Competitive Landscape
Who's building AI travel booking, what they can do, and where the gaps are.
Who Actually Books (Not Just Plans)?
| Product | Books? | Channel | Differentiator |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trip.com TripGenie | Yes (E2E) | App | Most mature AI booking agent. 2x conversion, 125% traffic lift |
| Hopper | Yes | App | Price prediction AI. $850M revenue, $7.5B bookings |
| Revolut + Swifty | Building | App | Fintech + AI travel + loyalty. 65M users. Post-acquisition |
| KAYAK AI Mode | No (redirects) | Web/App | Conversational search, redirects to partners |
| Google Gemini Flights | No (redirects) | Web | Unmatched data moat, building toward agentic booking |
| GuideGeek | No | 7M+ questions answered. 650% MoM DAU growth |
Critical Threats
Google AI Mode
ExistentialBuilding end-to-end agentic booking by H2 2026. Unmatched data moat — flight data, maps, reviews, payment. If Google decides to let Gemini book flights directly, every OTA and startup is threatened.
Our angle: Google won't know your credit card benefits or loyalty portfolio. They optimize for their marketplace, not your rewards.
MakeMyTrip + OpenAI
HighFebruary 2026 partnership announced. 55% market share in India. "Myra" AI handles 50K+ daily conversations. They have inventory, brand trust, and now AI capability.
Our angle: MakeMyTrip optimizes for their marketplace. They don't know your Chase card earns 3x or that you have 85K United miles.
Revolut + Swifty
HighAcquired Swifty for AI travel. 65M users. Built-in fintech layer with payment, forex, loyalty. Post-acquisition integration in progress.
Our angle: Revolut is app-first. We're WhatsApp-first. They're strong in Europe, we focus India+US. And they're still integrating.
Points & Miles Optimization Tools
| Tool | What | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Point.me | Award flight search (34 programs) | $130/year |
| AwardFares | Real-time award search + alerts | $10-20/month |
| CardPointers | Which card to use per merchant | $50/year |
| MaxRewards | Card account aggregator + auto-activate bonuses | $108/year |
| The Points Guy | Content + card recommendations | Free (affiliate) |
None of these tools actually book flights. They search and recommend. The gap between recommendation and transaction is our opportunity.
Indian OTA AI Features
MakeMyTrip 'Myra'
50K+ daily AI conversations. New OpenAI partnership (Feb 2026). Deep inventory integration.
ixigo + OpenAI
Partnered with OpenAI (Feb 2026). 90% of support already AI-powered. Strong in trains + buses.
IndiGo '6Eskai'
End-to-end WhatsApp flight booking — reduced CS workload 75%. Single airline only.
Our Competitive Position
| OTA Weakness | Our Advantage |
|---|---|
| Inventory-first | Traveler-first |
| Don't know your credit card benefits | We optimize around your cards |
| Require app downloads | We live in WhatsApp |
| Same results for everyone | We learn and personalize |
| Transactional | Relational — ongoing advisor |