With 60% of passengers citing communication as the biggest pain point during disruptions, AI-powered, omnichannel engagement is helping airlines respond faster, personalise support, and strengthen customer trust.
LONDON - July 14, 2026 - As the summer holidays start and the travel industry grapples with continued disruption, a fundamental shift in travel disruption management is emerging.
Global communications platform Infobip has found that the airlines successfully navigating turbulence are replacing reactive broadcast communications with proactive, AI-first personalised omnichannel strategies.
A report from the UK Civil Aviation Authority found that over 60% of passengers cite airline communications as the number one area that could have improved their experience during disruption1. While disruption is often unavoidable, the communication gap has become a primary driver of brand erosion. Passengers who are dissatisfied with communication say they will actively avoid certain airlines in the future, if they have the choice.
Infobip points to a new standard in agentic AI and customer experience orchestration as the solution for preserving customer trust.
James Stokes, Head of Enterprise, UK & Nordics, at Infobip, said: “We’re seeing a move away from fragmented messaging toward coordinated, AI-driven ecosystems to resolve issues at scale. When a system can proactively offer a rebooking link or a lounge voucher via WhatsApp before a passenger even reaches the help desk, the disruption is managed before it becomes a grievance.”
Key pillars of this technological evolution include:
This strategy is already yielding measurable results. Infobip’s partnerships across the UK and Europe, including work with Virgin Atlantic, have demonstrated that proactive AI engagement can increase online check-in rates by 11% and reduce customer care workloads by as much as 50%. By streamlining operations through these intelligent messaging layers, the industry is effectively turning travel chaos into a manageable, data-driven process.
About Infobip
Infobip is a global cloud communications platform that enables businesses to build connected experiences across all stages of the customer journey, with AI as the driving force of innovation.
|
1 Airline Communication with Passengers During Disruption (https://www.caa.co.uk/publication/download/25554) |