A First in Aviation: Qatar Airways Reinvents Travel Bookings with Sama at Web Summit Qatar 2025

From 23-26 February 2025, visitors can experience the world’s first AI booking innovation with Sama, the AI Cabin Crew hologram; QVerse; and AI-powered ‘Dream Destination’ travel tool

DOHA, Qatar – Qatar Airways is proud to sponsor Web Summit Qatar for the second consecutive year, debuting revolutionary travel AI tools and announcing its four-year long-term commitment as the Official Lifestyle and Travel Partner of the yearly event.

The award-winning airline opened Web Summit Qatar 2025 with its latest innovations including Sama’s AI Booking, Dream Destination – The Pulse, QVerse Multi-Sensory Experience, AI Menu, Privilege Club Collection, and Reward Seat Finder. 

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Officer, Engr. Badr Mohammed Al-Meer, said: “Qatar Airways’ partnership extension with Web Summit Qatar illustrates our commitment to innovation and highlights our pursuit of adopting cutting-edge technological advancements to deliver leading passenger experiences. As the national carrier of the State of Qatar, we are also honoured to support further our country’s ambitions of technological growth and innovations.”

Qatar Airways Chief Commercial Officer, Mr. Thierry Antinori, said: “Qatar Airways is increasingly leveraging innovative technologies to enhance and streamline the customer experience. We aim to provide our passengers with excellence from the moment they open the Qatar Airways mobile application or website, and our team has developed digital AI tools to guide and engage our passengers throughout their booking and travel experiences. We look forward to seeing visitors discover the Qatar Airways pavilion and the ground-breaking technology they can engage with.”

This year, Qatar Airways Pavilion features key staff in its ‘Tarmac Talks’, which also include pioneers in the industry giving insight into the technologies on display at the pavilion. The World’s Best Airline, as voted by Skytrax in 2024, has further brought together a number of innovations for visitors to discover, including:

Sama Reinvents Booking

Qatar Airways introduces a world-first AI booking experience with Sama, the AI Cabin Crew, now live on Qatar Airways QVerse, app and website. Designed to make booking effortless and personalised, Sama interacts naturally with travellers through voice and chat by guiding them every step of the way.

With AI-powered, intuitive booking, travellers can simply ask Sama about flights, and she will curate a tailored itinerary. Planning a family trip? Just tell Sama - she'll suggest family-friendly destinations and refine the itinerary in real time. Available around the clock, Sama makes booking smarter.

At Web Summit Qatar 2025, visitors can meet Sama as a hologram at the Qatar Airways Pavilion, where she will guide guests and answer their travel questions.

Dream Destination - The Pulse – Interpreting emotion to enhance recommendations

Following the successful launch of the world’s first AI promptless experience during Web Summit Qatar 2024, the latest version of this product now interprets user emotions to assist travellers in discovering their ultimate holiday destination. This represents a significant advancement into the emerging field of emotionally-aware AI and complements previous innovations launched on the Qatar Airways’ digital ecosystem and in the Privilege Club loyalty programme.

Privilege Club Collection

The Privilege Club Collection is a digital platform available to the airline’s loyalty members, enabling them to bid on exclusive ‘money-can’t-buy’ experiences using their Avios. The platform integrates the loyalty programme into members’ lifestyle by offering them a new avenue to spend their Avios on their favourite sports, music, and cultural events, as well as retail and dining experiences. Members will have access to exclusive auctions each of the three days at the Web Summit Qatar 2025.

My Reward Seat Finder

Launched in 2024, this unique tool allows members to search for reward seat availability with a calendar that shows all available options within a 30 days window, making the experience of booking a reward seat easier than before. My Reward Seat Finder allows Privilege Club members to specify their preferred window and class of travel. The tool then displays availability and Avios required accordingly. 

Tarmac Talks

Visitors of the Web Summit Qatar 2025 have the rare opportunity to listen to some of the key players driving technological development within Qatar Airways. This includes 15-minute presentations from the creative minds behind the technologies featured at the Qatar Airways Pavilion including the themes of “Sama & The Future of Digital Branding: Where AI Meets Human Connection”, “Dream Destination the Pulse, The Imperative to Digitise the Cargo Industry”, and “Using Predictive Analytics to Elevate the Customer Experience”, along with several other engaging topics.

AI Menu Recommendations

Another industry first by Qatar Airways, AI Menu Recommendations allows Business Class passengers to explore and choose the delectable options on the onboard menu. Through the Qatar Airways application, Business Class passengers can now view the menu before their flight, and Sama will assist them with recommendations, presenting chef’s specials and curating specific dietary meals, e.g. vegetarian options.  

Qverse Multi-Sensory Experience

The QVerse multi-sensory experience offers 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 can 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 Qatar Airways’ world-class offerings to life in a ground-breaking approach.

Brand Campaign

Visitors can experience the airline’s ‘AI Adventure’ and immerse themselves in an emotive story as the main characters. As part of the innovative brand campaign, viewers can select from multiple scenes within the film to star as the leading roles. Owing to cutting-edge AI technology, the characters will be an accurate reflection of the viewer's appearance, adapting to their facial features, and skin tone.  AI Adventure has been viewed by 817k users with 107k taking part in their own video adventure.

Additionally, Qatar Airways is offering a glimpse into the inner workings of the airline. Listen to the stories of the innovative minds working at Qatar Airways and get insights on what it is like to be a part of the team. Attendees interested in joining the Qatar Airways team will have an array of opportunities to connect with recruiters and will be provided with online resources.

The award-winning airline welcomes passengers to explore the debut AI travel tools at the Qatar Airways pavilion at Web Summit Qatar 2025 during 23-26 February 2025.

Arabic press release: LINK