Group bookings make up roughly 10% of all airline passengers - yet many airlines don’t have a working online check-in solution for groups.
As a strategic IATA partner with years of aviation experience, we actively track and try to solve the real operational challenges of the aviation industry. When we identified that group check-in was a persistent, unsolved pain point, we set out to build a solution.
We built a group check-in accelerator, brought it to a prominent airline partner, and deployed a production-ready solution that is already processing hundreds of sessions daily, with measurable improvements to the passenger experience and ground staff workload on the horizon, improving operational and revenue outcomes
The Story of our Partner
Our partner is a prominent player in the global aviation industry. With a history dating back to the early 20th century, they have consistently evolved to meet changing traveller needs while maintaining exceptional service quality. They emphasise customer satisfaction, which is evident in their efficient services, on-time performance, and continuous pursuit of innovative solutions.
The Challenge
While individual passengers have checked in online for years, large groups (9 or more passengers) have always been sent to the airport desk. The reasons for that are related to both booking complexities and GDPR constraints.
Standard online check-in works by asking passengers to enter a reservation number and surname - but doing so exposes the full names of everyone on that booking. For group reservations, this is likely to trigger a GDPR data breach. On top of that, APIS (Advanced Passport Information System) document checks were adding friction: with new European Union legislation (EU-LISA) now requiring APIS collection for all EU citizens for all flights outside the EU, the accuracy of passenger data had become more critical than ever. Even something as minor as a misspelled name could lock a passenger out of the online flow and push them back to the desk.
Sending groups to the airport desk created several issues. It added congestion at the terminal, putting more pressure on ground staff during busy periods. And because the check-in journey was entirely offline, our partner had no way to digitally upsell ancillary services like seat upgrades or extra baggage to group travellers, leaving revenue on the table.
Dreamix set out to create a solution that helps our partners with all of that.
The Dreamix Solution
Dreamix accelerators are pre-built, industry-specific software frameworks that we create, then customise and deploy for each client. They're faster to market, lower risk, and grounded in our years of industry expertise. For this engagement, Dreamix drew on its group check-in accelerator to deliver a production-ready solution with the following features:
Individual check-in within the group Our solution enables passengers to check-in individually as an entire group or as part of the group, all without compromising GDPR.
Document scanning that eliminates errors Passengers scan their travel documents and the system auto-populates their information, removing manual entry and the name mismatches that send passengers back to the counter.
Built-in regulatory compliance The system handles APIS checks automatically and adapts to each destination's requirements, covering passenger document validation, baggage rules, and limits.
Ancillary revenue built into the flow The check-in user journey offers seat upgrades, baggage and other ancillaries on offer for passengers to purchase.
Flexible deployment Can be integrated with existing airline systems, with full implementation support and ongoing maintenance included.
The Results
The system is live and already seeing consistent daily usage. The solution is processing countless group check-in sessions per day, with an average of over 50 distinct group booking references handled daily.
By identifying a genuine gap in the market and proactively building a solution, we were able to give our partner a working, deployable product that works for passengers, reduces pressure on ground staff, and opens up commercial opportunities that simply weren't accessible before.
