ChatGPT Can Inspire the Trip but OTAs Still Close the Sale

OpenAI has announced it is backing off from trying to make ChatGPT a place where users complete purchases in the chat. Reporting published on March 5, 2026, said the company is now focusing more on search, discovery, and merchant connections, while leaving checkout to third-party apps.

ChatGPT is being positioned as a tool that helps users find products and services, while the payment step happens elsewhere.

That is a meaningful shift because OpenAI had already introduced the first pieces of direct shopping. In late 2025, it launched Instant Checkout and related merchant tools for selected sellers in the US. The technology was built, but now, OpenAI no longer sees native checkout as the main path forward.

What this means for Expedia, Booking, and OTAs in general

Even though OpenAI never launched direct flight or hotel booking inside ChatGPT, the concern was that, over time, ChatGPT could become a new transaction layer between travelers and the companies that already control booking.

For example, in November 2025, Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, said that in the future users may be able to book hotels in "one click" directly through ChatGPT.

That would have created pressure on online travel agencies, such as Expedia and Booking Holdings. Instead, the current direction suggests that AI will support distribution and discovery before it handles full travel transactions.

Investors reacted positively. Expedia shares rose more than 12 percent, and Booking Holdings gained about 8 percent after the news. That reflected relief that AI travel agents are not yet replacing the companies that manage booking, payment, and customer support.

What to expect next

If more travelers begin their trip planning inside AI chat, brands will need to make sure they appear early in that decision process. OpenAI’s app strategy fits that model because it lets travel companies show up inside ChatGPT without forcing the full transaction to happen there.

That makes the near-term outlook clearer. AI is becoming a stronger channel for discovery, while OTAs, airlines, and hotel groups still control checkout. So the shift is real, but it is happening at the top of the funnel first.

Meanwhile, OpenAI is becoming more important in travel search. Recently, Skyscanner launched flight search in ChatGPT, Lighthouse added hotel-booking functionality, and OpenAI opened the platform more widely to travel brands.

Photo by Jonathan Kemper on Unsplash