Travelport Taps Claude as AI Moves From Trip Search to Trip Fixes

Travelport announced it is partnering with Cognizant and Anthropic to upgrade the technology behind its travel retailing platform.

Cognizant, a global IT services and consulting company that helps large businesses build, modernize, and manage technology systems, will use Anthropic’s Claude AI models to help Travelport build, test, and maintain software faster. The first focus will be Travelport Trip Services, which supports bookings, exchanges, refunds, and other post-booking tasks.

The first customer-facing AI tools are expected later in 2026. Travelport said the early features will include automated exchanges and disruption intelligence. This could help agents choose travel options with lower disruption risk, not just the lowest price or shortest journey.

Travelport wants to simplify complex agency workflows

Travelport helps travel agencies and travel management companies search, book, and service content from airlines, hotels, car rental companies, and other suppliers.

The difficult part often starts after the booking. Agents may need to change tickets, process refunds, or rebook disrupted travelers. These tasks can take time because they involve supplier policies, fare conditions, traveler needs, and company requirements.

Claude will support faster software development

The partnership is also meant to improve how Travelport builds its own products. Cognizant will use Claude to help with code development, testing, and analysis of Travelport’s existing systems. The goal is to release new tools more quickly and improve product quality at scale.

Travel distribution is changing fast. Airlines are expanding NDC offers, suppliers are selling more personalized content, and agencies need better servicing tools. Faster software delivery could help Travelport respond more quickly to these changes.

AI is moving closer to real travel transactions

Many travel AI tools still focus on trip planning, search, or customer support. Travelport’s move is more operational. It aims to bring AI into the systems used for bookings, changes, refunds, and traveler servicing.

That is where AI becomes harder, but also more useful. Anthropic’s Model Context Protocol ( MCP), is designed to connect AI tools with external data sources and business systems. In travel, that could help AI work with live booking records, supplier rules, and trip data instead of acting as a separate assistant.

This partnership also follows Travelport’s wider AI push. Travelport’s shareholders planned to invest another $50 million in the company to support artificial intelligence, content expansion, and platform development. The new work with Cognizant and Anthropic shows how that strategy is now moving from funding and platform upgrades into more practical AI tools for booking, servicing, and agency workflows.

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