How airlines prepare for the AI shopping revolution

With AI agents like OpenAI’s Operator reshaping retail, airlines must rethink data, offers, and strategy to stay ahead

OpenAI has introduced a new AI shopping agent called “Operator,” signaling the arrival of a wave of AI agents from major tech companies. These agents are designed to autonomously perform complex tasks like online shopping, including flights, insurance, and cars—essentially acting as hyper-intelligent personal assistants that navigate both public and private data to deliver highly personalized results.

Key takeaways

• Agents will drive change, not companies: Consumers will quickly adopt AI agents, pushing a major shift in how online shopping is done - faster than companies, like airlines, can adapt.
• Agents are supercharged search engines: They can understand content, images, calendars, preferences, and rewards systems to deliver ultra-personalized offers.
• Airlines must become ‘agent ready’: Airlines need to upgrade their data, optimize websites for agents, and adopt dynamic, data-driven offers to stay competitive in the agent-powered future.
• New shopping interface: The traditional website/app interaction is fading; voice-activated agents will become the new shopping interface.
• Data quality is critical: Clean, structured, accessible data—including ancillaries and loyalty info - is key to ensuring agents can accurately represent offers.
• SEO evolves into agent optimization: Airlines must present clear, structured info for agents, not just human users, and continuously test what works.

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