OAG has identified three airline-tech innovations defining early 2026 in its first Innovation Radar of the year with AI as the dominant force. Lufthansa Group and Amadeus introduced a unified Order ID replacing fragmented PNRs and e-ticket numbers across nine carriers on the Nevio platform aligned with IATA ONE Order standards. Google unveiled the Universal Commerce Protocol enabling AI agents to handle discovery checkout and payments across platforms including future flight and hotel bookings.
The TSA expanded PreCheck Touchless ID biometric facial recognition to 65 US airports allowing eligible passengers to use face verification without physical documents. The programme deletes images within 24 hours and operates at priority locations including FIFA World Cup 2026 host cities. Innovations focus on structural simplification in distribution commerce and physical travel friction.
OAG has noted that distribution as a key domain in 2025 with simplification as a common motivation across the industry.
John Grant of OAG shared in a written statement “three real-world airline-tech innovations that genuinely move the needle have emerged in the past month. Lufthansa Group and Amadeus introduce a single “Order ID” that unifies bookings and ancillaries into one record, simplifying operations, supporting ONE Order standards, and enabling more efficient, AI-ready retailing infrastructure. Google launches the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), a standardized framework enabling AI agents to handle discovery, checkout, and payments across platforms – positioning Google to power agentic travel bookings while reshaping control over customer experience and commerce infrastructure. TSA expands PreCheck Touchless ID to 65 U.S. airports, allowing eligible passengers to use facial recognition instead of physical ID at security – marking the largest U.S. biometric rollout to date and significantly reducing friction at airport checkpoints.
