Online travel names slide after Google launches new AI travel features

Shares of several names in the online travel space, including Booking Holdings (BKNG), Expedia (EXPE), TripAdvisor (TRIP), and Airbnb (ABNB), are under pressure on Monday after Google said it is developing an agentic tool for booking flights and hotels. Alphabet’s (GOOG) (GOOGL) (GOOG, GOOGL) Google said it is expanding availability for its AI-powered “Flight Deals” tool and is adding new features designed to plan travel with AI, with users now able to organize travel plans with its “Canvas” tool in AI Mode. “Canvas is a tool in AI Mode that gives you a space to organize plans and projects over time. And now, you can use Canvas to build travel plans that are customized for your specific needs. Just tell AI Mode what type of trip you’re planning and the recommendations you’re looking for, then select the option to ‘Create Canvas.’ Right away, you’ll get a plan in the Canvas side panel that brings together real-time Search data for flights and hotels, details from Google Maps like photos and reviews and relevant information from sites across the web. You’ll find suggestions that fit your criteria, like hotel comparisons based on pricing and amenities or ideas for restaurants and activities optimized by travel time from where you’re staying,” Google said in a blog post.