Managing business travel is not easy and can involve a lot of moving parts. Flights, trains, hotels, transfers, meeting locations, time zones and last-minute changes all need to fit together, often around an executive’s packed diary and personal preferences. EAs and PAs therefore look for any help they can get to make booking trips for delegates quicker and easier.
This is where an AI travel planner could become a useful addition to a PA’s toolkit. Rather than replacing the person organising the trip, AI can help with the research, comparisons and planning that come before a booking is made.
The key is knowing what AI can handle, what tools and prompts to use and what still needs to be checked by you.
Use AI to build a first-draft itinerary
An AI itinerary planner can be useful when you’re starting with a blank page.
Give the tool the basic details – destination, dates, meetings, preferred transport, hotel requirements and any known travel preferences – and it can help turn them into a logical itinerary.
For example, you could ask AI to structure a three-day business trip around a series of meetings, allowing time for travel between locations and suggesting where gaps might be needed for meals or rest.
It can also help you spot potential issues in a complicated itinerary. If an executive has meetings in different parts of a city, AI could help you think through the order of the appointments and where additional travel time may be needed.
Think of the draft as a starting point rather than a finished itinerary. You’ll still need to check all the details such as the actual journey times, meeting locations and availability before confirming anything.
Research destinations faster
Destination research can take up a surprising amount of time, particularly when you’re unfamiliar with a city.
AI tools such as Chat GPT or Claude can act as an AI travel assistant, helping you create a shortlist of useful information, such as the best areas to stay, approximate journey times, transport options and key things an executive may need to know before travelling.
You can also use AI to turn broad research into something more practical. Instead of asking for everything about a destination, ask it to focus specifically on business travel – for example, hotels close to a conference venue, transport from the airport or restaurants suitable for a client dinner.
For more on what’s changing in corporate travel, take a look at our guide to five changes impacting business travel and how to prepare.
Compare travel options
One of the more useful things you can use AI for is to compare different options against a specific set of requirements.
You could ask AI to help compare flight times, connections, arrival and departure times or different ways of getting between two destinations. You can also give it your executive’s preferences, such as avoiding early morning departures or choosing direct flights where possible. This can make it easier to narrow down the options before you check the actual fares and availability.
AI can also help you create a simple comparison table, making it easier to present the options to your executive rather than sending over a long list of search results.
Where AI still needs a reality check
This is the important bit. AI can be extremely useful for research and planning, but it shouldn’t be treated as the final authority on travel arrangements.
Always verify live information before booking. Flight times, fares, train schedules, hotel availability, visa requirements, airport rules and travel disruptions can change. An AI tool may also have outdated information or misunderstand a particular travel requirement.
The same applies to your organisation’s travel policy. If there are rules around preferred airlines, approved hotels, travel class, expenses or booking platforms, check the company policy rather than relying on an AI-generated recommendation.
For more practical advice, read our expert tips for hassle-free corporate travel.
Think of AI as your travel planning assistant
The most useful way to approach AI trip planning tools is to treat them as your travel planning buddy.
They can help you research destinations, organise information, build draft itineraries and compare options much faster. You can then use your own knowledge and judgement to check the details, apply company policies and make sure the final arrangements work for the person/people you’re booking for.
This becomes particularly useful when dealing with complex international trips, where multiple flights, time zones and meetings need to work together. For more advice, read our guide to mastering complex international itineraries efficiently.
AI won’t take responsibility for getting an executive to their meeting on time – that’s still your job. But used properly, an AI travel planner can take some of the research and admin off your hands, leaving you more time to focus on the details that really matter.
