New Sabre industry study finds travel companies making next AI moves amid maneuvering macroeconomic 'fog'

Sabre’s new Compass report shows most travel executives preserving or accelerating AI spend, focusing on near-term efficiencies while remaining broadly confident.

Rhea-AI Summary

Sabre (SABR) released its Compass: Navigating the Fog report, showing that most surveyed travel executives are maintaining or increasing AI and modernization investments despite ongoing macroeconomic and geopolitical uncertainty.

The survey of more than 140 airline, agency and hotel executives found that 27% are accelerating AI investment, 41% are protecting their core roadmap, 15% are pivoting spend toward cost reduction tools, and only 17% are reducing AI technology spend. Companies are prioritizing near-term internal efficiencies, with 70% investing in workforce tools and workflows, 63% in cost reduction and automation, 40% in data insights, 42% in enhanced offers and upsell, and 17% in demand forecasting and pricing.

Three-quarters of respondents cited geopolitical instability as the top threat, followed by weakening consumer confidence. Still, 66% remain confident about the next 12 months, rising to 73% among agencies. The report also outlines five near-term revenue moves, including an example of making up to $3.40 per booking with one payment change.

Key Figures

Accelerating AI investment: 27% Reducing AI spend: 17% Workforce tools investment: 70% +5 more

Accelerating AI investment

27%

Survey of travel executives

Reducing AI spend

17%

Survey of travel executives

Workforce tools investment

70%

Survey of travel executives

Cost reduction and automation investment

63%

Survey of travel executives

Data insights and analytics investment

40%

Survey of travel executives

Confidence over next 12 months

66%

Travel executive survey

Survey respondents

140+ respondents

Airline, agency and hotel executives surveyed in June 2026

Potential value per booking

$3.40 per booking

Revenue move identified in the report

Key Terms

mice

1 terms

mice technical

"pressure on group business, MICE – meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions"

Mice are small laboratory animals commonly used in preclinical research to test whether new drugs, therapies, or medical devices are safe and effective before human trials. For investors, results from mouse studies act like an early pilot test—positive findings can boost confidence and value by suggesting a treatment may work, while negative or unclear results can signal higher risk, though outcomes in mice do not guarantee human success.

AI-generated analysis. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.

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'Compass: Navigating the Fog' shows travel executives across the industry are protecting and, in many cases, accelerating AI and modernization roadmaps while prioritizing near-term efficiency, automation and workforce tools.

SOUTHLAKE, Texas, Sept. 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Even as global economic and geopolitical uncertainty persists, travel companies are not standing still. New research from leading travel technology company Sabre (NASDAQ: SABR) finds that many executives are using this period to sharpen their AI and modernization priorities, with 27% accelerating investment and a further majority protecting their roadmaps or shifting spend toward initiatives with near-term return.

Only 17% of executives are curbing modernization spend, suggesting that the dominant response is not retreat, but disciplined movement through uncertainty. Sabre describes this posture as "protection mode:" keeping AI and modernization roadmaps in place while directing near-term investment toward internal efficiencies that can protect margin today. In practice, travel companies are making sharper decisions about where technology dollars can deliver the fastest impact.

The findings come from Compass: Navigating the Fog, a new Sabre report combining independent macroeconomic analysis from global financial institution Cantor Fitzgerald with proprietary survey data from travel executives across agencies, airlines and hotels. Together, the data paint a picture of an industry that is not at all stalled, but, rather, is adapting: maintaining long-term modernization plans while prioritizing the investments most likely to deliver returns now.

Crucially, this does not signal operational paralysis. It points to a more pragmatic phase of AI maturity. Facing persistent cost pressures, geopolitical fragmentation and swings in consumer confidence, travel companies are not pausing investment altogether. Instead, they are resequencing their roadmaps, prioritizing near-term, internal AI efficiencies that protect margin before moving to longer-runway, strategic transformation

"This is not a sign that the industry has given up on AI as a growth lever," said Shawn Williams, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Sabre. "It reflects something more practical. Companies aren't abandoning their roadmaps; they're making sharper decisions about which investments can deliver value right now, sequencing the larger, enterprise-wide initiatives to follow."

What travel executives are prioritizing now

The survey data reveal where that pragmatism manifests:

• AI budgets are holding, not declining: Only 17% of executives are reducing AI technology spend. The rest are staying the course or pushing forward – 41% are protecting their core roadmap, 27% are accelerating investment, and 15% are pivoting spend specifically toward cost reduction and efficiency tools.
• Where the money is going: The majority are investing to stabilize the business – 70% in workforce tools and workflows, 63% in cost reduction and automation, and 40% in data insights and analytics.
• Growth persists: 42% are investing in technology to support enhanced offers and upsell opportunities, and 17% are directing resources to demand forecasting and pricing.
• Geopolitical instability is deemed the top threat, but it hits every sector differently: Three-quarters of respondents ranked it their No. 1 concern. For airlines, it shows up as route uncertainty and corporate travel-policy tightening. For agencies, as unpredictable booking lead times and shakier consumer commitment. For hotels, it creates pressure on group business, MICE – meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions – and international inbound demand.
• Soft confidence is creating a tale of two travelers, not weakening demand: Weakening consumer confidence – the No. 2 concern overall – is changing behavior more than suppressing it. Asset-holding travelers are continuing to spend on premium trips and international travel, while their value-conscious counterparts are choosing more modest options and searching longer before they commit. The cost of holding inventory through that longer shopping window falls on suppliers and sellers alike.
• Confidence, despite everything: Two-thirds (66%) of executives say they're confident about the next 12 months, rising to 73% among travel agencies, where demand for specialized services has held up better than expected.

From volume to value: A shift in commercial strategy

The research points to a resilient operating backdrop, with companies becoming more deliberate about where they invest. Many are favoring lower-risk, faster-return initiatives while keeping broader modernization roadmaps intact. Across the marketplace, the shift is less about chasing volume and more about improving the value and profitability of the bookings companies already attract.

"The companies that come out ahead won't be the ones that waited for the fog to lift," added Williams. "They'll be the ones that learned to move confidently through it. Our focus is on helping our customers chart that path with greater certainty."

Five ways travel companies can protect revenue now

To move from diagnosis to action, the report outlines five near-term, high-confidence revenue moves that travel companies can put into practice without long implementation timelines:

• Guarding margin before someone else takes it
• Keeping already-won bookings from falling apart at checkout
• Making up to $3.40 per booking with one payment change
• Handling more volume without adding headcount
• Seeing market shifts before they turn into guesswork

The full detail behind each move – along with the complete survey findings and Cantor Fitzgerald's macroeconomic analysis – is available in the Compass: Navigating the Fog report at sabre.com/resources/research/the-fog.

Taken together, the findings show an industry moving more deliberately through uncertainty – and companies that make the right short-term moves now will be better positioned to enter the recovery window from a position of strength.

About the Report

Navigating the Fog is part of the Sabre Compass program and combines independent macroeconomic analysis with Sabre's proprietary survey of 140+ airline, agency and hotel executive respondents conducted in June 2026. For more information, visit https://www.sabre.com/resources/research/the-fog/

About Sabre

Powering the agentic revolution in travel. Sabre is an AI-native technology leader, backed by one of the world's largest travel data clouds. With AI at its core and operating at unparalleled scale, Sabre transforms insights into innovation, empowering airlines, hoteliers, agencies and other partners to retail, distribute and fulfill travel worldwide. Sabre is built on an open, modular, cloud-native architecture and serves as the backbone for both established leaders and bold, new disruptors, guiding them to the next age of travel retailing through intelligent, connected, and personalized experiences.

SABR-F

Media contact
Liz Hands
Liz.hands@sabre.com

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SOURCE Sabre Corporation

FAQ

AI-generated questions and answers. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.

What is Sabre’s definition of “protection mode” for AI and modernization?

Sabre describes “protection mode” as keeping AI and modernization roadmaps in place while directing near-term investment toward internal efficiencies that can protect margin today. Companies are resequencing their roadmaps by prioritizing near-term, internal AI efficiencies before moving to longer-runway, enterprise-wide transformation initiatives.

Where are travel companies currently directing most of their AI and technology budgets?

The majority of surveyed executives are investing to stabilize their businesses. About 70% are investing in workforce tools and workflows, 63% in cost reduction and automation, and 40% in data insights and analytics. On the growth side, 42% are investing in technology to support enhanced offers and upsell opportunities, and 17% are directing resources to demand forecasting and pricing.

What macroeconomic and geopolitical risks are travel executives most concerned about?

Three-quarters of respondents ranked geopolitical instability as their top concern. For airlines, this shows up as route uncertainty and tighter corporate travel policies; for agencies, as unpredictable booking lead times and shakier consumer commitment; and for hotels, as pressure on group business, MICE, and international inbound demand. Weakening consumer confidence is the second concern, changing traveler behavior rather than broadly suppressing demand.

How does the report describe current traveler behavior and demand patterns?

The research indicates a “tale of two travelers.” Asset-holding travelers continue to spend on premium trips and international travel, while more value-conscious travelers choose modest options and search longer before committing. The extended shopping window increases the cost of holding inventory for both suppliers and sellers, but overall demand is not presented as broadly weakening.

How confident are travel executives about the next 12 months?

Two-thirds (66%) of surveyed executives report confidence about the next 12 months. Confidence is higher among travel agencies, where 73% express confidence, which the report links to demand for specialized services holding up better than expected.

What practical revenue actions does the Compass report highlight?

The report outlines five near-term revenue moves that are presented as implementable without long timelines: guarding margin before another party captures it, keeping already-won bookings from failing at checkout, making up to $3.40 per booking with one payment change, handling more volume without adding headcount, and seeing market shifts before they become guesswork. Full details are provided in the report.

How was the Compass: Navigating the Fog report developed and where can it be accessed?

Navigating the Fog is part of the Sabre Compass program and combines independent macroeconomic analysis from Cantor Fitzgerald with Sabre’s proprietary survey of more than 140 airline, agency and hotel executives conducted in June 2026. The full report, including detailed findings and the macroeconomic analysis, is available at sabre.com/resources/research/the-fog.