Travel, hospitality & leisure
The rules decide what the passenger is owed.
We design booking, disruption, assistance and loyalty journeys for airlines, airport operators and ground handlers. Each programme is built to the passenger rules on its routes, and measured on time from disruption to rebooking or refund.
Where the rules biteMap of all forty-one industries
What is shifting
India tightened refund and seating rules, and Europe extended accessibility law to airline websites and kiosks. Each change shows what it demands, with a dated source you can check.
What it requiresBooking and change flows that show the free-change window and the refund route for each fare.
EvidenceDGCA’s revised refund requirements, in force since 26 March 2026, give flyers 48 hours after booking to cancel or change free, except close to departure.
What it requiresSeat allocation that keeps young children beside a parent, recorded and visible at check-in.
EvidenceA DGCA air transport circular of 2024 requires airlines to seat children up to 12 years old with a parent or guardian on the same booking.
What it requiresBooking, check-in and travel information usable with assistive technology on every channel.
EvidenceSince 28 June 2025, the European Accessibility Act covers air passenger services’ websites, apps, e-tickets, travel information and self-service terminals.
What it requiresBiometric journeys with clear consent, a manual alternative and data kept only as long as needed.
EvidenceUnder the DigiYatra framework, face-based boarding is voluntary and the traveller’s identity data is held in a wallet on their own phone.
The rulebook
Our reading for an airline or airport programme covers disruption, refunds, assistance, pricing, accessibility, payments and data. Your legal team keeps sign-off.
Frameworks we build to
We design and build to these frameworks; this is not a claim of certification.
Often shapes the work
Central Consumer Protection Authority
Drip pricing, basket sneaking and false urgency are named unfair practices. The guidelines’ own drip-pricing example is a flight price rising between checkout and payment.
We designFares show every fee from the first screen; seats, bags and insurance are opt-in.
CCPA · Guidelines for Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns, 30 November 2023 Official text: CCPA dark-patterns guidelines, 2023
Shapes most of the work
Directorate General of Civil Aviation
Cancellations need two weeks’ notice, or an alternative flight or refund. Late cancellations are compensated up to ₹10,000 by block time and denied boarding up to ₹20,000. Long delays require facilities.
We designDisruption flows calculate each passenger’s entitlement and offer it in the app.
DGCA · CAR Section 3, Series M, Part IV, Rev. 4 (effective 15 February 2023) Official text: DGCA requirements on denied boarding, cancellations and delays
Directorate General of Civil Aviation
Card refunds within seven days of cancellation; agent and portal refunds within 14 working days; a 48-hour window after booking to cancel or change without extra charge, except close to departure.
We designBooking and change flows show the window and the refund route for every fare.
DGCA · Civil Aviation Requirements on refund of airline tickets, revised 24 February 2026 (in force 26 March 2026)
European Union
For flights from the EU, and to it on EU carriers: compensation of €250, €400 or €600 by distance for cancellation and denied boarding, plus care and assistance during delays.
We designThe rules engine calculates entitlements for each route automatically.
Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 · Article 7 Official text: EU air passenger rights
Shapes most of the work
PCI Security Standards Council
Card data protection across booking, ancillaries and airport retail, including the requirements on payment-page scripts in force since 31 March 2025.
We designPayment pages go live with a script inventory and change detection.
PCI SSC · PCI DSS v4.0.1 Official text: PCI DSS v4.0.1
Shapes most of the work
Government of India · European Union
Passenger, payment and biometric data collected per purpose with consent and withdrawal as easy as consent; EU passengers’ data handled under the GDPR.
We designBiometric and travel data are kept only as long as each step needs, with consent logged per purpose.
DPDP Act, 2023 · DPDP Rules, 2025 · Regulation (EU) 2016/679 Official text: DPDP Act, 2023 and GDPR
Shapes most of the work
Directorate General of Civil Aviation
Airlines may not refuse carriage because of disability or reduced mobility; where fitness to fly is in doubt a doctor examines the passenger, and any refusal is given in writing, with reasons, at once.
We designAssistance is requested once at booking and passed to every team that needs it.
DGCA · CAR Section 3, Series M, Part I, as amended 21 July 2022
European Union
Since 28 June 2025, passenger-transport websites, apps, e-tickets, real-time travel information and self-service terminals serving the EU must meet accessibility requirements.
We designBooking, check-in and kiosks are built to WCAG 2.2 AA and tested with disabled passengers.
Directive (EU) 2019/882 · applies from 28 June 2025 Official text: European Accessibility Act
Compiled 3 October 2026. Our reading of typical programmes, not legal advice. Rules change; your counsel confirms how each one applies to you.
Challenges
The problems we hear in most airlines & airports briefs, from customers and from your own teams.
Real-time status, gates and connections sent before the passenger has to ask.
Rebooking, meals, hotels and refunds offered in the app, as the rules require.
Wheelchairs, escorts and assistive devices requested once and honoured at every touchpoint.
What we build
A typical programme here uses each discipline in this mix. Each line says what it builds for the industry and links to the capability behind it.
Integrations across reservations, departure control and airport systems, so every channel shows the same information.
Booking, disruption, assistance and check-in journeys that show each passenger their options and entitlements.
Airline and airport identities and multilingual wayfinding that passengers read at a glance.
Rebooking and service assistants, tested on your own examples, with automatic checks and people owning exceptions.
Loyalty, disruption messages and pre-trip communication on one consented passenger record.
Route launches and fare campaigns with every price shown in full.
Programmes
Four programmes, from a 2–3 week audit to a self-service disruption platform. Lengths are typical, never promised.
The way in
We test booking, changes, disruption and assistance as passengers do, and check each step against DGCA’s requirements and the dark-pattern rules.
What you get
02Milestone · 4–9 months
Real-time notices, rebooking, meals, hotels and refunds offered in the app and on the web, calculated to the rules for each route.
MeasureSelf-service rebooking rate during disruption
Services: Complete UX & UI design · Custom CRM or operations platform · System integration
Enquire about Self-service disruption platform03Project · 8–12 weeks
Booking, check-in and assistance requests rebuilt to WCAG 2.2 AA and the European Accessibility Act, and tested with disabled passengers.
MeasureAssistance requests fulfilled as booked
Services: Accessibility audit (WCAG 2.2 AA) · Front-end build
Enquire about Accessible booking and check-in04Milestone · 4–8 months
Loyalty, preferences and communications on one consented passenger record, used in booking, at the airport and in disruption.
MeasureRepeat bookings from loyalty members
Services: Loyalty strategy & programme design · Customer data & identity foundation
Enquire about Loyalty programme and passenger recordHow success is measured
Main measureTime from disruption to rebooking or refund
AI, under the rules
Each use case has an owner, an evaluation set and a log; compensation and refunds follow the rules engine, never a model’s judgement.
Use case 01
Measured bySelf-service rebooking rate during disruption
Tested forOWASP LLM06 · Excessive agency
Goes live only with its evaluation set, automatic checks and a named owner
Use case 02
Measured byAnswer accuracy on an agreed evaluation set
Tested forOWASP LLM09 · Misinformation
Goes live only with its evaluation set, automatic checks and a named owner
Use case 03
Measured byTime to first response on complaints
Tested forOWASP LLM02 · Sensitive information disclosure
Goes live only with its evaluation set, automatic checks and a named owner
Work and insights
Projects in this industry are published once a client approves the write-up. Until then, here is what we have written on the rules that apply.
A typical programme · composite
A regional airline rebuilt its disruption journey so passengers on a cancelled flight see their options, entitlements and a rebooking in the app within minutes. Every step is logged against the passenger requirements.
Anonymised and illustrative: the shape a programme takes, never a named client.
Questions
Something else on your mind? Ask us directly
Yes: airport operators, ground handlers and cargo businesses as well as airlines. Airports need wayfinding, live information, accessibility and retail journeys; airlines need booking, disruption and loyalty.
Yes, within rules your legal team approves. We build the rules engine and journeys that calculate entitlements route by route: DGCA requirements in India, Regulation 261/2004 for EU flights. People own every exception.
We build to WCAG 2.2 AA and the European Accessibility Act. Journeys are tested with disabled passengers, and assistance is requested once and shared with every team that needs it.
No. Refunds and compensation follow the rules engine your legal team approves; the assistant explains the options, and a person owns every exception.
Keep exploring
You will speak to a lead who would run the work, and get a straight answer on fit.
01About 2 minutes
You get A reply from a named lead
02About 8 minutesRecommended
You get Options and a first scope after one call
03About 15 minutes
You get Receipt confirmed and a named bid lead
Every engagement starts with a written scope and a quote agreed before work begins. How each package is priced
