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These are the travel startups you should know about in 2026

March 11, 2026
3 Min read
Amadeus
Suzanna Chiu
Head of Amadeus Ventures - Amadeus
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We all got our start somewhere. Although some professionals can break through on their own, many of us benefited from that one person that saw our potential and helped us get a foot-in-the-door with a thoughtful introduction.


That’s what The Amadeus Startup Universe is all about. Each year, we screen hundreds of startups in the travel space to curate a list of the most intriguing, disruptive and promising up-and-comers in the world. For the lucky few that make the cut, we connect them with our ecosystem of top travel brands to spark new collaborations so they can build, innovate, and scale faster.


We uplift startups because we know that better travel starts when the industry is better connected. Amadeus has a unique perspective at the heart of the travel ecosystem, where trusted data, deeply integrated systems and emerging technologies are increasingly coming together to power the next generation of travel experiences. By combining our global connections with our deep expertise, we can bring together the best talent to dismantle the siloes that stand in the way of progress and pave a path to a brighter future.


This year, we’re focusing on startups specializing in AI and data, that either bring solid value to end travelers or enhances industry collaboration in the travel space, areas that are increasingly relevant to how travel companies operate and scale today. Here’s a snapshot of the startups you should know about in 2026:


  • Battleface: Supports global travel partners with flexible, embedded travel protection solutions distributed via API. 

  • Ubloquity: ubloquity pioneers digital asset authentication, management & movement, ensuring immutable provenance for critical aerospace supply chains. 

  • Hands In: Helps the travel industry add incremental revenue and recover declines with split payments across multiple cards, methods and travelers. 

  • Bonafide: Bonafide is solving the AI Alignment problem for travel brands, ensuring their information is accurately represented in LLMs and AI Agents. 

  • Swiipr: Swiipr provides a secure, cloud-based digital payout platform enabling airlines to issue instant, compliant compensation and standardize operations. 

  • Overwatch: Overwatch AI empowers airline frontline workforce with AI-powered decision-support to reduce flight disruptions and increase efficiency. 

  • myPlane: myPlane is an online distribution system for commercial charter flights offering an AI-powered B2B platform for sales & management of charter flights. 

  • Opfyx: Opfyx is an AI-powered platform helping aviation teams plan, manage, and execute operations across the industry. 

  • Dfinitiv: Dfinitiv provides a platform for travel brands to activate commerce, content, and loyalty integrations across the traveler journey. 

What these startups tell us about travel in 2026

Together, these nine startups offer a compelling snapshot of where travel is heading in 2026: smarter, more efficient, more sustainable, and more connected; — with intelligence increasingly embedded into the systems, workflows and decision‑making that power the travel industry every day. From AI-driven decisioning and orchestration, enabled by trusted data and deeply connected technology ecosystems, and intelligent disruption-management tools to next-generation airport operations, digital payouts, and smarter data infrastructure, these startups are redefining how travel operates, tackling some of the industry's toughest challenges with fresh thinking and bold ambition.


At Amadeus, we believe innovation thrives when the right people, ideas, and opportunities come together, supported by trusted and integrated platforms that can connect, scale and turn ideas into impact across the travel ecosystem. Through the Amadeus Startup Universe, we’re proud to champion emerging companies like these and expose them to a global ecosystem that can help turn potential into real-world impact. As these startups continue to grow and scale, they’ll help define the future of travel.


See who joined the Amadeus Startup Universe in 2025 and 2024 or find out more about the project here.

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