Agentic AI Is Raising Travel’s Tech Bill

Photo Credit: Steve Singh, executive chairman and CEO of Spotnana, and Elena Avila, executive vice president of travel distribution at Amadeus, at the Skift Global Forum 2026 in New York City. Skift Agentic AI is adding concrete costs to travel distribution before the industry has settled who pays, executives from Amadeus and Spotnana said Wednesday at the Skift Global Forum. The session raised tough questions: who the tech should serve, what it will cost, how much of travel it could automate, and whether the industry will converge on shared standards. For Elena Avila, executive vice president of travel distribution at Amadeus, the costs are already here. What remains uncertain is whether the revenue will arrive quickly enough to offset them. “I think we shouldn’t just be complacent and think that revenue will simply come,” Avila said. Spotnana Executive Chairman and CEO Steve Singh argued that suppliers and, in some cases, travelers could eventually pay if the value proves out. N