Kayak Launches "AI Mode" for Travel Questions, Search, and Booking

Travel search engine Kayak has now introduced an artificial intelligence feature that enables users to research trips before making bookings. The company launched its “AI Mode” this week, allowing travelers to ask travel-related questions through an integrated AI chatbot on the company's website, as well as compare and book flights, hotels, and car rentals.

The feature is currently accessible on both desktop and mobile web platforms, leveraging Kayak’s integration with ChatGPT to deliver contextual results.

This release follows the company’s April launch of Kayak.ai, a dedicated testing ground for AI technologies. The site combines Kayak's data and tools with OpenAI’s technology, enabling the engineering team to experiment with AI features before rolling them out on Kayak.com.

In essence, the AI Mode offers the same capabilities as the Kayak.ai website but is now directly embedded into Kayak’s main platform. Users are encouraged to ask the chatbot for travel suggestions—such as destinations under a specific budget, the best deals to preferred locations, hotel amenity comparisons, direct flight options, and car rental choices.

Beyond structured queries, the AI can also handle open-ended questions like, “I want to attend a New Year's Eve party—where should I go?” or help users determine the best time to fly somewhere based on historical pricing data. (Additional AI prompt ideas are shared on Kayak’s official blog.)

While the tool could be particularly useful in the early stages of travel planning—when users are still brainstorming ideas—it remains to be seen whether engagement with the AI will easily convert into actual bookings.

AI Mode is initially available in English in the U.S., with plans to expand to other countries and languages later this month. The company also intends to bring the feature to additional platforms soon and introduce support for voice-based queries.

Travel is an area actively being explored by both AI developers and travel companies, as the current online booking experience can often be frustrating and time-consuming for consumers. To gauge consumer interest in AI-driven solutions, OpenAI recently announced partnerships with travel brands like Expedia and Booking.com (the latter being owned by Kayak’s parent company, Booking Holdings). These services are now available as apps within ChatGPT.

In contrast, Kayak’s approach of embedding the AI chatbot directly into its own website allows the company to gather more direct insights into how consumers interact with AI-powered tools.