Executive Q&A: Inside American’s Push to Make Travel More Seamless

This sponsored content was created in collaboration with a Skift partner.

Air travel has entered a new era defined by rising expectations and rapid digital transformation. Passengers today are connected and informed, and they’re becoming increasingly impatient when they encounter friction.

They expect journeys that are efficient, personalized, and increasingly supported by intuitive technology. For example, generative AI is changing how travelers find inspiration and plan, which is making search more conversational and intuitive. Skift Research found that 30% of U.S. travelers used AI extensively to plan trips in 2025. Meanwhile, uneven experiences and long waits at critical touchpoints, from check-in to boarding, are key sources of traveler frustration.

In response, airlines are redesigning the travel experience from the ground up. By leveraging AI, automation, and real-time data, airlines are removing barriers and restoring a sense of ease to flying. Each enhancement reflects a broader industry reality: loyalty is increasingly earned from reliability, simplicity, and confidence across the journey.

SkiftX spoke with Sam Liyanage, vice president of digital customer experience at American Airlines, about how the airline is leveraging technology to deliver a more personalized passenger experience through smarter discovery, transparency in choice, reduced friction, and enhanced customer care. 

SkiftX: How are traveler expectations changing when it comes to ease, personalization, and control in their journeys?

Sam Liyanage: Today’s travelers expect their journeys to feel intuitive, almost effortless. They want more control, but without the added work. What we’re seeing is a shift toward experiences that anticipate needs in real time, like a trip that adapts when plans change, personalized recommendations that feel meaningful, and tools that make every step from booking to boarding easier. 

Customers are increasingly measuring “premium” not just by physical space or amenities, but by how seamless the digital experience is. When technology removes friction and gives travelers confidence, then everything about the journey feels elevated and effortless. 

What principles guide your approach to customer experience, and how has it evolved in light of shifting traveler preferences? 

At American, our customer experience philosophy is rooted in one belief: Innovation should make travel feel effortless by putting the customer at the center of every decision we make. Everything we design, whether it’s a digital tool or a service moment, is guided by the belief that simplicity, control, and connection create a more premium journey. Travelers today want to feel understood, supported, and empowered. That means reducing friction at every step and using technology to anticipate their needs rather than react to them. 

As customer expectations evolve, so does our approach. Customers now look for experiences that are more personal, more transparent, and more in tune with how they naturally plan and travel. We’re shifting from building isolated digital features to creating a connected ecosystem that learns from customer behavior and supports them throughout their full journey. The result is a more intuitive and more confident travel experience, and it’s one that feels seamless from planning to arrival. 

As AI and automation become more integrated into travel, where do you see this technology most enhancing the traveler experience? 

AI has the potential to quietly remove complexity from the travel experience, and that’s where it becomes most powerful. We see it enhancing the journey by predicting needs before customers have to ask, surfacing information that helps them feel more in control, and equipping our teams with support tools so they can navigate complexities and deliver more human support when it’s needed most. 

A great example is the way AI can simplify decision-making. From offering customers support throughout their travel journey to offering clearer guidance during irregular operations, technology can take what has traditionally required time and interpretation and make it instantly understandable. But the goal isn’t to replace human care, it’s to elevate it. When AI is embedded across the travel journey, it enhances judgment and anticipation, freeing our teams to deliver exceptional service that defines a premium experience.

How do you see the way travelers search and book their travel evolving in the future? 

Travel is shifting from rigid filters to natural, conversational intent. Travelers are searching for highly specific scenarios, and we are seeing that firsthand in our GenAI-powered search tool. Customers are using search as a discovery engine for experiences, not just destinations. For example, they’ll search for “blue-water beaches for a week in December,” “a girls’ weekend in Europe before Christmas,” “somewhere warm under $800,” or “the best nonstop Caribbean option next April.” This move toward inspiration, optimization, and immediacy is reshaping how customers expect technology to guide them. 

American’s GenAI-powered search was built exactly for this new behavior. Early use shows customers asking more complex, more personal questions — often blending budget, loyalty, timing, and experience in a single prompt — and engaging more deeply with results because the tool translates all the complexity into simple, confident choices. It’s helping travelers find the right trip faster, and it’s expanding the way they think about what’s possible, whether they’re exploring or ready to book.

American recently introduced new data-driven tools that help teams manage tight connections. How do innovations like this reflect your broader use of AI and analytics to make travel more reliable?

Our tight-connection technology is a clear example of how we use data and AI to solve real customer pain points. Before AI, the American team was manually analyzing data to take informed action around our operations. 

Today, with AI, the system analyzes live operational conditions — from weather to taxi times to gate availability — and helps our team take quick, informed action to protect the customer’s journey. Whether that means holding a flight a few extra minutes so travelers can make their connections or providing alternate options, the goal is transparency and reliability. 

This is the blueprint for how we’re applying analytics across the operation: using predictive intelligence to make smarter decisions, reduce uncertainty, and create a more consistent, premium customer experience for every traveler.

What are the biggest opportunities to reduce friction during the airport experience? How do you decide what should be automated versus handled by staff? 

Airports are full of small moments that can create confidence. We see the biggest opportunities in check-in, bag drop, security preparation, wayfinding, and boarding. Anywhere customers want speed and clarity, automation can help. 

But the key is balance. We automate tasks that are repeatable, predictable, and better handled digitally, like check-in or bag tag printing. And we rely on our people for moments that matter like reassurance during irregular operations, help with complex travel, or simply a warm welcome as customers step into our lounges or board a long-haul flight. We apply this approach with a re-accommodation tool that proactively sends customers the next best option via text, email, and mobile app push during irregular operations. 

Automation creates efficiency, our people create trust, and the best airport experience delivers both.

Looking ahead, what is your vision for how technology and human care will work together to shape customer experiences at American over the next five years? 

Our vision is a travel experience where technology quietly handles the complexity and our people focus on delivering thoughtful, personalized care. 

In the next five years, customers will see more proactive and predictive tools that smooth out the journey before issues arise. They’ll see digital experiences that feel more conversational, more personalized, and more intuitive. At the same time, our frontline teams will be empowered with better information so they can spend more time connecting with customers and less time solving for logistics. These innovative solutions and tools will ensure we continue to keep the customer at the center of everything we do

The future is a partnership between innovation and humanity. At American, we’re building an experience where customers feel both taken care of and in control, a truly premium journey made possible by smart technology and exceptional people. 

Book your next trip with American Airlines here.

This content was created collaboratively by American Airlines and Skift’s branded content studio, SkiftX.