Asia travel demand stays resilient despite Middle East conflict, volatile airfares: Skyscanner CEO

Artificial intelligence is changing how travellers plan their trips and challenging traditional travel search platforms, Skyscanner CEO Bryan Batista tells CNA’s Elizabeth Neo.

Skyscanner CEO Bryan Batista speaks to CNA’s Elizabeth Neo about travel trends. (Image: CNA)

This audio is generated by an AI tool.

SINGAPORE: Travel demand in Asia remains resilient despite the Middle East conflict disrupting flights and contributing to volatile airfares , with travellers increasingly opting for shorter-haul trips, according to Skyscanner CEO Bryan Batista.

“The Middle East conflict has definitely driven some volatility in fuel prices, which has then driven volatility in airline pricing,” Mr Batista told CNA’s Asia First on Wednesday (Sep 30) .

But the travel industry is accustomed to responding to shocks, including natural disasters, he added.

“Travel is a very resilient industry. And the industry has, let's say, adapted accordingly.”

Mr Batista said airlines have become more proactive in planning their schedules, taking into account available capacity and their hedged fuel costs as they seek to minimise cancellations and give passengers advance warning of any possible impacts.

Travel demand has held up , particularly in Asia.

“Global travel search demand is still up, led by travel in Asia,” said Mr Batista.

“In 2025, we saw the Asia-Pacific region growing quickest from a flights perspective at 7.8 per cent year over year.”

The appetite for travel also remains strong among Singaporean travellers, with 89 per cent saying they intend to travel at least as much next year as they did in 2026, he said.

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SHORTER-HAUL TRAVEL GAINS GROUND

While people are continuing to travel, where they choose to go is changing.

Skyscanner has seen greater demand for shorter-haul travel, as travellers seek to avoid volatile prices on longer routes and potential regional disruptions.

Visa-free entry schemes have also helped drive the shift, Mr Batista said.

“For example, also thanks to visa-free policies being put in place, we've seen Singapore to China travel increase tremendously,” he said, citing a 25 per cent increase in search demand from Singapore to China.

Search demand from Australia to China, meanwhile, rose 48 per cent year on year, he added.

Air traffic patterns are also adjusting to disruptions in the Middle East.

“We're also seeing some new airline corridors show up. We've seen other airline hubs like Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, also Hong Kong start to take some of those international flights from those traditional Middle Eastern hubs,” he added.

AIRFARES REMAIN UP IN THE AIR

The volatility in fuel prices has also put airfares under scrutiny.

Mr Batista said airlines generally set their pricing according to consumer demand, available capacity and operational costs, with jet fuel being “one of the biggest”.

“Whilst jet fuel prices remain volatile, so do airline prices,” he said.

“However, I'd expect that as those jet fuel prices stabilise, and hopefully they do, you will see airline prices come down.”

He said airlines still want to remain competitive and deliver value to consumers.

Travellers, too, have more tools to manage uncertainty, he said, adding that price-comparison platforms such as Skyscanner have become more important.

The company has also introduced a layover filter that allows travellers to avoid certain airports they would rather not transit through.

Information about potential airspace closures and flight cancellations, as well as insurance products that can help travellers manage risk , is becoming increasingly important, he said.

HOW AI IS CHANGING TRAVEL SEARCH

At the same time, artificial intelligence is changing how travellers decide where to go and plan their trips.

A report published this month by Skift Research and McKinsey & Company, based on a survey of more than 1,000 travellers in the United States , found that 71 per cent were comfortable using AI for travel inspiration, while 86 per cent said they would consider using AI to book trips in the future.

In Singapore, 65 per cent of travellers say they are comfortable and confident using AI tools in their travel planning, said Mr Batista.

“As we move with AI from search to answers to recommendations, we'll be able to better give travellers a more relevant, more personalised, more reliable answer for what's best for them for a particular trip,” he said.

Such recommendations could take into account the reasons for travel, how quickly they need to get to the destination and budget concerns, he added.

The rise of generative AI also presents a challenge to travel search platforms, as tools such as Google Gemini and OpenAI’s ChatGPT are able to research destinations and plan itineraries.

Asked how Skyscanner was responding to competition from these AI tools, Mr Batista said the same technology was available to the company and was being implemented as well.

“We have the ability to actually extend further into the passenger journey these days,” he said. “We're testing rigorously around agentic booking capabilities, for example, something we weren't able to do before.”

The company is also seeking to combine AI along with its two decades' worth of flight search data.

“AI gives us an advantage and allows us to build on our background of trusted and deep airline pricing and supply.”

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Skyscanner 首席执行官 Bryan Batista 告诉 CNA 的 Elizabeth Neo，人工智能正在改变旅行者规划行程的方式，并对传统的旅行搜索平台构成挑战。

Skyscanner首席执行官布莱恩·巴蒂斯塔接受CNA记者伊丽莎白·尼奥采访，探讨旅游趋势。（图片：CNA）

这段音频是由人工智能工具生成的。

新加坡：据 Skyscanner 首席执行官 Bryan Batista 称，尽管中东冲突扰乱了航班并导致机票价格波动，但亚洲的旅行需求依然坚挺，旅客越来越多地选择短途旅行。

巴蒂斯塔先生周三（9月30日）在接受亚洲新闻台亚洲第一节目采访时表示：“中东冲突无疑引发了燃油价格的波动，进而引发了航空公司票价的波动。”

但他补充说，旅游业已经习惯于应对各种冲击，包括自然灾害。

“旅游业是一个韧性很强的行业。可以说，这个行业已经做出了相应的调整。”

巴蒂斯塔先生表示，航空公司在制定航班计划时变得更加积极主动，会考虑可用运力和对冲燃油成本，力求最大限度地减少航班取消，并提前告知乘客任何可能的影响。

旅游需求保持稳定，尤其是在亚洲。

巴蒂斯塔先生表示：“全球旅游搜索需求依然旺盛，其中亚洲旅游需求尤为突出。”

“我们预计，到 2025 年，亚太地区从航班角度来看增长速度最快，年增长率将达到 7.8%。”

他还表示，新加坡游客的旅行热情依然高涨，89% 的受访者表示，他们计划明年至少像 2026 年那样旅行。

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短途旅行发展势头强劲

虽然人们仍在旅行，但他们选择的旅行目的地正在发生变化。

Skyscanner 发现，短途旅行的需求更大，因为旅客希望避免长途航线价格波动和潜在的区域性航班中断。

巴蒂斯塔先生表示，免签入境计划也推动了这一转变。

“例如，由于免签政策的实施，我们看到新加坡到中国的旅行大幅增加，”他说道，并指出从新加坡到中国的搜索需求增加了 25%。

他还补充说，与此同时，从澳大利亚到中国的搜索需求同比增长了 48%。

空中交通模式也在调整以应对中东地区的混乱局面。

他还补充道：“我们也看到一些新的航空走廊出现。像新加坡、吉隆坡以及香港这样的其他航空枢纽也开始承接一些来自传统中东枢纽的国际航班。”

机票价格仍然悬而未决。

燃油价格的波动也使机票价格受到密切关注。

巴蒂斯塔先生表示，航空公司通常会根据消费者需求、可用运力和运营成本来制定价格，其中航空燃油是“最大的成本之一”。

他说：“航空燃油价格波动不定，机票价格也同样如此。”

“不过，我预计随着航空燃油价格趋于稳定（希望如此），航空公司的票价也会随之下降。”

他表示，航空公司仍然希望保持竞争力，并为消费者提供价值。

他还表示，旅行者也有了更多应对不确定性的工具，并补充说，像 Skyscanner 这样的价格比较平台变得越来越重要。

该公司还推出了中转筛选功能，允许旅客避开他们不想中转的某些机场。

他表示，有关潜在空域关闭和航班取消的信息，以及可以帮助旅客管理风险的保险产品，正变得越来越重要。

人工智能如何改变旅行搜索

与此同时，人工智能正在改变旅行者决定去哪里旅行以及规划行程的方式。

Skift Research 和麦肯锡公司本月发布的一份报告显示，根据对 1000 多名美国旅行者的调查，71% 的受访者表示乐于使用人工智能获取旅行灵感，86% 的受访者表示未来会考虑使用人工智能预订行程。

巴蒂斯塔先生表示，在新加坡，65%的旅行者表示，他们在旅行计划中使用人工智能工具时感到舒适和自信。

他说：“随着人工智能从搜索发展到回答再到推荐，我们将能够更好地为旅行者提供更相关、更个性化、更可靠的答案，帮助他们找到最适合特定旅行的方案。”

他还补充说，这样的建议可以考虑出行原因、到达目的地所需的时间以及预算方面的考虑。

生成式人工智能的兴起也给旅游搜索平台带来了挑战，因为像 Google Gemini 和 OpenAI 的 ChatGPT 这样的工具能够研究目的地并规划行程。

当被问及 Skyscanner 如何应对来自这些人工智能工具的竞争时，巴蒂斯塔先生表示，该公司也拥有同样的技术，并且正在实施这些技术。

他说：“如今，我们有能力将服务延伸到乘客旅程的更深处。例如，我们正在对代理预订功能进行严格测试，这是我们以前无法做到的。”

该公司还计划将人工智能与其二十年来积累的航班搜索数据相结合。

“人工智能为我们带来了优势，使我们能够巩固和发展我们在值得信赖的航空公司定价和供应方面的基础。”

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