AI travel in Spain: 57% keep the final booking click

AI can hunt down flights, but Spanish travellers are still keeping control of the booking. Data published in Madrid on 12 September show that 57% want AI to do the searching while they make the final reservation themselves. Just 8% say they would buy tickets entirely through AI.

Spain is Europe’s most receptive market for using AI in travel planning, according to a STEM/MARK survey. Some 43% use it to find the cheapest flights, against a European average of 34%.

AI does the search, travellers make the choice

The appetite extends beyond fares. In Spain, 64% want AI help comparing prices, compared with 57% across Europe, while 46% use it to find connections that fit their timetable. Kiwi.com says the likely near-term model is a shared one: the technology searches fares and routes, while the traveller decides whether to book.

That final check remains important. Some 43% of Spanish travellers manually test AI suggestions, as do 49% across Europe. When something goes wrong during a trip, 52% prefer direct human help, while 35% put more value on a fast automated solution.

Fully automated sales remain rare on Kiwi.com, accounting for between 0.24% and 0.27% of bookings on its platform. The company expects the share of travellers prepared to hand the whole booking to AI to rise gradually to 15% in the coming years, but says the hybrid approach will stay ahead.

Business bookings race ahead

The sharpest growth is on the business side. Between June and July 2026, searches through Kiwi.com’s Model Context Protocol server rose 3,233%, while reservations increased 2,086%.

The server lets third-party AI agents access the company’s live flight inventory. For consumer travel in Spain, however, AI is chiefly a search tool: 79% ask it for help finding tickets, while the final booking click remains with the traveller.

Topics: Economy

Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com