Amadeus
has acquired AI corporate travel assistant SkyLink for an undisclosed sum.
The travel technology giant said the acquisition "will
support the evolving needs of the TMC world" and support its broader strategy
to deliver AI solutions at scale.
The company added that SkyLink’s AI-native framework "complements" its existing technology and suite of APIs, adding that its global
reach will enable the technology “to be applied reliably and at volume."
The move comes after Amadeus last June made
an unspecified minority investment in New York-based AI specialist Acai
Travel.
Founded in 2021, SkyLink offers a chat-based booking
experience that uses a range of AI technologies to deliver personalized and
policy-compliant recommendations to travelers. The technology integrates with
existing chat channels, such as Microsoft Teams and Slack, allowing travelers
to shop, book, modify and cancel bookings, as well as finding answers to key
travel questions.
SkyLink won The BTN Group's Innovation Faceoff at
its 2024 Innovate conference in New York. McKinsey & Co. travel technology
manager Jamie Stewart took home BTN’s
Travel Manager of the Year Award in 2025 for the company’s implementation
of SkyLink in Slack as an overlay to its traditional Concur-powered program
with American Express Global Business Travel.
In a statement on Wednesday Amadeus said the deal will "enhance and extend" its capabilities as well as expand its customer base in
North America, adding that "tens of thousands of bookings" had
already been made via SkyLink’s technology.
Amadeus president and CEO Luis Maroto said: "Our
technology is deeply integrated across the travel industry, connecting systems
and workflows developed over decades. It combines industrial‑grade reliability,
operational resilience, and data‑driven insight that enable us to deploy AI in
real‑world production environments globally."
SkyLink founder and CEO Atyab Bhatti added: "Combining our
AI‑native technology with Amadeus' scale and industry reach will allow us to
deploy our technology faster and bring powerful new capabilities that benefit
travelers and companies across the travel industry. It's a pivotal time to
deliver concrete AI solutions and, now with Amadeus, we can accelerate the next
phase of travel innovation."
Amadeus plans to extend its newly acquired AI-powered
conversational capabilities beyond the corporate travel sector. The company
said that "over time" it will offer this technology across airlines, airports,
hospitality “and the wider travel ecosystem” to support travelers at every
stage of their journey.