Check-in and Reservation Digital Breakdowns in Airlines: Impact on Operational Efficiency and Passenger Experience

This study provides empirical evidence that airline digital breakdowns in check-in and reservation systems are frequent, consequential, and currently managed inadequately. Nearly half of surveyed passengers encountered online booking failures; a majority experienced check-in delays; and those failures cascaded into actual flight disruptions at a rate of nearly one in five impacted passengers. The human dimension is equally significant. The weighted satisfaction score of 2.60/4.0, with over 40% of respondents neutral or dissatisfied with airline recovery responses, tells a clear story: passengers are not being well-served when digital systems fail. Airlines that manage failure well — through fast communication, trained staff, and transparent compensation — preserve trust. Those that do not lose it permanently. Digital system reliability is a core operational and reputational promise. Investment in robust infrastructure, rigorously tested backup systems, proactive communication, and well-prepared ground staff is an operational necessity — not an optional enhancement — as the industry continues its trajectory toward full digital operation. The systemic concentration risk represented by GDS interdependence warrants specific regulatory attention. When a single third-party platform failure can simultaneously disrupt dozens of global carriers, individual airline resilience frameworks are insufficient. Industry-level standards for GDS redundancy, contingency architecture, and failure notification timelines are overdue.

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