Why travelers are switching their favorite brands

For years, loyalty in travel was built around a relatively predictable formula: earn a customer’s trust, reward repeat purchases and create enough value to keep them coming back. Airlines created frequent-flyer programs. Hotels accumulated points, tiers and perks. Brands invested heavily in personalization, rewards and direct-booking strategies designed to make customers choose them again and again. Agentic AI is changing the equation and all stages of the customer journey, from earliest discovery through long-term loyalty and retention. That creates new challenges and opportunities for travel brands. Loyalty is no longer only about being remembered.…