Travel Tech supports new effort to stop dominant platforms from steering consumer choice

 

WASHINGTON, D.C, Jun. 11, 2026 – A bipartisan group of Senators is reintroducing the American Innovation and Choice Online Act (AICOA) today. The legislation is designed to promote fair competition in digital marketplaces by preventing dominant online gatekeepers from steering consumers toward their own products and services. It applies only to a small number of the largest platforms with at least $175 billion in annual revenue and significant U.S. user reach. Enforcement is carried out by the Department of Justice, Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general, consistent with longstanding U.S. competition law.

 

The debate around AICOA echoes some of the same issues raised in Europe with the Digital Markets Act. One of the DMA’s key provisions, Article 6.5, limits how dominant platforms can favor their own services. Large platforms and several industry groups have pushed back heavily against that rule in Europe, and many of those same voices are now arguing that AICOA would create similar obligations in the United States. That comparison is already generating strong reactions in Washington and Brussels.

 

Against this backdrop, the Travel Technology Association (Travel Tech) is voicing clear support for the bill. Laura Chadwick, President and CEO of the Travel Technology Association, said:

“The Travel Technology Association applauds the introduction of the American Innovation and Choice Online Act. Travelers deserve a marketplace where the best products and services succeed on their merits – not because a dominant platform has the ability to steer consumers toward its own offerings. As travel search increasingly shifts from traditional websites to AI-powered assistants and recommendation engines, preserving fair and unbiased competition becomes even more important.

 

“Consumers should be able to discover the most relevant travel options, and innovative travel companies should have a fair opportunity to reach travelers, regardless of whether they are owned by a dominant platform. AICOA will help ensure that the next generation of travel innovation is driven by competition, consumer choice, and better products – not by gatekeeper control over digital discovery. We look forward to working with Congress to advance policies that promote competition, consumer choice and innovation across the digital travel ecosystem.”

 

Various players from the travel tech industry have also voiced their support for the legislation:

 

Aaron Fessler, CEO and founder of TripWorks, said:

 

“AI is transforming how travelers discover and book experiences, and the stakes for smaller operators are rising fast. When any dominant platform has the ability to elevate its own services ahead of others, independent travel companies are effectively competing in a marketplace where the rules are not the same for everyone. That’s not sustainable for innovation or for travelers.

Independent operators drive much of the creativity and customer experience in travel. They deserve a fair chance to be discovered, especially as AI‑powered search and planning tools become the new norm for many travelers. Efforts like AICOA help ensure that visibility is earned on merit. Travelers benefit when the best options rise to the top, and the industry benefits when competition is open, transparent and fair.”

 

John Lyotier, CEO and founder of TravelAI, said:

 

“AI is reshaping how travellers discover options and the biggest platforms now control both the discovery layer and the distribution layer. When search becomes an intelligent assistant that curates and decides, smaller travel brands can disappear from the journey long before a traveler ever reaches their site.”

 

“Google’s latest AI updates showed the direction of travel. Search is no longer a list of links; it’s now acting more like an agent. If brands are not integrated into these new AI ecosystems, they’ll simply not be seen.

 

“AICOA is acknowledging what everyone in digital travel already knows: If you control what people see first, you control everything. Ensuring that all travel companies can be displayed fairly, rather than buried beneath a platform’s own products, is essential for competition and for traveler trust. The future of AI‑powered travel should be built on transparency and fair access.”

 

 

The themes raised here align with broader industry reflections on Google’s move toward AI‑generated search results. Responding to those developments, Felix Shpilman, CEO of Emerging Travel Group, said:

 

“While Google’s shift toward AI-generated search results has been building for years aiming to create a faster and more convenient user experience, it moves people further away from the original source of information. Users will no longer choose between multiple perspectives to the same extent – an AI model trained by someone else is increasingly making those decisions on their behalf.

The implications of this go far beyond technology or search distribution. There are potentially significant cultural, social, and even political consequences when access to information becomes mediated through AI-generated interpretation rather than direct source discovery.

For the travel industry specifically, this will place even greater importance on data quality, structured content, and trusted distribution infrastructure. Suppliers and travel brands will need to think carefully about how their products, pricing, and content surface in AI-driven environments where visibility may no longer depend on traditional search rankings alone.”