An AI assistant that rebooks your flight when it's delayed

That's what Gravel is designed for: it texts you first with a better option, and acts on your yes. Rebooking a delayed flight is one of the errands it is meant to take on, and the example conversation above shows how it goes in three messages.

In the example, your 6:15 to Denver is delayed two hours. Gravel texts you first: there is a 4:40 on United that still gets you in before dinner, switch? You write “do it.” Gravel switches the booking, picks seat 14C (an aisle, like you like) and tells you the new boarding pass is in your email.

In the example you did not search for flights, compare times or open an airline app. You answered one question.

Gravel works from the email and calendar you connect. Your booking confirmation tells it what you are booked on and when. The airline's messages about that booking tell it when something changes. Your calendar shows what a delay does to the rest of your day.

When a delay matters, Gravel texts you on WhatsApp or Telegram, whichever you chose. It leads with the news and, when it has one, an option, not a link to an app.

Gravel keeps quiet hours, 10 PM to 7:30 AM by default, in your current time zone, so they follow you when you travel. The exception is an early flight: Gravel can reach you from 90 minutes before it, so news that arrives overnight finds you awake instead of at 2 AM.

A short yes is enough. In this example conversation the whole reply is “do it.”

Before it acts, Gravel tells you exactly what it will do, so there is nothing to decode. If you want something different, say so. If you ignore the message, nothing changes. A plan with several steps still takes one yes.

From its memory of you. Gravel remembers your preferences, people and plans, and the seat in the example is one of them: you fly United and like an aisle.

Ask “what do you know about me?” and Gravel lists everything in plain words. Say “forget the flight stuff” and it forgets your airline and seat. Memory is yours to see and change.

Everything starts as a proposal. Gravel tells you what it will do and waits for your yes.

During early access, Gravel may hand you the last step, with the details ready, instead of finishing it itself.

For each kind of action you pick one of four levels: just do it, only when I ask, ask me first, or hand it to me. A change to a booking is a good one to keep at ask me first. The guide to autonomy levels explains each level.

Text “pause” and Gravel stops all background work until you say so.

The email and calendar that hold your trip. Gravel reads Gmail and Outlook (you sign in with Google or Microsoft), plus iCloud Mail, GMX, WEB.DE, T-Online, freenet, mailbox.org, Posteo and other IMAP mailboxes with an app password. Calendars can be Google Calendar, Outlook Calendar, iCloud Calendar or any CalDAV calendar. See integrations.

It starts read-only. The first time an action needs more access, like sending an email or adding a calendar entry, Gravel asks for it and comes back to you with the confirmation. Your data is encrypted with a key that belongs to your account only, and it is hosted and processed in the EU.

This example conversation was recorded in Apple's Messages app. During early access Gravel works in WhatsApp and Telegram, and iMessage is coming. The United flight is an example, and Gravel has no partnership with United or any other airline. Gravel costs €12 a month, one plan; see pricing.