Amadeus and AI-Agent Bookings in the Travel Industry
Amadeus argues AI platforms will use aggregators, but Duffel secured the direct partnership with Meta Muse in Q3 2026.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- Amadeus believes AI platforms will rely on aggregators rather than build booking systems.
- Duffel secured the direct relationship with Meta Muse instead of Amadeus.
- Bookings dropped 2.8% in the first nine months of 2026 while revenue per booking grew 5%.
Artificial intelligence agents are rapidly transforming how consumers search for and book travel. Although Amadeus has spent decades forging airline relationships, this long-standing advantage does not guarantee them a direct role as AI agents begin handling bookings autonomously for travelers.
During its Q3 2026 earnings call on Friday, November 6, company executives faced questions from an analyst regarding why Meta's Muse chose to partner with Duffel rather than Amadeus to handle travel booking execution.
CFO Carol Borg stated that the Muse-Duffel partnership supports the company's belief that AI platforms will plug into existing aggregators rather than building proprietary booking systems from scratch, asserting that the shift does not displace the traditional GDS model.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
"It actually reinforces it."
Carol Borg
Despite this perspective, the reality remains that Duffel, not Amadeus, holds the direct relationship with Muse. Other tech intermediaries are aggressively pursuing similar positions across airline distribution, hotel booking, and payment layers, including Selfbook, Nuitée, Katanox, AirGateway, and Kyte.
From an analytical perspective, the rise of specialized intermediaries like Duffel highlights a critical friction point in the AI era: raw inventory alone is no longer enough. Intermediaries that offer agile, API-first layers tailored for autonomous AI systems are capturing key integration points, forcing legacy GDS giants to evolve their strategies to stay relevant in automated booking workflows.
CEO Luis Maroto noted that servicing roughly 3 billion daily searches and complex itineraries at scale remains far more difficult than simply establishing point-to-point airline connections. Financially, Amadeus reported that bookings fell 2.8% in the first nine months of 2026 largely due to Middle East disruptions, though a 5% rise in revenue per booking helped push total group revenue up 5.2% to €5.08 billion.
Source: Skift
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