Solutions
Contact center solution for airlines
With CONTACT.WORK, a delayed or canceled flight doesn't paralyze your contact center: passengers hear about it from an automated call or a message before they start calling you. The IVR tells them when the flight leaves and where their bag is, and the AI consultant explains baggage allowances, so agents can focus on rebookings and complicated cases. If your airline has its own software, you can control calls and outbound campaigns right from it.
Ticketflight 215, seat 14CpaidDeparture13:05delayNotificationcall at 7:12 AMansweredProgramGold tierno queueChallenges
Airline contact center challenges
Solution
How the platform helps airlines
Embedding
No need to rebuild your systems
Airlines usually already have their own systems and apps, and there's no reason to tear them down. The CONTACT.WORK passenger communication component plugs into them through an API: from your app you can call a passenger, transfer a call, start or stop an outbound campaign, and get its results. Your team stays in the software they know, while calls and campaigns run through the platform.
- One command to place a call
- Campaigns started by API
- Results sent back to you
Callto passenger SmithconnectedTransferto "Baggage" groupdoneOutbound callsflight 215, 142 passengersstartedResultscalls, messagesin your systemDisruptions
Schedule changes without a flood of calls
As soon as the departure time or gate changes in your flight operations system, or a flight is canceled, the platform calls passengers and gives them the new flight details. The system detects voicemail and doesn't waste time on it. Passengers who don't answer get a message. If a passenger still calls in, the agent sees in the customer record that they've already been notified.
- Calls for delays and gate changes
- A message if there's no answer
- A note on the record
Eventdeparts 9:20 AM → 1:05 PM, gate 7 → 12from scheduleOutbound calls142 passengersnew detailsVoicemail9skippedMessage17 no answersentInformation
Flight info without agents
When a passenger calls, the IVR finds their ticket by phone number and gives the departure time; by claim number, it gives baggage status. The AI consultant handles questions about baggage allowances, check-in, and pets – by voice or in a messaging app, in the passenger's language. Need a person? Just press a key.
- Flight status by number
- Baggage rules from AI
- In the passenger's language
Departureflight 215 at 1:05 PMby phoneBaggageclaim 5521found, on its wayQuestion"Can my cat fly in the cabin?"AI answeredAgentpress 0if neededRebooking
A canceled flight doesn't mean a lost passenger
When a flight is canceled, the AI consultant offers the passenger open seats on the next flights, if your booking system provides them through an API. It completes the rebooking, change, or refund right in the conversation once the passenger confirms, and an employee approves amounts above a set threshold. If the conversation moves to an agent, the AI assistant shows them fare rules, the compensation procedure, and the next step.
- Rebooking to another flight
- A threshold for large amounts
- Suggestions for the agent
Other flight322 today at 3:40 PMseats availablePassenger Millerchose a connectionconfirmedNew ticketvia APIissuedGroup of 6refund $1,100over limit – to an agentPriorities
Your most valuable passengers don't wait
The platform finds the passenger in your loyalty program by phone number and moves calls from elite members or business class passengers to the front, to a dedicated agent group. Travel agencies that sell your tickets and corporate clients get their own lines too. The manager sees how fast each line is answered.
- A queue for loyalty members
- A line for agencies
- A report for every line
Frequent flyer program0 waiting3 of 3 readyPassengers6 waiting9 of 14 readyAgencies1 waiting2 of 3 readyCorporate0 waiting1 of 2 readyPeaks
Call surges without long holds
On a disruption day, passengers don't have to stay on hold: they leave their number, and an agent calls back in turn. The AI consultant resolves simple questions by itself. Shifts for the summer travel season are planned from past years' data, and in the cloud we add a server for those months.
- Leave a number, get a callback
- AI for simple questions
- Shifts based on past years
Calls3x the usualsince 7 AMCallback214 left a numberin queueAI consultantbaggage, infono agentSummershifts from past years, serverscheduledExamples
Disruptions, charter changes, meet-and-greet, cargo
Typical calls to an airline, an airport, and a cargo agent.
Airline: passengers, agencies, and corporate clients
As soon as a delay shows up in the schedule, the system starts calling passengers automatically. The IVR sorts calls: passengers with tickets, new sales, agencies, and corporate clients, while loyalty members skip the general queue. Sales keep going while the line deals with the disruption.
- Outbound calls on disruption
- Separate lines
- Priority for loyalty members
Passengers and saleswith or without ticketown queuesAgencies, corporatepartnersown queuesFrequent flyer programtop tierpriorityFailureevent-based outreachstartedCharter airline and tour operators
The flight to Cancun moves from 6:40 AM to 8:15 AM. The tour operator sees the new time in its portal and has a dedicated line for questions, while an automated agent calls the passengers. The airline and the tour operator never give a passenger two different times.
- A line for tour operators
- Status in the portal
- One time for everyone
Tour operatordedicated line2 callsPortaldeparts 6:40 → 8:15 AMupdatedPassengersAI agent call186 answeredTimesame for everyoneverifiedAirport information line
"What time does the flight from Chicago land?" – someone meeting a passenger calls the information line. The automated agent checks the arrivals board (the data comes through an integration) and answers without an agent; for lost items, it checks the baggage tracing system. Information desk agents focus on what needs a person.
- Arrivals board data
- Baggage tracing
- Answers for greeters
Arrivalflight 433 from Chicago14:20Flight boarddata via APIupdatedBaggageclaim 8843being tracedGreeterarrival timegiven by AI agentCargo airline or agent
A shipper asks about a shipment by air waybill number – the automated agent reports its status if the data is available through an API; in chat, a chatbot answers. Customs holds or damage go to a specialist with the record already filled in.
- Status by air waybill
- Chat and phone
- Complex cases to a specialist
ShipmentNew York – Seattleen routeStatusaccepted for shippingvia APIChatcustomer asked for statusAI answeredCustomsdelayto a specialistLines and call flows are set up for your route network.
Capabilities
Why passengers contact an airline
Inbound inquiries, outbound calls, and messaging – what the contact center takes on.
Tickets
- Ticket purchaseFor passengers who prefer to talk to a person, an agent books the ticket.
- Changes and refundsChange the departure date or get a refund in a single call.
- Seats and extrasA window seat, extra baggage, in-flight meals.
Inbound inquiries
- Times and terminalsAn automated agent gives departure times, terminals, and baggage allowances.
- Booking statusWhether a booking is confirmed and paid – by confirmation code.
- Passenger complaintsDelays, lost baggage, onboard service – with response deadlines tracked.
- Schedule disruptionsWhen flights are delayed, the call surge is handled automatically.
- CallbackThe next available agent calls the passenger back – no waiting on hold.
- Overnight callsEarly departures or overnight connections – the line answers around the clock.
- Travel seasonPeak weeks without abandoned calls.
- Agency lineCalls from travel agencies and corporate clients go to their own queue.
Outbound calls
- Add-on servicesBaggage, upgrades, and insurance for a purchased ticket.
- Abandoned bookingsA reminder about an unpaid booking before it's canceled.
- Post-flight surveyPassengers rate their flight, and complaints go to the person responsible.
- Flight changesA new departure time or gate – the passenger hears about it first.
Messaging
- Messaging appsA passenger writes on WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger – the agent replies without switching between apps.
- Chat on the booking pageAsk about a flight without leaving the checkout page.
- EmailEmails about refunds and complaints are kept in the passenger's history.
- Passenger reviewsconfigured for youReviews of a flight on Google and review sites get a reply.
Loyalty
- Frequent flyer programThe agent instantly sees the miles balance and status.
- Special offersFare sales for passengers who subscribed to updates.
Quality
- Call reviewsEvery agent call is checked for fare rule compliance and courtesy.
Modules
Contact center modules
Launch
Implementation steps for an airline
- 01AssessmentWe review recordings and chats: what share of inquiries are about flight status, baggage, and refunds.
- 02IntegrationsWe connect booking, schedules, and baggage tracing through an API so agents have the data at hand.
- 03IVRWe build the menu: it identifies passengers by phone number and reads out flight and baggage claim status without an agent.
- 04NotificationsWe prepare the call and message text for delays, cancellations, and gate changes, and test them on a test flight.
- 05AI consultantWe build the knowledge base – baggage rules, fares, traveling with pets and children – and train the AI consultant on it.
- 06Go-liveWe turn lines on one at a time, compare answer times with what you had before, and tune the queues ahead of summer.
Planning
What to decide in advance
Q&A
Frequently asked questions
A flight is canceled overnight – can we reach every passenger by morning?
The automated agent calls passengers automatically, without agents, over many lines at once. The number of simultaneous calls is limited by your carrier's lines and server capacity – we calculate that speed before launch. Notification calls go to passengers who have agreed to be contacted about their trip.
What share of refund calls can we take off agents?
All of them where your booking system's API supports refunds: the AI consultant states the amount, waits for the passenger to confirm, and processes it. Agents get only large amounts and cases without that API operation – with the details already collected.
How do we make sure the AI consultant gets fare rules right?
The knowledge base stores baggage rules for each fare, so the AI consultant first finds out the passenger's fare. If the answer isn't in the knowledge base, the question and the conversation go to an agent.
Who handles compensation claims – AI or agents?
Both: the AI consultant explains the procedure using the rules in your knowledge base and collects the claim, and an airline employee decides on the payout. The claim reaches them already filled in, so nobody has to question the passenger again.
During a disruption, can passengers on canceled flights skip the AI and go straight to agents?
When a passenger's flight is canceled or delayed, or their bag is being traced, the platform uses schedule and baggage tracing data to put their call straight into an agent queue.
Do we need multilingual agents for international routes?
You need fewer of them. An international passenger asks in their own language – the AI consultant understands and replies the same way, by voice or in writing. Only complex cases reach an agent, with the full conversation in front of them.
Will special service requests land on agents too?
Not necessarily. The AI consultant collects the details – an unaccompanied minor, a wheelchair, firearms, large sports equipment – and passes a complete request to the team that handles it.
Can the contact center bring in revenue for the airline?
A suggestion on the agent's screen shows what to offer this passenger: paid baggage, a better seat, an upgrade. The AI consultant books these services itself, through the booking system, once the passenger agrees.
How do we stop repeat calls about lost baggage?
Connect your baggage tracing system through an API. The passenger enters the claim number and the IVR reports the bag's status; when something changes, the platform messages the passenger, so there's no reason to call again.
How do we collect passenger feedback without calling by hand?
The morning after the flight, the passenger gets a short survey – an automated call or a message. Answers go into a report that shows which flights passengers were unhappy with and why.
How do we review agents when there are thousands of calls a day?
Nobody listens to them by hand. With agent and passenger on separate tracks (dual-channel recording), speech analytics flags rudeness and raised voices and groups calls by complaint reason – baggage, meals, delays. A specific recording is found by the passenger's phone number or the time. Where state law requires it, callers hear a recording notice first.
Will we have to give up our own systems?
No. Your apps use the API to call passengers, transfer calls, and start and stop outbound campaigns, and they get the results back. Your team keeps the software they're used to.
Will agents have to look up tickets in another program?
No: during implementation, we connect the platform to booking and schedules through an API. The ticket and flight status open in the customer record while the passenger is talking, and the call outcome goes back to your system.
Can passenger data stay in our own server room?
With an on-premises deployment, it stays on the airline's servers. In the cloud, it's stored in our data centers in the US and the UK, and the system's features are the same either way.
What does it cost to add agents for the summer season?
Nothing beyond your plan: there are no per-seat fees – you pay only for technical support. A temporary employee's account takes minutes to set up and is turned off in the fall.
What makes up the cost for an airline?
We don't sell the platform: the most affordable support plan costs $180, plus hosting in the cloud. A minute of conversation with the voice AI consultant costs $0.06, and a text AI consultant conversation costs $0.05.
Glossary
Terms on this page
- API (application programming interface)
- The way programs exchange data with each other without a person in the loop. Learn more →
- IVR (interactive voice response)
- A phone menu: the caller hears a greeting and picks the right department. Learn more →
- Cloud deployment (cloud)
- The platform runs on the vendor's servers, and agents connect over the internet. Learn more →
- Knowledge base
- All answers, policies, and prices in one place – for agents and AI. Learn more →
- Booking system
- Software where travel companies manage booking requests and bookings. Learn more →
- Callback
- The customer doesn't wait on hold but asks for a callback – and gets one when an agent is free. Learn more →
- Customer record
- The screen of customer data an agent sees during a conversation. Learn more →
- On-premises deployment
- The system runs on the company's own servers, not in the vendor's cloud. Learn more →
- Data center
- A building with servers, backup power, cooling, and network links. Learn more →
- Dual-channel recording
- Each speaker is recorded on a separate track. Learn more →
- Voicemail
- A recorded message when the person does not pick up. Learn more →
- Chatbot
- Answers customers in chat and messaging apps from a scripted flow with buttons. Learn more →
- Abandonment rate
- How many callers hang up before an agent answers. Learn more →
- Call queue – callers waiting to be answered
- Callers waiting for an available agent. Learn more →
- Workforce management (WFM)
- Workload forecasts and agent shift schedules. Learn more →
- Speech analytics
- The system analyzes recorded calls automatically: topics, script adherence, customer emotions. Learn more →
- Hosting
- You rent a server from a provider instead of buying one. Learn more →
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