AI in Aviation: Smarter Travel

As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to evolve, its impact on the travel industry becomes increasingly apparent. From optimizing travel planning to enhancing sustainability, AI is reshaping the way we experience the world. Join us as we explore the transformative potential of AI in travel.

There is a saying that innovations are greatly overestimated in the beginning, but greatly underestimated in the long run. The first half of this thesis, at least, is currently being proven with regards to artificial intelligence (AI). We all remember the almost hysterical hype at the beginning of 2023 – AI was either hailed as a savior or criticized as extremely dangerous.

Meanwhile, the discussion has become more objective and focused as AI applications are becoming commonplace. This also applies to the Lufthansa Group, as Dr. Ivan Terekhov explains: "We are working with AI at all levels to make traveling even easier and more enjoyable for passengers – from booking a flight to checking into a hotel." 

As Director of Research and Intelligence at the Lufthansa Innovation Hub (LIH), Terekhov is one of our experts when it comes to the future of travel. The guiding principle of the LIH is "Taking travel to new destinations."

Terekhov is convinced that artificial intelligence will be a game changer for the travel industry – but not in the blink of an eye. "In the Lufthansa Group, we want to use AI to optimize travel planning and further improve the sustainability of flying, as well as punctuality and reliability."

In a joint project with Google, for example, flight paths are being optimized to reduce fuel consumption and thus CO2 emissions. 

A team at LIH is constantly working on the ways new technologies could change travel. For instance, how virtual reality glasses, such as Apple's recently launched Vision Pro, could improve the quality of travel. Chatbots will also become even more important in the future, as shown by another LIH project that is already being tested. 

The AI assistant Swifty makes booking business trips more efficient and therefore faster. "The democratization of the personal assistant" is what Stanislav Bondarenko, who developed Swifty with his team for the LIH, calls it. "In five minutes, our customers can now book and pay for flights from many international airlines and hotels via chat", he says, explaining the benefits of Swifty. This is made possible by the integration of the popular AI application ChatGPT-4 and the cooperation with technology companies such as Expedia.

"Swifty now brings the benefits of personal assistance to all business travelers," says Bondarenko. But this is just the beginning: "The plan is to also integrate train bookings, Uber or taxi rides, CO2 offsetting, airport parking, and even restaurant bookings into Swifty." An all-round service from a single (digital) source – that really does sound like a bright future for travel. 

The role of an innovation such as artificial intelligence should not be underestimated.