul flights. The exterior design will also be sleek, with the bottom half left in a mirror finish, showcasing a modern, industrial aesthetic. These innovations will make international travel safer, more comfortable, and a bit more stylish.

Air taxi are on their way as AI-driven drone that have eight rotor blades, ready to whisk you away with efficiency and style. Step into the small cabin equipped with a large tinted window, offering privacy for finishing your morning routine or catching some shut-eye on the way home afetr a busy day.

These futuristic air taxis blend convenience and comfort, allowing you to skip traffic and arrive at your destination swiftly. Whether you’re commuting to work or heading out for a night on the town, these autonomous aerial vehicles promise a seamless and enjoyable journey above the hustle and bustle of city streets. Get ready to elevate your travel experience with air taxis — the future of urban mobility is here.

In the future, runways may undergo a transformation aimed at efficiency and safety. Picture runways with metal landing zones designed to withstand the rigors of frequent landings and takeoffs. Tall and sleek air traffic control (ATC) towers will oversee operations, utilizing advanced technology to manage air traffic seamlessly.

One of the most striking innovations will be the use of small AI drone lights surrounding the runway. These drones will autonomously guide incoming and departing planes, eliminating the need for traditional marshaller crews or ground personnel.

Imagine a synchronized ballet of lights directing planes with precision, ensuring smooth and timely arrivals and departures.

Moreover, a center track system will pull planes into their parking gates automatically, streamlining ground operations and reducing taxi times. This integration of technology promises to revolutionize airport efficiency, making air travel safer, faster, and more reliable than ever before.

More for You

Diana Taurasi Getting Roasted Online Over Caitlin Clark's WNBA All-Star Voting

'It Hurts': Blue Bloods Cast Share Final Set Photos as Series Wraps Filming

Dog Treat Recall Prompts Nationwide Warning to Pet Owners

Social Security's 2025 Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) Is on Track to Do Something That Hasn't Happened in 28 Years

This 20,000HP AI-generated rocket engine took just two weeks to design and looks like HR Giger's first attempt at designing a trumpet

Oklahoma Judge Orders Wind Farm in Osage County to Be Removed

I’m a Bank Teller: 7 Reasons You Shouldn’t Keep More Than $3,000 in a Checking Account

Dwight Howard was warned about Kobe Bryant before joining Lakers: "Kobe still wants to be the star"

The Only Major Actors Still Alive From The Carol Burnett Show

Is this Rare, Numbers-Matching 1970 Pontiac Trans Am Ram Air IV Muscle Car Royalty?

Neil Gorsuch Calls Out Supreme Court for Upending 100 Years of Precedent

Fact Check: Unfounded Rumor Claims Masked Joe Biden 'Body Double' Captured on Video

Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City Chiefs get big offer to leave Arrowhead Stadium

Rare earths found in Sweden: a game-changer?

Texan builds stunning ‘passive house’ that uses 75% less electricity and literally makes him money: ‘The best way to build’

Archaeologists find that Neanderthals and Homo sapiens organized living spaces similarly

"His greatness will never be superseded" - Phil Jackson explains why LeBron James and Kobe Bryant could never surpass Michael Jordan

Spectrum Is Raising Prices for the Second Time This Year. Here’s What You Can Do

12 Underrated Canned Foods You Should Be Eating More Often

Reflective Monolith In Las Vegas Removed By Police—What We Know About The Strange Structure And Others Like It