Qatar Airways‘ new engaging digital ambassador and flight attendant, Sama took to the skies recently and debuted on social media. Sama is the world’s first Artificial Intelligence (AI) powered, digital human cabin crew and part of Qatar Airways’ digital transformation strategy. She will inspire and connect with her global audience on Instagram @SamaOnTheMove.

She will offer travel tips, personal anecdotes and an insider’s look at some of the airline’s most exciting destinations. Sama is Qatar Airways’ face of innovation and she will look behind the scenes of life as cabin crew with her own creative touch. Let’s find out about Sama and her new role as a social media influencer.

Introducing Sama

Sama was originally introduced during the ITB Berlin 2024 travel trade event and she blends innovation with engagement. When she was launched, it was the first time that an airline had used a holographic cabin crew and was certainly noteworthy. Sama 2.0 was made by AI innovators UneeQ. Users can access Sama on QVerse, Qatar Airways’ own digital platform. She can answer questions and give advice in real-time and works as a digital assistant.

Sama is the first digital human cabin crew on social media and wants to connect with her audience through inspiring and relatable content. One day she might share tips on visiting her favorite cities or finding hidden gems in Paris, another day taking you on a behind-the-scenes tour of her life in the skies.

Photo: Qatar Airways

You can be sure that she will highlight Qatar Airways’ network of over 170 destinations in a fresh and inviting manner. Her Instagram content will encourage followers to discover new cultures and explore new traditions through the eyes of cabin crew. Sama will take storytelling and travel to a completely different level and change how we see the future of travel.

Qatar Airways’ strategy with Sama is to combine technological innovation with storytelling and be a pioneering digital cabin crew member on social media to engage with digitally savvy travelers. Through her eyes, travelers can explore new destinations and the world of working in aviation as well as receive travel tips and advice.

Photo: Qatar Airways

Sama, the world’s first digital flight attendant, is Qatar Airway’s latest marketing tool and they hope that she will garner a new online audience. It also shows a very distinctive turn in airline marketing. However, Sama is not just for the purpose of novelty, but her Instagram account will no doubt attract a younger demographic who interacts with online content on a daily basis.

This new social influencer is likely to resonate a young tech-savvy audience by providing information and entertainment whilst promoting the airline. The use of AI shows the relevance of digital strategy within the aviation industry and how it is changing things and fast. Never being one to shy away from new ideas, Qatar Airways is certainly leading the game with AI.

Photo: Qatar Airways

The human connection?

Whilst in terms of engagement and content, Sama seems like a good ploy, it could be questioned why we need a digital cabin crew that replicates a genuine human connection and how authentic that may be. However, Sama is more than the airline’s spokesperson but more of a device that transmits the airline’s latest offerings and values.

We will see if the strategy works and how well Sama engages her audience in the future. If she is successful, this will lead the way for other airlines in innovating their engagement strategies. Sama could change how airlines look at their brand identity in the future. With the adoption of AI into everyday life, airlines are now looking beyond the chatbot and booking systems. Qatar Airways social media approach has acknowledged the role of digital platforms in the planning of travel.

The AI adventure film

Sama has been used in promotional materials for the airline before, including the Qsuite launch at the Farnborough International Air Show in 2024. Qatar Group Chief Executive Officer Engr. Badr Mohammed Al-Meer introduced the Qsuite Next Gen with Sama, through an interactive conversation about how the airline has once again redefined luxury and innovation and elevated the industry’s benchmark in business class experience.

It is not the first time that Qatar Airways has dabbled in AI and clever marketing. They also unveiled a new AI adventure film online. It uses the latest AI technology to create an immersive experience for its customers.

The campaign uses AI capabilities to place yourself in the film. It is the first airline commercial where you can be the star. During the holiday season, they also launched a holiday-centric version, involving an elf, gingerbread person and a snowman and encouraged users to share their unique film online.

Photo: Qatar Airways

About Qatar Airways

Qatar Airways has won multiple awards, including the Skytrax ‘World’s Best Airline’ for the eighth time in 2024. The airline strives for excellence, winning the following:

• ‘World’s Best Business Class’
• ‘World’s Best Business Class Airline Lounge’
• ‘Best Airline in the Middle East’
• ‘World’s Best Airline Website’ (World Travel Tech Awards)

Qatar Airways flies to over 170 destinations worldwide, connecting through Hamad International Airport, its hub in Doha, which has also been voted the world’s best airport by Skytrax, numerous times. The airport has also been voted the ‘Best Airport in the Middle East’ for 10 consecutive years and accoladed for two years, for the ‘World’s Best Airport Shopping’.

The Qatar Airways fleet

Qatar Airways operates a fleet of both narrow-body and widebody aircraft, including the Airbus A320, Airbus A330, Airbus A350, Airbus A380, Boeing 737 MAX, Boeing 777 and the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, totaling over 230 aircraft.

According to information from airfleets.net, Qatar Airways has a fleet percentage of:

How can artificial intelligence work in aviation?

AI can potentially revolutionize the aviation industry especially when it comes to digital assistants. These should enhance the passenger experience, improve safety and ensure operational efficiency. A digital assistant knows exactly what a passenger wants. They learn your preferences and tailor your travel experience accordingly, everything from your preferred seat and meals to flight updates and nearby attractions based on your interests.

The AI experience doesn’t stop there. Inflight entertainment systems will look at your viewing history and recommend music, movies or TV suited to your own tastes. The journey from check-in through to collecting your bags will be streamlined by AI systems. Security checks will use facial recognition technology, speeding things up and virtual assistants will guide you through the airport.

Challenging aspects?

AI can improve safety by analyzing huge amounts of data and finding potential risks and alerting pilots or air traffic control to potential hazards. It can also optimize the routing of flights for better fuel consumption and minimize the impact on the environment. Of course, while there are benefits of using AI in aviation, maintaining human oversight is crucial. Data privacy and security needs to be ensured and bias in AI algorithms mitigated.

Read More: SWISS Flight Attendant Dies After Airbus A220 Smoke In Cabin Emergency

In conclusion

Qatar Airways seems to be ten steps ahead of most airlines as regards use of AI technology and their innovation is quite outstanding. Whether a virtual cabin crew on Instagram, will attract potential customers will remain to be seen. Although it’s a very interesting concept and certainly a first (among many for the airline), maybe potential followers would rather be influenced by a real-life cabin crew member. What are your thoughts? Please feel free to comment below.

Related: How Airlines Ensure Cabin Crew Safety And Security During Layovers