Qatar Airways launched its latest revolutionary travel AI booking innovation, Sama, at Web Summit Qatar 2025 which started on 23 February, and concludes today, 26 February.
The award-winning airline and sponsor of the Web Summit Qatar 2025 opened the conference with its latest innovations including Samaβs AI Booking, Dream Destination β The Pulse, QVerse Multi-Sensory Experience, AI Menu, Privilege Club Collection, and Reward Seat Finder.
Qatar Airways’ Group CEO, Engr. Badan Mohammed Al-Meer, stated that the airline’s partnership extension with Web Summit Qatar showcases its dedication to innovation and adopting cutting-edge technology to deliver exceptional passenger experiences.
The airline’s Chief Commercial Officer, Mr. Thierry Antinori, added that Qatar Airways is leveraging innovative technologies to enhance the customer experience, providing excellence from the initial booking process to the end of their journey.
This year’s Qatar Airways Pavilion featured ‘Tarmac Talks’ with key staff and industry pioneers, as well as various innovative technologies, further solidifying the airline’s position as the World’s Best Airline, as voted by Skytrax in 2024.
Sama reinvents booking
Qatar Airways has launched a groundbreaking AI booking experience, Sama, which offers a world-first in personalised travel booking. Available on the Qatar Airways app, website, and QVerse, Sama provides effortless and intuitive booking, interacting with travellers through voice and chat.
Travellers can simply ask Sama about flights, and she will create a tailored itinerary. Sama also offers family-friendly destination suggestions and real-time itinerary refinement. Visitors to Web Summit Qatar 2025 met Sama as a hologram at the Qatar Airways Pavilion, where guided guests and answered their travel queries.
Dream Destination – The Pulse
Qatar Airways unveiled an innovative AI technology, Dream Destination – The Pulse, which interprets user emotions to provide personalised holiday recommendations. Building on the success of its AI promptless experience launched at Web Summit Qatar 2024, this latest version marked a significant advancement in emotionally-aware AI. The technology complemented previous innovations within Qatar Airways’ digital ecosystem and Privilege Club loyalty programme.
Provelege Club Collection
Qatar Airways’ loyalty members can now access the Privilege Club Collection, a digital platform offering exclusive, one-of-a-kind experiences. Using their Avios, members can bid on unique opportunities, including access to top sports, music, and cultural events, as well as luxury retail and dining experiences. As part of Web Summit Qatar 2025, members had access to exclusive auctions on each of the three days, further enhancing their loyalty programme benefits.
My Reward Seat Finder
Introduced in 2024, My Reward Seat Finder is a game-changing tool that streamlines the process of booking reward seats for Privilege Club members. This innovative feature provides a user-friendly calendar view, showcasing all available reward seat options within a 30-day window. Members can easily specify their preferred travel dates and class of service, and the tool will display the corresponding availability and Avios requirements, making it easier than ever to book a reward seat.
Tarmac Talks
At Web Summit Qatar 2025, visitors had the opportunity to hear from the innovators driving Qatar Airways’ technological advancements. The airline’s experts delivered a series of 15-minute presentations, sharing their insights on cutting-edge topics such as AI-powered branding, digital transformation in cargo, and predictive analytics for enhanced customer experiences.
AI Menu Recommendations
Qatar Airways also introduced another feature, AI Menu Recommendations, which enables Business Class passengers to discover and select from the onboard menu’s culinary delights. Using the Qatar Airways app, passengers can preview the menu prior to their flight and receive tailored recommendations from Sama, including chef’s specials and customised dietary options, such as vegetarian meals.
Qverse multi-sensory experience
The QVerse multi-sensory experience offered a highly immersive virtual reality journey, allowing visitors to explore Qatar Airways’ award-winning Qsuite through a blend of sensory interactions. By combining visual, auditory, and tactile interactions, users were able to step inside a fully digital recreation of the Qsuite, experiencing its luxury, comfort, and innovation in an entirely new way. This cutting-edge experience redefines how travellers engage with airline hospitality, bringing the airline’s offerings to life in a new approach.
Brand campaign
Visitors were able to experience Qatar Airways’ innovative ‘AI Adventure’ and immerse themselves in an emotive story as the main characters. As part of the brand campaign, viewers could select from multiple scenes within the film to star as the leading roles. Utilising cutting-edge AI technology, the characters accurately reflected the viewer’s appearance, adapting to their facial features and skin tone. The AI Adventure campaign proved highly engaging, with 817,000 users viewing the experience and 107,000 participants creating their own video adventure.
