Thrust Carbon launches EngageAI, a behavioural-change tool for large enterprise travel programmes, designed to reduce corporate travel costs and emissions by influencing travel decisions as they are made.
EngageAI is the industry’s first tool to pre-emptively message travellers, at the moment they are making a decision, to highlight a more sustainable and cost effective option. Channels that EngageAI supports today include Microsoft Teams, WhatsApp, email and point-of-sale booking tools; with deep integrations into TMC apps on the horizon.
EngageAI launches with seven interventions. One of these uses itinerary, flight, immigration queue, and safety data to SMS travellers the moment they walk through the arrivals gate. This message nudges them to faster and lower cost trains. In cities such as London and Paris, this gets the traveller to the office up-to an hour faster, and unlocks savings of $100+.
The majority of a programme’s emissions are driven by the individual decisions of a small group of frequent travellers but most programmes involve blanket policies that treat everyone the same, so they never target this group specifically. EngageAI breaks the cycle. It focuses on these high-impact travellers, delivering AI-tailored guidance at exactly the right moment. This guidance is built from live itinerary and local context, allowing EngageAI to behave like a context-aware executive assistant that “knows the city”.
Analysis of more than 1.7 million flights shows that Fortune 500-scale travel programmes will achieve over $1m in cost-savings, 70% reductions in carbon, and thousands of business hours reclaimed, through alternative travel choices within these decision patterns [2].
"As the data source of $100bn of annual travel spend, we’re able to reliably predict who will emit, and what is needed to change their behaviour,” said Kit Aspen, Founder and CEO of Thrust Carbon. "Most emissions don't come from one-off journeys, they are shaped by repeated decisions and if you can influence those decisions, you change how the whole programme performs."
Pippa Ganderton, Product Director at ATPI, added: "Our clients are increasingly sophisticated about sustainability. They want their bookers and travellers empowered with the right information at the right moment, to help drive thoughtful travel choices. Interventions that work in real-time are the future of how we deliver value as TMCs. So we’re excited to see our long-term partner, Thrust Carbon, release Engage AI, as another step towards helping clients reach their sustainability targets."
From the customer side, Jill Smit, Global Sustainability Manager at Arcadis, highlighted the importance of reducing friction for travellers: “It's important to make choices easier for travellers by providing them directly with the best options. This way, the traveller does not have to question if they made the right choice, fostering confidence and reducing uncertainty in their travel decisions.”
EngageAI is available today, with all major TMCs supported. Find out more on https://thrustcarbon.com/.
Sources: [1], [2] based off analysis of Thrust Carbon enterprise client data
For Thrust Carbon press enquiries, please contact Hannah Lobocki at Thrust Carbon: hannah@thrustcarbon.com