The Next Boarding Call for Travel Retail: AI Assistants as a Commerce Channel

The Next Boarding Call for Travel Retail: AI Assistants as a Commerce Channel

Air travel is already an intricate dance of logistics, service, and experience. But a quiet revolution is happening inside airline and airport ecosystems - one that could redefine how passengers shop before, during, and after their journeys. The catalyst? AI-powered assistants that don’t just answer questions - they inspire, recommend, and close the sale.

And the timing couldn’t be more critical. With high-speed satellite connectivity providers like Starlink bringing near-home internet performance to the cabin, passengers now have unlimited access to entertainment, shopping, and content outside the airline’s own ecosystem. That attention shift is a double-edged sword - great for passenger satisfaction, but it risks pulling ancillary revenue opportunities away from onboard channels.

A friendly, capable AI shopping assistant -available right there in the airline’s app, seatback system, or chat channel-can re-anchor that attention. It can proactively start conversations, help passengers discover relevant offers, and make purchasing feel personal, timely, and effortless.

Four Signals from the Industry’s AI Pioneers

1. Qatar Airways – Sama 2.0
A holographic, AI-powered “digital cabin crew” that can converse in real time, Sama 2.0 blends hospitality and technology. Available in Qatar Airways’ QVerse and mobile app, Sama offers destination insights, answers FAQs, and showcases products and services with a premium, brand-led personality. It’s proof that AI can bring emotional engagement into a digital channel.

2. Iberia - Iberia GPT
Launched in June 2025, Iberia’s conversational assistant on the ChatGPT platform acts like a travel-savvy friend -helping with destination inspiration, flexible flight searches, and trip planning. It shows how AI can collapse the time between “I wonder where to go” and “I’ve booked it” - all within a single conversation.

3. Aeroméxico - Conversational Commerce via Messaging
Through AI-powered chat in WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, Aeroméxico allows passengers to search, book, check in, and manage travel in the channels they already use daily. It’s commerce in context - meeting customers in their preferred environment, not pulling them into a new one.

4. Dufry - Endless Aisle Personalisation
Dufry’s AI-assisted Endless Aisle greets passengers airside, reads their boarding pass, and offers tailored product suggestions alongside gate and walking time updates. It turns “I’m just killing time” into “I’ll take that” by making shopping feel relevant to the journey.

Where Travel Retail Commerce Goes Next

These examples hint at a larger shift: AI is moving from a support tool to a primary shopping channel.

In travel retail, an AI shopping assistant could:

• Answer Questions in Natural Language - “What skincare would suit an overnight flight to Tokyo?” or “Which whisky is best for a gift under €50?”
• Personalise in Real Time - Using flight details, loyalty status, past purchases, and even destination weather.
• Upsell Seamlessly - Suggesting seat upgrades, lounge passes, travel bundles, or destination activities alongside product offers.
• Capture Insights Through Conversation - Every chat builds a richer understanding of customer preferences, ready to inform future offers and campaigns.

And crucially, it’s not tied to a single touchpoint. The same assistant could work:

• On your website for pre-travel shopping and upselling
• In your mobile app for mid-journey offers and fulfilment
• Inside chat platforms like WhatsApp or social media shopping communities - blurring the lines between retail and social engagement

This isn’t just another digital tool. It’s the foundation of a new commerce channel for travel - one that is persistent, personal, and embedded in the passenger’s journey.

The Real Opportunity: Building on What You Already Have

The most exciting part? This future doesn’t require building a parallel system that lives outside your current retail and operations stack.

Imagine an AI shopping assistant that plugs directly into your existing product database, loyalty programme, fulfilment systems, and payment flows. That means:

• Offers reflect live inventory and pricing
• Loyalty rewards and discounts apply instantly
• Orders can be fulfilled onboard, in-airport, or post-arrival without extra manual steps
• Every conversation enriches a unified customer profile across channels

We believe this is where travel retail is heading and we’re actively exploring how this channel could be layered on top of existing end-to-end retail infrastructures, ready to unlock both new revenue and deeper customer engagement.

The boarding call is clear: AI-powered shopping assistants won’t just support travel retail - they will become one of its most important storefronts. The question now is how soon you’ll be ready to board.

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