HANGZHOU, April 19, 2025 –
Fliggy, the online travel platform owned by Alibaba Group, has launched AskMe, a multi-agent AI travel assistant built on Alibaba’s Qwen large language models. Designed to emulate the intelligence and efficiency of a human travel consultant, AskMe uses specialized AI agents to interpret complex travel queries, process live data, and deliver real-time, personalized, and bookable itineraries.
The launch positions Fliggy as a booking platform and a full-service AI-powered travel ecosystem that anticipates traveler needs to automate decision-making and integrates payment, logistics, and retail across Alibaba’s digital infrastructure.
Executive Summary
- Fliggy’s AskMe assistant utilizes multi-agent AI models and Qwen LLMs, enabling rapid and real-time trip planning.
- The tool leverages dynamic pricing, behavioral data, supplier APIs, and ecosystem insights from Alipay and Taobao.
- AskMe responds to complex user queries within seconds and offers personalized itineraries across leisure and corporate use cases.
- The system outperforms traditional OTA planning tools by combining high-speed automation with localized, data-rich personalization.
AI Architecture: Multi-Agent Reasoning at Scale
AskMe is powered by a multi-agent AI framework, with each agent responsible for a specific function:
- The Pricing Agent pulls live data from over 2.8 million flight routes and 650,000 hotel properties.
- The Route Optimization Agent evaluates geographic and logistical constraints.
- The Personalization Agent analyzes user behavior, booking history, and reviews from 290 million monthly active users.
AskMe breaks down complex requests—like planning a 10-day anime-themed itinerary in Japan on a budget—and resolves them through simultaneous task handling, enabling it to deliver options in under 15 seconds.
The assistant draws from five proprietary data layers:
- Real-time airfare and hotel availability from Fliggy’s pricing engine
- User behavior graph to forecast preferences and rank results
- Supplier APIs from 45,000 partners, including local tours and DMCs
- UGC content libraries containing 18 million travel videos and reviews
- Cross-platform spending data from Alipay and Taobao search behavior
Strategic Capabilities
AskMe’s core strengths lie in:
- Real-time itinerary generation with a 96% match rate to user preferences
- One-click budget recalculations that preserve experience quality
- Voice interface support across 12 Chinese dialects and five global languages
- Visual itinerary builders optimized for mobile, social, and desktop use
- Business tools that automate policy compliance, compare carbon footprints, and identify appropriate meeting venues
The system outputs itineraries in multiple formats, including printable PDF guides, QR-linked digital guides, and social media-optimized summaries.
How AskMe Compares to Global Travel AI Tools
AskMe offers a significant edge in functionality compared to other emerging AI assistants.
Key differentiators include:
- Full booking capabilities without redirecting users to third-party sites
- Seamless integration with Alibaba’s services, including Alipay and Taobao
- A modular, multi-agent design that supports faster and more accurate responses
- Support for text, voice, and visual interaction, enhancing accessibility and flexibility
- Localization for Chinese and global travelers, including dialect-specific processing
- Dynamic responses that update in real-time as prices or inventory change
Most global OTA competitors, such as TripGenie (Trip.com), Layla.ai, and Google Travel AI, lack real-time booking engines or deep ecosystem integration—creating friction in the planning-to-purchase journey that AskMe avoids entirely.
Ecosystem Synergies
AskMe’s deeper strategic advantage stems from its embedded role within the Alibaba digital universe:
- Alipay connects bookings directly to payments and auto-generates receipts for business travelers.
- Taobao recommends relevant travel gear or local experiences tied to the itinerary.
- Cainiao enables pre-trip luggage forwarding based on real-time travel data.
- Youku allows itinerary items to be promoted via shoppable video formats.
These integrations position AskMe as a planning assistant and an intelligent gateway to Alibaba’s broader lifestyle ecosystem.
Market Impact and Early Performance
Since its limited rollout, AskMe has delivered strong initial metrics:
- Achieved an 89% completion rate for complete itineraries—far above the 67% OTA average
- Reduced travel planning-related customer service inquiries by 42%
- Increased booking conversion rates among Fliggy’s F5 loyalty users by 15%
- Lifted ancillary sales (such as tours, transfers, and add-ons) by 27%
- Cut average international trip planning time from 3.5 hours to under 90 seconds.
These figures reflect AskMe’s dual success as both a user-facing tool and a margin-boosting asset for Fliggy’s bottom line.
Accessibility and Inclusion
Fliggy has embedded multiple accessibility features into AskMe’s interface:
- A dyslexia-friendly text display mode with adjustable spacing and contrast
- Audio narration and screen reader compatibility for visually impaired users
- Beta-stage sign language avatars for over 30 international and regional sign systems
These features help expand AskMe’s usability to underserved traveler segments, aligning with broader regulatory and consumer expectations around inclusive technology.
Strategic Roadmap
Fliggy plans to roll out major feature upgrades in two phases:
Near-Term Enhancements (2025–2026):
- Augmented reality overlays for itineraries using smartphone camera integration
- AI-powered rebooking engine for delays, cancellations, or weather disruptions
- Group travel planning APIs for collaborative editing in family or social apps
Long-Term Vision (2027+):
- Immersive destination previews using metaverse environments
- Blockchain-secured visa, passport, and insurance credential storage
- AI-based VAT and travel tax refund tools for outbound travelers
These initiatives signal Fliggy’s ambition to move beyond AI assistance toward AI-enabled infrastructure across the entire traveler lifecycle.
Why AskMe Matters
AskMe is not just another feature inside an OTA—it represents a structural shift in how travel services are planned, personalized, and fulfilled. Fliggy’s use of multi-agent reasoning and live ecosystem data allows AskMe to collapse the research and booking loop into a single, real-time interaction. That compression level has implications for everything from supplier margins to user loyalty.
In a global market where most OTA platforms still separate planning from booking, Fliggy has unified the process using AI, not as a gimmick, but as an operating model. If AskMe scales globally, legacy OTAs could reimagine their approach to AI, not just as an interface enhancement but as a core engine of experience delivery.
About Fliggy
- Launched: 2010
- Parent Company: Alibaba Group
- Headquarters: Hangzhou, China
- Users: 290+ million monthly active users
- Travel Inventory: 2.8 million flight routes and 650,000+ hotels
- Ecosystem Integration: Connected to Alipay, Taobao, Cainiao, and Youku
- Recent Milestone: Launch of AskMe AI Assistant (April 2025)
