FCM Travel is entering a new era of AI capability with the overhaul of its AI travel companion, Sam.
The corporate travel arm of Flight Centre Travel Group will roll out the new technology in June, offering customers access to a proprietary AI ecosystem built from FCM technology.
Sam intelligence is the only AI solution in managed travel that can deliver end-to-end trip support with real-time program data for travel managers, seamless handoff to FCM consultants with full context intact and a unique smart redirect into customers’ existing booking tools.
FCM Travel global chief experience officer, John Morhous said that the technology will feel like a completely different product for existing customers.
“This is a genuine, game-changing first for the managed travel industry,” he said.
“A lot of our competitors are trying to bolt AI onto existing stacks, but the real power in AI is that the more connected it is, the more you can do with it. Sam is built, not bought – and that compounds over time.”
Importantly, customer data is stored in FCM’s private environment, inaccessible to public AI models.
Preventing AI hallucination
A key component of the new technology is its guardrail system. The system is designed to prevent AI hallucination, when the chatbot responds with factually incorrect, nonsensical or fabricated information.
Travel managers can configure precisely how Sam responds to specific queries to ensure answers always reflect their policies and rules of engagement.
Morhous said that the technology is designed to complement FCM Travel’s advisors, not replace them.
“Sam isn’t a single point of support. It’s there throughout the entire journey, for every person in a travel program. Because our AI is proprietary, the accuracy and compliance enterprises need isn’t bolted on – it’s built in.”
“But what truly sets this apart is our people. When a human moment matters most – a disruption, a complex itinerary, an urgent need – our experts step in with the speed, context, and care that no technology alone can replicate. Sam makes those moments more meaningful, not less.”
