Airlink’s New Distribution Capability (NDC) content is now live on Aeronology, the single-screen travel platform that lets advisors search, book and service flights from multiple airlines without switching portals. Branded Airlink Direct Connect, the integration gives travel advisors full booking and servicing control for the regional carrier’s flights in one place for the first time.

For travel advisors, this means a direct solution to the fragmentation in regional African travel, where processing a flight change or refund has often depended entirely on the original booking portal. As the airline sitting at the centre of this network, Airlink’s integration into Aeronology solves a critical bottleneck for the trade.

Joao Regal, Senior Distribution Manager at Airlink, says: “NDC lets us present our full fare and ancillary offering properly, but that content is only as valuable as the ease with which the trade can actually sell and service it. For a network like ours, where itineraries change and need servicing, that matters just as much as the initial booking.”

“Airlink is fundamental to how this region moves,” adds Rian Bornman, Managing Director Africa at Aeronology. “Having it live in the same environment as GDS and LCC content removes one of the biggest remaining sources of friction. Advisors get their time back, and they spend it on clients instead of fighting technology.”

With Airlink Direct Connect live, Aeronology advisors can now:

• Shop, compare, and book Airlink flights seamlessly alongside Global Distribution System (GDS) and Low-Cost Carrier (LCC) content.
• Maintain full post-booking control, including the ability to void, cancel, and manage schedule changes without switching portals.
• Sell and manage ancillary services directly within the same workflow.

Solving the trade’s biggest operational headache

The integration lands against a backdrop the trade has already named as its core operational problem. A recent survey by ASATA, the Association of Southern African Travel Agents and Advisors, found that 82% of South African travel advisors identify managing multiple platforms as one of their biggest daily challenges.

Pete Egglestone, CEO of Aeronology, notes that this milestone proves the platform’s servicing-first model. “We built this platform because the industry outsourced its engine room and then wondered why servicing became so painful. Airlink is exactly the kind of content that proves our model, a carrier African advisors sell every day, now fully serviceable from tip to tail on the same screen as everything else.” Airlink Direct Connect is available immediately to all Aeronology advisors, including those without prior GDS experience, featuring real-time commission visibility and 24-hour telephone support.

Global travel tech firm Aeronology launched in South Africa today, introducing the country’s first fully agnostic travel distribution platform. The innovation gives travel advisors a single screen to search, book, ticket and service flights, ending the need to switch between disconnected systems to find and manage the best fares for clients.

The launch responds to a problem the industry has been vocal about for the past years: airlines’ New Distribution Capability (NDC) content is fragmented across different systems, so advisors often have to follow a different process every time a flight needs to be changed or refunded, depending on where the booking was made.

The Aeronology platform brings Travelport, Sabre, Amadeus, NDC and low-cost carrier content together in one fully serviced environment, including rebooking, reissuing, voiding and refunding, all from a single screen. Critically, no prior GDS experience is required to use it: any advisor who signs up gains full access to GDS, LCC and NDC content in one place, with complete control over booking, ticketing, refunds and ancillaries from day one.

The platform is built to serve every tier of the trade: individual advisors with little or no GDS experience, who gain full booking and ticketing capability without needing IATA accreditation of their own, GDS-experienced advisors who need a proper servicing and ticketing engine, and IATA-accredited host agencies managing large networks of independent advisors under a single set of contracts. Advisors see their commission in real time as they book, and can call on 24-hour telephone support whenever they need it.

“I have always been passionate about the future of online travel in Africa,” said Rian Bornman, who is spearheading Aeronology’s entry into the market. “After evaluating the leading systems available globally, I could not be prouder to bring what I believe finally provides South African travel advisors full control in one place. Juggling multiple portals just to change a flight I think has been overwhelming and this technology gives the advisor time back, allowing them to focus on their clients rather than fighting with fragmented technology.”

The timing is significant. According to ASATA CEO Otto de Vries, an industry survey found that 82% of South African travel advisors identified managing multiple platforms as one of their biggest operational challenges.

“This could not come at a more critical time,” said de Vries. “Our members have told us, clearly and consistently, that managing multiple, disconnected booking systems, and increasingly fragmented NDC content, is one of the biggest operational burdens they face. The industry needs solutions like this, and it needs them now.”

“We have been looking for the right partner to introduce what we believe is the world’s leading ticketing and fulfilment platform to Africa,” said Aeronology CEO Pete Egglestone. “Rian’s experience in online travel, distribution and travel technology makes him uniquely positioned to lead our growth across the continent.”

Bornman is no stranger to disruption and innovation. Over the past decade, he has built one of South Africa’s most talked-about travel businesses from the ground up, and has spent his career pushing the boundaries of how South Africans access and book travel online.

To bring Aeronology’s platform to the South African market, Bornman and Aeronology CEO Pete Egglestone signed a partnership agreement on 3 August, marking the company’s formal entry into the African market. South African travel advisors interested in trialling the Aeronology platform can register their interest at www.aeronology.travel. Designed with flexibility in mind, Aeronology can be implemented as an immediate go live solution or introduced alongside an advisor’s existing system, enabling for a seamless transition. 

Johannesburg – FCM Travel announced that Sam – already known to customers as the company’s AI travel companion – has been fundamentally reimagined. What goes live across more than 90 countries in June is not just an upgrade.

It is a new category. A proprietary AI ecosystem built at the core of FCM’s technology, making Sam the intelligence layer running through everything FCM does – not a feature sitting on top of it. For existing customers, what’s coming will feel like a different product entirely.

“This is a genuine, game-changing first for the managed travel industry,” said John Morhous, Global Chief Experience Officer, FCM Travel. “A lot of our competitors are trying to bolt AI onto existing stacks, but the real power in AI is that the more connected it is, the more you can do with it. Sam is built, not bought – and that compounds over time.”

Sam intelligence works across all roles – travellers, arrangers, and travel managers – with equal depth. Most AI in managed travel still focuses on a single point in the journey. Underpinning it all is FCM’s proprietary technology architecture, which defines which trusted data sources Sam queries for each interaction, preventing hallucination and ensuring enterprise-grade accuracy.

Customer data is stored in FCM’s private environment and never used to train public AI models.

Central to Sam’s architecture is its proprietary guardrail system – a capability that goes far beyond hallucination prevention. Travel managers can configure precisely how Sam responds to specific query types, ensuring answers always reflect their policies and rules of engagement.

A traveller not entitled to business class will never receive a recommendation for a premium fare. An out-of-policy hotel will not be surfaced as an option.

Spend thresholds, approval workflows, and supplier preferences are all automatically enforced in conversation, giving organisations the benefits of conversational AI while retaining the programme controls that enterprise travel demands.

“Travellers are tired of fragmented experiences – piecing together more than five tools just to get through a trip,” said Morhous.

“Sam isn’t a single point of support. It’s there throughout the entire journey, for every person in a travel programme. Because our AI is proprietary, the accuracy and compliance enterprises need isn’t bolted on, it’s built in.”

“But what truly sets this apart is our people. Sam works alongside our FCM travel managers so that when a human moment matters most – a disruption, a complex itinerary, an urgent need – our experts step in with the speed, context, and care that no technology alone can replicate. Sam makes those moments more meaningful, not less.”

At launch, Sam delivers end-to-end trip support across the full traveller journey, with real-time programme data intelligence for travel managers through plain-language conversation, seamless handoff to FCM Travel Managers with full context intact, and a unique smart redirect into customers’ existing booking tools – the only AI solution in managed travel to offer this.

“June is only the beginning,” said Morhous. “Because we own our technology end-to-end, every release makes our customers’ programmes smarter.”

Mummy Mafojane, General Manager at FCM South Africa, agrees: “Sam represents a meaningful shift in what you can expect from a travel management partner. FCM South Africa customers have travel programmes that stretch across the continent and beyond, often through complex routings and shifting conditions. Sam brings another layer of intelligence, consistency and speed into every interaction, allowing our local travel experts to focus on what they do best. We see this as the start of something significant for managed travel in our market.”

Cape Town: Africa Travel Week, built by RX Africa, has released its annual State of the Industry Report. The comprehensive, data-driven report examines the forces transforming travel and tourism across the continent, from aviation access and AI-driven distribution to sustainability compliance, inclusion and the next generation workforce.

The report arrives at a pivotal moment. Africa welcomed 81 million international visitors in 2025 – 8% growth, the fastest of any region globally – and aviation capacity surged 13.7% to 182.4 million departure seats. Yet the headline numbers mask a more fractured reality: Central and Western Africa recorded 0% aviation growth while Eastern Africa surged 24.3%; fewer than 5% of African hospitality properties hold third-party sustainability certification, despite the EU’s greenwashing ban activating in September 2026; and 72% of Gen Z now use AI to plan travel, meaning operators without machine-readable inventory are invisible before the conversation even begins.

“This report explores current themes and trends,” said Olivia Gradidge, Marketing Manager, WTM Africa & ILTM Africa. “Including trust, AI and travel tech, traveller psychology, sustainability and authenticity.”

Commissioned to Big Ambitions, RX Africa’s content, communications and marketing agency, the report draws on contributions from more than 25 industry leaders, academics, and practitioners across the continent, including environmental expert Dr Louise de Waal, director of the Blood Lions campaign to end commercial captive lion breeding and canned hunting, Judy Kepher Gona, founder and executive director at Sustainable Travel and Tourism Agenda (STTA), and Luckson Zambuko, Founder of the African Youth in Tourism and Hospitality Association. 

“What struck us most when compiling this report was not the scale of the opportunity – that has always been evident – but the specificity of what is now required to capture it,” said Dorine Reinstein, Content Director, Big Ambitions. “The operators and destinations that are winning in 2026 are not the ones with the best product, but the ones with the best proof. Proof of access, proof of trust, proof of sustainability, proof of welcome. That shift– from aspiration to verification – is the defining commercial reality this report addresses.”

The full report, including a ten-point manifesto for African tourism stakeholders, is available at https://soi2026.yop.co.za/ – required reading for every operator, investor, policymaker, and destination marketer with a stake in the future of African tourism.

It was introduced by Carol Weaving, Managing Director of RX Africa, with a video at the opening ceremony of WTM Africa on Monday, 13 April, and supported by a panel discussion on the Future Stage on Wednesday, 15 April. 

The panel, sponsored by LIFT and moderated by Dorine Reinstein, included David Frost, CEO of SATSA; Judy Kepher Gona, Director of Sustainable Travel & Tourism Africa; Kwakye Donkor, CEO of Africa Tourism Partners; Liesel van Zyl, Head of Positive Impact and Product Development at Go2Africa; and Rashid Toefy, Deputy Director-General for Economic Operations at the Western Cape Department of Economic Development and Tourism.

The full video can be found here: WTM Africa 2026: ATW State of the Industry Report Launch

The move forms part of a broader effort to raise global awareness of Saint Helena’s hiking offering, while improving access to accurate, user-friendly route information for visitors.

“Our island is genuinely unlike anywhere else, offering an extraordinary combination of volcanic scenery and rich biodiversity,” says Jonathan Passaportis, Head of Tourism for St Helena. “By improving free digital access to our trails, we’re making it easier for travellers to explore confidently and discover the scenery that makes St Helena so special.”

The Post Box Walks are the island’s established trail network, covering a wide range of difficulty levels and landscapes. Some follow coastal paths with views over the South Atlantic. Others cut through National Conservation Areas where less than 700 endemic St Helena plovers call home.

“A few walks directly through the island’s history, including routes near Longwood House, where Napoleon Bonaparte spent his years of exile, and others lead to East India Company coastal fortifications,” Passaportis adds.

Although routes are clearly signposted and graded for all skill levels, he highlights how getting accurate, up-to-date route information online for St Helena’s hiking network has historically been a challenge. By listing on Outdooractive, a leading digital platform for outdoor enthusiasts, the island’s trails are now searchable, mappable, and available offline, which matters when you’re somewhere this remote.

St Helena has always been a travel-list-topping destination for intrepid travellers, but Passaportis emphasises how the island’s remote location means we are often viewed as an untouched and difficult frontier.

“By showcasing our spectacular Post Box Walks on Outdooractive, we are quite literally placing our island into the hands of global hikers. This isn’t just about mapping routes; it’s about giving travellers the confidence to immerse themselves knowing they have world-class digital guidance in their pocket,” he concludes.

The routes are live now and free to access here.

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JOHANNESBURG – Everyone is talking about AI, but new data reveals a trust gap: only 10% of business travel buyers actually trust it with their bookings.

If you’ve attended a conference or scrolled LinkedIn, the robot revolution sounds imminent. Agentic AI can plan your trip, book your flights, predict delays and make decisions on your behalf. And in many ways, the tech is genuinely delivering.

Yet research from last year’s Business Travel Show America (October 2026), shows that only 10% of travel buyers currently trust AI-generated recommendations for bookings, itineraries, and policy support. That’s not a rejection of the technology (especially as 30% of buyers indicated their willingness to try new tools), it’s a sign of where we are in the adoption curve – and the level of uncertainty that still exists.

The ‘black box’ problem

Put simply, black box AI refers to complex artificial intelligence systems where the internal decision-making process is hidden (or incomprehensible) to humans. While users can observe the inputs and outputs, the specific steps, weights, and logic used to generate a result are not interpretable, creating serious trust and transparency challenges.

Additionally, the stakes are high in corporate travel. If ChatGPT writes a bad poem, it’s funny. But if AI books a CEO into a non-compliant hotel in a high-risk zone or routes a team through an airport that requires a transit visa they don’t have, it’s a disaster.

FCM Consulting’s latest Insights Report offers a useful lens: the ‘3am in Frankfurt’ test.

Imagine it’s the middle of the night. A business traveller’s connecting flight has just been cancelled, the next available seat isn’t until the following afternoon, and a critical client meeting hangs in the balance. In one scenario, an AI-driven system responds within minutes – rebooking the traveller, securing a nearby hotel, updating the itinerary, and notifying both the traveller and their manager before they’ve had a chance to panic.

But a seasoned consultant might know of a high-speed train connection or a different airline alliance that gets the traveller there by morning – options that never surfaced in the system’s results.

This is where the either/or framing of the AI debate starts to break down. For FCM, the more useful question isn’t whether AI or humans handle the 3am crisis, it’s how well they work together when it counts.

“The best outcomes happen when technology is doing what it’s best at, like processing huge amounts of information quickly, and people are doing what they’re best at: making decisions, solving complex problems, and delivering care,” says Mummy Mafojane, GM of FCM South Africa.

Data blindness

And there’s another challenge for South African travel managers. Most global AI models are trained on Western datasets that don’t always capture the fragmented reality of African travel. An algorithm might seamlessly book a flight from London to New York, but it often lacks full visibility into local low-cost carriers or regional accommodation providers that haven’t fully digitised their inventory via global APIs (application programming interface). If the AI can’t see the full picture, the buyer can’t trust the price.

As Mafojane explains:

“We operate in a high-touch environment in South Africa. Our travel managers are dealing with a fluctuating rand, complex visa requirements for international and intra-Africa travel, and duty of care responsibilities that carry serious consequences. When you’re managing that level of complexity, trust is built on accountability. Buyers are saying, ‘I need to know that if the tech fails, there is a person to catch the ball.’ So, rather than a rejection of technology, the scepticism we see in the data is a demand for reliability.”

Assistance, not autonomy

The hesitation revolves around control, but the root cause is financial. In the traditional high-touch model, if a human consultant makes a booking error, the travel management company (TMC) usually absorbs the cost to rectify it. But if an autonomous AI ‘hallucinates’ a flight connection that doesn’t exist, or books a non-refundable rate against policy, who is liable? Until tech providers clarify the indemnification for algorithmic errors, travel buyers will naturally keep their hands firmly on the wheel.

Booking.com’s recent Global AI Sentiment Report backs this up. While 91% of consumers are ‘excited’ about AI, only 12% are comfortable letting it make decisions independently. And the vast majority (67%) view AI as an assistant rather than a manager.

Travel buyers are on the same page. The Business Travel Show research indicates that while they don’t want AI making the final call, they’re desperate for help with the grunt work.

• 25% want AI to automate routine admin (freeing them up for strategy).
• 23% want proactive disruption management.
• 21% want better data insights to stretch their budgets.

“The move is from ‘Artificial Intelligence’ to ‘Assisted Intelligence’,” notes Mafojane. “Rather than replacing professional travel manager, we need the robot to be the best (and fastest) intern the travel manager has ever had, handling the data entry, reconciliation, and pattern spotting, so the human can focus on the traveller.”

It’s a distinction FCM is already acting on with the relaunch of Sam, their AI-powered virtual assistant.

“The design philosophy behind Sam is what sets it apart from the wave of chatbots appearing across the industry,” says John Morhous, FCM’s global Chief Experience Officer.

“A lot of our competitors have essentially just bolted a large language model onto a support workflow. Sam is built to work differently – drawing on a traveller’s profile, duty of care data, risk tools and live operational systems to answer questions in context, rather than in isolation. It’s not a frustrating and shallow question/answer/question/answer scenario. It has real virtual assistant capabilities that encompass the entire travel programme.”

Mafojane explains that Sam is available across FCM’s proprietary booking platform, app and browser extension, offering up-to-the-minute information and support, ensuring all bookings comply with a company’s individual travel policy – and keeping traveller preferences top of mind.

Bridging the gap

So, how do we move from scepticism to trust?

1. Transparency is non-negotiable
   The ‘black box’ era is over. Tech providers need to show their working. If AI recommends a route, it needs to explain why. Is it cheaper? More sustainable?
2. Start small (and safe)
   Trust is earned in drops and lost in buckets. The FCM Consulting report suggests that corporates wary of AI start with low-risk pilots. Don’t hand over your entire booking process on day one. Start with expense management or reporting. Let the systems prove they can handle the data before you let them handle your people.
3. 3. The human safety net
   Perhaps the most critical factor for the South African market is the hybrid model.

“The future of corporate travel is digital-forward, human-always. The companies that will succeed in bridging this trust gap are the ones that use AI to make their people faster and smarter, not the ones trying to remove people from the equation,” says Mafojane.

The verdict?

The 90% of buyers who don’t trust AI yet are pragmatists. They’re waiting for the tech to prove it understands the messy, unpredictable, human reality of business travel.

Until the algorithm can empathise with a traveller stuck at O.R. Tambo, or negotiate a waiver on a non-refundable ticket, the human element remains the ultimate premium feature. Problem… solved? Not quite. “But with the right balance of high-tech and high-touch, we’re getting there,” Mafojane concludes.

AirlinePros International unveiled its Digital Destination Marketing Portal, FlyingCarpet.travel at its four-day International Assembly in Cape Town, targeting what industry insiders say is one of 2026’s biggest challenges: helping travel advisors find and book the authentic experiences their clients increasingly demand.  

The Portal launch comes as travel professionals report a fundamental shift in client requests. Travellers are walking away from traditional tourist attractions, asking instead for cooking classes with local families, stays at community-owned lodges, and workshops with traditional craftspeople – experiences that until now have been nearly impossible for advisors to source and book.  

“Travel advisors have been telling us for months that their clients want authentic experiences, but they can’t find them through normal booking channels,” said Achma Asokan Foster, Group CEO of AirlinePros International. “Nobody knows about the Trappist Trail in KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, yet everyone talks about the Camino in Spain. We’re not talking about slightly off-the-beaten-path tours. Clients want the real thing: experiences that actually benefit local communities.”  

The Aladdin’s world program on FlyingCarpet.Travel portal showcases previously hidden experiences like Zambia’s extraordinary bat migration at Kasanka National Park – where 10 million straw-coloured fruit bats create the world’s largest mammal migration from October to December – and South Africa’s Abbot Pfanner Trappist Trail, a spiritual walking route through historic mission stations in KwaZulu-Natal that rivals Spain’s famous Camino routes.  

Bridging NTOs, DMOs and Travel Advisors 

Aladdin’s World, part of AirlinePros International’s expanding digital portfolio, serves as a destination marketing and fulfilment solution that bridges National Tourism Organisations, Destination Management Organisations, and travel advisors seeking bookable authentic experiences.  

It provides travel advisors with integrated booking capabilities and real-time transactional features that traditional informational NTO sites lack. Unlike commoditised OTA platforms focused on price competition, Aladdin’s World emphasises destination uniqueness and quality while providing zero-cost core services for participating NTOs, removing barriers that previously prevented smaller destinations from accessing professional travel distribution networks.  

Empowering SMEs Through Advanced Technology 

The platform’s breakthrough lies in giving small and medium enterprises access to the same booking infrastructure available to major hotel chains and tour operators. Through the “Oasis” Local Supplier CMS & Booking Engine, currently under development, local artisans, family-run lodges, and community guides will manage real-time booking and multi-tier pricing through easy-to-use supplier dashboards.  

“For the first time, a traditional craft workshop or family-run eco-lodge will be able to offer travel advisors the same instant booking confirmation and professional service standards as international operators,” Foster explained. Features include automated promotions, resource allocation tools, and supplier notification systems that level the playing field for authentic local providers.  

AI-Powered Solutions Meet Market Demand 

The timing addresses what industry research confirms is 2026’s defining travel trend: complete rejection of manufactured tourism experiences. Multiple industry reports highlight travellers prioritising cultural depth, meaningful experiences, and alternatives to ‘overtourised’ destinations.  

Travel advisors benefit from the platform’s “Genie” AI-Powered Destination Trip Planner, which provides smart recommendations and itinerary adjustments, plus data-driven marketing insights that traditional platforms don’t offer. One-click booking capabilities for flights, hotels and tours streamline the booking process, while interactive chatbot and voice command features enhance user experience.  

Industry Recognition and Global Reach 

Operating across over 60 countries through AirlinePros’ established network, the platform leverages decades of airline industry expertise to provide the reliability travel advisors need while connecting them with experiences previously accessible only through complex local arrangements.  

The Cape Town assembly brought together representatives from nearly 70 global offices, aviation and tourism leaders, and media professionals exploring pressing industry themes from sustainability to AI integration, highlighting the platform’s strategic timing as the industry addresses evolving client demands.  

As UN Tourism’s Elcia Grandcourt notes: “What visitors don’t see is how tourism preserves culture, creates opportunities for young people to thrive in their communities, and safeguards biodiversity.” The platform directly supports this by ensuring booking revenue flows to local providers rather than international intermediaries. 

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JOHANNESBURG – Social media is full of seemingly genius travel hacks. With a few swipes through #TravelTok, you’ll find how-tos on scoring business class seats for economy prices, sneaky ways to bypass baggage fees and “little-known” booking tricks that promise to save hundreds.

But while some of these tips might work for casual travellers or gap year backpackers, experts say tapping into TikTok’s travel advice can be risky.

“Social media has dramatically changed how people approach travel, but not all content is created with business needs in mind,” explains Herman Heunes, GM at Corporate Traveller. We reviewed some of TikTok’s most viral travel trends and asked Heunes whether they’re viable for business travellers.

The “Airport Theory”: Just Arrive 15 Minutes Before Departure

Originally intended as a poetic commentary on goodbyes, “Airport Theory” has taken on a life of its own. The revised trend advises arriving at the airport as close as possible to your flight departure to avoid lingering and “wasting time”.

In reality, cutting it that close introduces stress and the very real possibility of missing your flight – particularly if you’re travelling through busy hubs or unfamiliar airports.

“This strategy may appeal emotionally, but practically, it puts business travellers at risk,” says Heunes. “Even a minor disruption – traffic, a long security queue, or a gate change – can completely unwind your entire itinerary. Building in buffer time doesn’t waste your day, it protects it,” Heunes explains.

What to do instead:

• For domestic flights, arrive at least 90 minutes before departure. For international routes, allow 2 to 3 hours.
• Use airport time to prepare for meetings, review documents, or respond to emails.

Skiplagging: Exit at the Layover to Save Money

Skiplagging – booking a connecting flight but exiting during the first layover – has been praised by TikTok users as a loophole for accessing cheaper fares. But using this method as a business traveller could lead to cancelled remainder tickets, lost loyalty points, or even being banned by major carriers.

“Skiplagging violates airline terms and introduces unpredictability,” says Heunes. “On top of risking invalidated returns, it compromises your duty-of-care if your company needs to locate or reschedule your travel.”

What to do instead:

• If lower fares are a goal, use a trusted travel management company (TMC) to identify savings.
• Consider loyalty programmes and corporate fare agreements that offer long-term value.

Buying Points to Save on Business Class

TikTokers often point out that you can buy airline miles outright. In the right circumstances, that could mean scoring business seats for half the equivalent worth of points. Heunes agrees there is some truth here, but only for travellers who know how to navigate route-based pricing models and loyalty programme fine print.

“This approach requires research and timing, and is not always consistent across airlines,” he says. “But when done right, it can certainly reduce costs for travellers.”

What to do:

• Sign up for airline loyalty schemes and air miles credit cards where relevant.
• Monitor deal forums and official airline promotions for discounts on points.

Hiding Extra Baggage in a Pillowcase

Some TikTok users suggest disguising clothing in pillowcases or shopping bags to bypass strict carry-on policies, especially on low-cost airlines. Others recommend techniques like faking a shopping spree at duty-free stores to avoid charges. While it may technically work in some cases, Heunes argues it’s not a viable solution for professionals.

“This method can create awkward interactions at the gate,” he says. “It’s not worth saving a few rands if it risks creating logistical problems.”

What to do:

• Maximise your existing baggage allowance with smart packing and compression tools.
• Check if your corporate policy includes waivers or added benefits with preferred airlines.

Booking Flights on Tuesdays at Midnight

One of the most persistent myths is that airline fares drop significantly on Tuesday nights or Wednesday mornings. While flight prices do fluctuate, the impact of booking on a specific day tends to vary depending on route, seasonality and airline behaviour.

“There’s no universal rule, but there is merit to timing your bookings strategically,” Heunes explains.

What to do:

• Aim to book flights 4 to 6 weeks in advance to secure consistent pricing.
• Use fare alert tools, or work with a travel advisor who can flag discounts as they appear.

“Some of these strategies are harmless; others can completely derail a work trip,” says Heunes. “The most valuable travel hack of all? Planning ahead and relying on real-world travel expertise.

In fact, the next time you book a business trip, you can be 100% sure that AI is streamlining site navigation, prompting on-policy travel decisions, anticipating your travel preferences, and contributing a few impressively intuitive touches to make sure your journey is smoother than ever before.

From dodging delays to curating your in-flight movie list, here are five ways AI is revolutionising business travel:

1.Plotting the perfect itinerary

Have you checked into a hotel recently and been pleasantly surprised by the choice of room, on-site amenities, or mini-bar offerings? It’s not blind luck. Chances are, AI is picking up on your past travel behaviour and preferences – and feeding it directly to the people who make a difference.

For frequent flyers, that means enjoying subtle tweaks to lounge benefits, airline seating, meal options, and even in-flight entertainment (yes, airlines like Emirates and Delta are dabbling in AI-curated movie menus – all based on a passenger’s previous viewing habits).

But as Mummy Mafojane, Productive Operations Leader at FCM, explains, an AI-perfected itinerary is also on-policy at all times.

“Today’s booking tools use AI to curate and shape your travel choices” says Mafojane. “For example, the FCM platform, which was built for managers, bookers and travellers, automatically green flags options that comply with your company travel policy, while factoring in your preferences and requirements  around sustainability and traveller wellness.”

2.Planning smarter routes

AI, says Mafojane, is also an indispensable tool when it comes to scouring global distribution systems or travel aggregators for the best flights.

“Convenience and comfort remain top priorities for business travellers. This means a direct flight is often preferable to a cheaper connection. It’s not just about saving money; it’s about reclaiming time. AI puts the best options on the table, improving efficiency, simplifying processes and making business travel an altogether more enjoyable experience.”

3.Automating airport experiences

Biometric screening using facial recognition at check-in and security is already widespread, including at Heathrow, Changi, and major US hubs. Technologies like SmartGate, ePassport gates, and TSA facial recognition systems streamline security and immigration processes. Singapore’s Changi Airport now offers passport-free clearance, while the US has implemented facial recognition across 80 airports. These AI-enhanced systems ultimately lead to faster check-ins and security processing, reducing airport queues and wait times – still the biggest bugbear for travellers today.

4.Predicting (and preventing flight delays)

Major airlines are already using machine learning to analyse weather patterns, air traffic data, and aircraft turnaround times, predicting disruptions hours – or even days – ahead.

Delta led the charge, cutting maintenance cancellations from 5,600 in 2010 to just 55 in 2018 by analysing aircraft sensor data – though they weren’t immune to 2024’s CrowdStrike outage chaos.

The airline also employs AI-driven systems to simulate weather disruptions, aiding real-time decision-making for flight schedules and crew management.

Not to be outdone, JetBlue has also enhanced its weather forecasting capabilities, thereby minimising delays and cancellations. Initially implemented at Boston Logan International Airport, the technology has been expanded across JetBlue’s busiest airports, saving over $300,000 a month across these airports, potentially delivering a    $4 million saving for the company.

5.Providing 24/7 customer support

Flight cancelled at midnight? Generative AI chatbots, used by some TMCs, reroute travellers instantly. They’re fast, multilingual, and tireless, handling bookings or tracking bags while you sleep.

TMCs like FCM integrate generative AI chatbots into their platforms to enhance traveller support by handling routine tasks, including flight changes, destination information and everyday queries. In other words, chatbots tackle the basics, freeing human agents to deal with complex crises, like unexpected global events or weather phenomena that impact travellers across the world.

Here too, AI is invaluable.

“AI-driven risk tools track global events in real time,” says Mafojane. “Machine learning is used in risk assessment and both travel managers and travellers receive an alert if there is an emerging threat nearby. Travel managers can jump into action, rerouting passengers where possible, rescheduling flights, or, in worst case scenarios, ensuring safe evacuation.”  

Obviously, AI can’t outsmart a “Beast from the East” mega storm. But it’s getting better at smoothing out the rough edges.

“AI can help us deliver everything travellers are asking for: quick, comfortable, and safe journeys. But it’s also enabling truly personalised travel experiences. And that’s very exciting indeed,” concludes Mafojane.

Otto de Vries, Executive Director WTAAA, says: “It takes immense courage to reassess past actions, and we recognise this as a pivotal step towards fostering better communication and collaboration within the travel industry.”

We would like to specifically acknowledge the critical role played by our esteemed members, the American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA), the Association of Canadian Travel Agencies and Travel Advisors (ACTA) and the Latin American Tourism Forum (FOLATUR), who represent 11 associations and federations of travel agencies in Latin America, in advocating for the interests of travel agents and ensuring their voices were heard.

We hope this development will pave the way for American Airlines to rebuild constructive relationships with travel agents and advisors worldwide and recognise the tremendous value they provide in delivering a seamless and personalised experience to travellers. “WTAAA stands ready to facilitate such discussions and foster collaboration among all parties involved,” says de Vries.