Keisha McCotry got trapped in an AI maze on a recent flight from Atlanta to Austin.
She was trying to reach her airline to ask about flying with a sprained ankle, making walking to the gate difficult.
“But I kept getting stuck in endless automated menus when I tried to reach the airline’s customer service department,” she recalls.
McCotry’s experience is happening to pretty much everyone who travels these days. Do you want an answer about your hotel reservation? Talk to an AI chatbot. How about travel advice? Meet our online avatar. Need a refund for your airline ticket? There’s an automated system that will take care of you.
They don’t always help you get the answers you need. McCotry lost her patience after just five minutes because the chatbot didn’t understand her.
“I decided to send them a direct message on Instagram,” she says. “To my surprise, I received a response within five minutes. That quick turnaround made all the difference in helping me sort out my travel arrangements in time.”
Has AI ruined travel?
Travelers in 2025 face a growing challenge: the travel industry’s increasing reliance on automation. While AI can be helpful for routine tasks, it often falls short when travellers encounter more complex or urgent issues.
“Automation in the travel industry is driven by the need for cost-efficiency and handling high volumes of customer inquiries,” explains Erick Alfaro, director of transformation at AXA Partners US. “But it can leave travelers feeling frustrated and disconnected.”
Travellers sometimes need alternatives to AI chatbots to solve their problems. McCotry took special notice of the quick resolution through Instagram because she’s an expert on AI. She runs a consultancy in Atlanta that helps companies use artificial intelligence in their business. But you don’t have to be a techie to know that the travel industry is over-relying on AI, making it almost impossible to talk to an actual human.
“I’ve noticed that using social media to reach companies has become one of the most effective ways to bypass frustrating automated systems,” she says. “Whether it’s Instagram, X, or even Facebook, companies tend to respond faster through their social media accounts, especially if you mention your issue publicly.”
How far have they taken AI in travel?
The travel industry is leading in AI adoption, especially regarding customer service. Airlines, hotels, and car rental companies use artificial intelligence to respond to emails, offer booking assistance, and respond to phone calls—often without any indication that you’re dealing with AI.
Why are travel companies doing this? Money. By cutting staff and handing over the customer service functions to automated systems, they stand to save millions.
In a presentation to investors in 2022, Frontier Airlines cited that as a benefit of moving to self-service systems. “Chatbot efficiently answers questions, reduces contacts and removes negotiation,” noted. In other words, AI will help us reduce the exceptions we make to our rules, increasing revenues.
Has the travel industry taken AI too far? From the perspective of many travellers, the answer is yes. Too often, they’re lost in a phone tree or given scripted or irrelevant responses by a chatbot. Companies have also outsourced their complaints to artificial intelligence. I’ve seen more cases where the AI clearly didn’t understand a complaint and responded incorrectly.
“The travel industry needs to balance AI’s convenience with the essential human element of customer service. If companies fail to achieve this balance, they risk alienating customers and losing business,” says Rob Lubeck, chief revenue officer of AI consulting firm RTS Labs.
But what do you do in the meantime?
How to escape the AI maze
Several recent surveys suggest consumers are frustrated with the increasing use of AI in customer service — or, to put it differently, they’re trapped in an AI maze. The most common complaints include the inability to resolve complex issues, feelings of impersonal interactions, and irritation with navigating automated systems.
Here’s how to get out:
Press “0” or say “agent” repeatedly. During automated calls, repeatedly pressing “0” or saying “agent” can sometimes outsmart the system and connect you to a human operator. “These little hacks can often help you get through to a live agent faster,” says Mario Matulich, president of Customer Management Practice, a market intelligence firm.
Go international. Call the company’s international customer service line and choose a foreign language option. These lines often have shorter wait times, and the agents may have more authority to solve problems. Once connected, request an English-speaking representative. “You can hack the VIP backdoor through foreign language lines,” says Stephen Boatman, a frequent flier who runs a financial advisory firm in Charlotte.
Track down an executive. Airlines, hotels and car rental companies do their best to hide their executives’ phone numbers and emails. “But you can find hidden customer service numbers online,” says Gary Hemming, a frequent flier who owns a finance company in Birmingham, England. (I publish a directory of executive contacts on my consumer advocacy website, Elliott.org.)
“The implications for travellers are that they are likely to face more automation, whether through chatbots or endless phone trees,” says Josh Browder, CEO of DoNotPay.com, a site that helps consumers get around some of these systems. “You have to know your rights, do whatever dirty tricks you need to to get to a human being, and be ready to pursue small claims action if necessary.
Here’s the solution travellers want
Instead of learning new hacks to get around the system, the system may need to change. Maybe it’s time for the travel industry to reconsider its AI adoption and think about what it’s doing.
It shouldn’t just be a question of whether AI makes financial sense for the company—it should also make sense for its customers.
Until then, there’s only one way around this chaos: it’s a human travel agent.
“It’s someone who can assist when the system falls short,” says Carrie Hays, a travel advisor, “In the world of travel, that person is a trusted travel agent who not only knows you but is also a skilled problem solver.”
Human agents are far from perfect, but they may be the fastest way to find your way out of the AI maze in a travel industry enamoured with automation.
Written by: Christopher Elliott
BIO:
Christopher Elliott is an author, consumer advocate, and journalist. He founded Elliott Advocacy, a nonprofit organization that helps solve consumer problems. He publishes Elliott Confidential, a travel newsletter, and the Elliott Report, a news site about customer service. If you need help with a consumer problem, you can reach him here or email him at [email protected].
