E-commerce, marketing, disruption and turnaround management and customer experience have been identified as areas that agentic AI is ready to transform for airlines.

A new whitepaper from Amadeus and Microsoft, who have a strategic partnership for developing next-gen technologies in aviation, has been released today.

The ‘Airlines in the agentic age: use cases and ideas for getting started with AI’ report makes “tangible recommendations”  of the areas airlines can take advantage of technology that is mature enough today to be deployed.

THE WHITEPAPER CAN DE DOWNLOADED NOW FOR FREE FROM THE AMADEUS WEBSITE

Amadeus says after a decade of investment in AI it is now scaling its capabilities in generative agentic AI and this is expected to unlock new levels of automation and personalisation.

The report draws insights from experts from Amadeus and Microsoft as well as number of airlines including Azul, Icelandair, and Southwest Airlines.

The five areas identified in the report were:

1. Automated voice rebooking: Amadeus said trials show an airline AI agent can identify a booking, understand a verbal change request, propose new options, articulate the fare differential and initiate payment. The AI agent can handle multiple calls in the traveller’s preferred language, slashing call waiting times. Amadeus has successfully tested this technology and it is now ready to move into production.
2. Agentic commerce: The report cites AI’s ability to plan, book and service customised trips, identifying opportunities across airline touchpoints like website, mobile or call centre, and setting out options for how airlines can engage with AI assistants like Microsoft Copilot and ChatGPT.
3. Intelligent digital marketing: Another AI agent enables more agile marketing by identifying underperforming routes, recommending a campaign strategy, generating digital ads and allocating spend across channels, before executing and reporting on results.
4. Turnaround management: Teams of AI agents can support aircraft turnaround by monitoring maintenance, crew, re-fuelling and other processes to recommend an integrated plan. Icelandair and Southwest Airlines are exploring AI-enabled decision support to improve operational planning.
5. Personalised offers and customer experience: AI agents are replacing static rules and overcoming data fragmentation so airlines can package customized offers and tailored digital experiences. AI enables airlines to orchestrate each traveller’s journey, aligning individual needs with the airline’s strategic priorities.

Cyril Tetaz, executive vice president airline solutions at Amadeus said: “We expect agentic AI to improve almost every airline workflow, from network planning to customer service.

“And for Amadeus, I see great opportunities for AI to reinforce our applications and introduce new capabilities.

“Also, as a trusted system-of-record in travel, we facilitate travel industry connectivity and orchestration at scale, and this new technology will help us accelerate progress toward a smoother, more connected journey”.

The whitepaper urges airlines to start now by developing use cases for AI or risk being left behind by competitors taking first mover advantage.

However, it says businesses must ensure that the quality and organisation of their data is correct before they start adopting agentic AI.

“The results achieved from AI depend heavily on the quality, availability and structure of airline data, making data preparation a critical first step.

“From there, airlines are encouraged to focus on the workflows where AI can deliver the greatest impact – whether in cost reduction or revenue generation – and to take a targeted, scalable approach.”

Another critical factor identified in the report is for AI to have strong governance to ensure it scales responsibly, builds trust, and delivers true value to both airlines and travellers.

Julie Shainock, global managing director for travel, transport and logistics at Microsoft, said: “2026 will be a defining year for agentic AI in aviation. Over the next 18 months, most airlines will move from exploration to real-world deployment – embedding agents across the traveller journey and core operations.”

THE WHITEPAPER CAN DE DOWNLOADED NOW FOR FREE FROM THE AMADEUS WEBSITE