AirTravel AI

Your AI travel agent on WhatsApp that optimizes every trip around your cards, miles, and travel style.

Research & Strategy — February 2026

$1T+
Global Online Travel by 2030
+8.6% CAGR
$13.4B
AI in Travel by 2030
+26.7% CAGR
535M
WhatsApp Users in India
+89% smartphone penetration
81-89%
Booking Abandonment Rate
UX friction

The Gap Nobody Fills

Nobody combines conversational AI travel booking + multi-program loyalty optimization + credit card rewards maximization in a single consumer product.

💳

OTAs don't know your cards

MakeMyTrip, Booking.com treat every search as a new customer. No knowledge of your credit card benefits or loyalty portfolio.

🎯

Points tools don't book

Point.me, AwardFares search award flights but can't actually book. You still need to go to the airline website.

💬

WhatsApp bots don't transact

GuideGeek answers 7M+ questions but can't book a single flight. The gap between recommendation and transaction is where money is lost.

Research Sections

Technical Architecture

WhatsApp (via OpenClaw)
OpenClaw Gateway
orchestration, memory, sessions
Claude Opus 4.6
reasoning, tool use, preference learning
Duffel API
flights + hotels
SQLite
preferences, loyalty
Stripe
payments

Key Thesis

1
WhatsApp-native = zero CAC organic growth

No app store CPI ($3-$6 saved/user). Viral sharing of a phone number is free. Customer sits in your chat list forever.

2
Loyalty portfolio is the moat

Once we know your miles, points, tier statuses, and card benefits — switching costs are enormous. No competitor can replicate your personalized optimization.

3
Credit card affiliates are highest-margin revenue

A single premium card approval ($100-$700) exceeds revenue from 10-50 flight bookings. Contextual recommendations during travel conversations convert naturally.

4
Hotels are the profit center, flights are the acquisition tool

Hotel commissions: 8-15% ($24-$72/booking). Flight margins: negative to slim. Use flights to acquire users, monetize on hotels.

5
12-18 month window before incumbents catch up

MakeMyTrip+OpenAI and Google AI Mode are coming. But nobody combines booking + loyalty + credit card optimization yet. Move fast.