AI conversational search went live on the airline and operator’s trade website as director of digital James Malyon presented it to agents at the Jet2holidays conference in Paphos on Thursday (28 November).
Agents will be the first to get to grips with the new functionality, the aim of which Malyon said was to vastly improve the likelihood of them finding the right property for their clients first time, every time.
Malyon told TTG Jet2’s AI conversational search would learn from agents’ usage; he admitted it wouldn’t be perfect in the first instance, but urged agents to get stuck in and put it to the test.
The functionality, which is powered by Google Vertex and is able to utilise one of several Google AI models, will also be rolled out to Jet2’s direct-sell website further down the line. "We think everyone needs the ability to search better," said Malyon. "But our priority is agents."
Ultimately, Malyon believes Jet2’s new search tools will drive up conversions. "Search hasn’t changed for 20 years," he said. "What we’re bringing in is the ability not to need filters for more complex queries and to empower agents to have deeper conversations with clients."
Malyon said agents and their clients would be rewarded for being as granular as possible with their queries, stressing the decision point when it came to bookings was rarely something that could be filtered.
"It might be whether a hotel has a Japanese rather than a Chinese restaurant, whether cocktails are included in all-inclusive packages, whether it has a kids’ club that is open daily or certain, specific spa treatments – these are the things you can’t really filter."
The technology powering the search, Malyon said, can scan every bit of content that exists about a certain property – including reviews from platforms like TripAdvisor – to deliver personalised results.
Malyon said the search would have a button showing agents the strength of the match; where there is a "great" match, it will use generative AI to create an overview of why that property meets the clients’ needs accessible through a "see why" prompt.
‘Maximising sales potential’
He explained the platform was essentially a joint tech venture with Google. "It will just get better and better," he continued. "The reality is that firms are going to win and lose battles on AI.
"It’s early days for transformative search for agents. Customers’ expectations are going to change. It’s actually about meeting the needs of agents before that happens. We hope to empower agents selling Jet2holidays to be the most effective on the high street.
"This really all stemmed from it being impossible to find the perfect holiday in a single website visit. For agents, it’s impossible to know every single property there is. We can help them get closer first time.
"If you can meet the customer’s needs on the first visit, you’ll get that booking every time. It’s going to maximise sales potential and help build the reputation of the agent too."
Malyon said AI search was designed for complex queries and those occasions where there are "really specific needs"; he encouraged agents to keep using filtering for simpler searches, such as for five-star all-inclusive enquiries.
He said efforts, to date, to bring AI into search for travel, such as by utilising language models for chatbots, were impersonal. "No one wants to use a chatbot. There’s a place for them, but it’s not the way generative AI was meant to be used.
"At the end of the day, it’s a highly personal, highly preferential product choice, which has a lot of nuance based on emotion and deep-seated preferences. It has to have a more familiar touch."
Malyon said that while he expected AI conversational search to save agents time, time-saving wasn’t the ultimate goal. "The key thing is maximising sales potential. That’s the real piece. What I really want to do is ensure no customer walks out of their [agent’s] door because they couldn’t find the right hotel."
Jet2 will be running feedback sessions with agents to monitor use of the new AI search and ensure ongoing improvements.
Other search improvements
Malyon also revealed further improvements to Jet2’s search functionality, including new options to deliver as default the cheapest dates in a given date range at individual property level.
"This is about really getting the best price in front of the travel agent so they can have an informed conversation with the customer," said Malyon. "There will be some customers who aren’t flexible, they need to go Saturday to Saturday.
"But some of the price differentials from one day to another can be quite significant because of load factors, dynamic contracts with hoteliers, and so on. There are some really good savings to be had by being that little bit more flexible.
"We’re not mandating this, it will be a tickable option. It’s for agents to be able to have that conversation with the customer sat in front of them and ask: ’would consider a date range within that week if we can get you a better deal?’
"What we’re trying to do is give agents more tools to increase their chance of getting a sale."
