MakeMyTrip

Their core value was aggregating options and simplifying choice — which worked brilliantly until Perplexity started doing real-time flight comparisons and ChatGPT began planning multi-city itineraries from scratch. The comparison engine becomes redundant when AI does the comparison and the booking in the same conversation.

Customer support, itinerary planning, and fare monitoring are gone — Claude handles complaints with infinite patience and plans trips with the enthusiasm of a travel blogger who's been everywhere and remembers every detail. The call center that was their customer service moat just became their largest cost center.

The brand trust with Indian consumers is real — your mother calls it 'that red travel app' and actually uses it. The supplier relationships with hotels and airlines create some pricing leverage. But brand loyalty doesn't survive when AI eliminates the friction that made the brand necessary in the first place.

They've added an 'AI trip planner' feature that still redirects you through their booking funnel instead of just... planning the trip. It's like adding a smart assistant whose job is to convince you to shop at the store where the assistant works.

Travel survives — people will always want to go places. Browsing seventeen different hotel options while being upsold travel insurance doesn't — AI just books the optimal choice directly and moves on with your life.