Communication remains the biggest source of frustration during airline disruption. More than 60% of passengers say better communication would have improved their experience, according to communications platform Infobip, which surveyed passengers on the state of airline communication during disruption. It uncovered that poor communication has become a significant driver of brand erosion, with dissatisfied passengers saying they will actively avoid certain airlines in future.
The finding is hardly surprising. Airlines have struggled to keep customers informed during disruption for years. But what has changed are the technologies now available to them, most notably AI, which could finally help to bridge that gap.
The omnichannel vision isn't new
"Meet customers where they are" has been a core principle of customer experience for more than a decade, and organisations have invested heavily in omnichannel platforms, customer data platforms, journey orchestration tools and personalisation technologies. Yet many experiences remain fragmented. Analyst firm Forrester, which has explored the shift businesses still need to make from multichannel to true omnichannel maturity, has described omnichannel itself as "not a new concept". The industry has long understood what good customer communication looks like. Orchestrating that communication consistently across channels has been the challenge.
What may be changing is the cost of delivering these experiences. AI is increasingly allowing organisations to coordinate communications and actions that previously required significant human intervention.
Why AI changes the economics of customer engagement
Infobip argues that airlines are shifting from reactive broadcast communications towards AI-powered, personalised engagement that can proactively recommend actions such as rebooking or issuing a voucher, rather than simply notifying passengers that something has gone wrong. The company found that WhatsApp maintains a 98% open rate compared with 20% for email, a difference that helps explain why airlines are directing more of this proactive engagement towards messaging apps rather than the inbox.
James Stokes, head of enterprise, UK & Nordics, at Infobip, said proactive, AI-driven ecosystems can resolve issues before they escalate: "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".
Airlines were already able to send messages but AI may finally enable them to orchestrate personalised communications and actions at a scale that was previously not financially viable. This is what distinguishes agentic AI from earlier generations of customer-facing automation: the ability to take action on a customer's behalf, not simply provide information or respond to requests.
Delta suggests the industry is moving beyond experimentation
Delta's own results point the same way. Speaking on the airline's June quarter 2026 earnings call, Dan Janki, chief operating officer at Delta, said enhanced digital tools and the rollout of Delta Concierge had contributed to what he told analysts was "more than a 25-point improvement in NPS during periods of irregular operations". The US airline also positioned Concierge as an assistant that draws on a traveller's history and preferences to anticipate needs and take action, as well as answer questions.
The improvement points AI-enabled, contextual engagement may already delivering measurable customer experience benefits during some of the industry's most challenging moments.
Travel could become a blueprint for other industries
Travel disruptions are close to an ideal use case as it must contend with high volume, time sensitivity, repetition and emotionally charged situations. The same AI orchestration approach could plausibly extend to retail delivery issues, insurance claims, utility outages, banking alerts and telecommunications disruptions.
In many ways, the airline industry is not inventing a new customer experience model. It is finally operationalising one that businesses have been aspiring towards for more than a decade. If airlines can demonstrate that AI can coordinate personalised communications and resolve issues during moments of disruption, they may provide a blueprint for how other industries operationalise their own omnichannel ambitions.