Case Study: Building a Data-Driven Flights Platform

Challenge
My time in flights felt like a perfect fit because the role epitomised data. The challenge was twofold:

• Ensure the right flight and booking data was available and reliable

• Shift the organisation from opinion-driven decisions to evidence-based product planning

On top of that, payments were at the very core of the platform. We needed the right mix of payment methods to convert customers while ensuring each option was technically viable across different airline APIs and automated booking systems.

Approach
I focused on three main areas:

• Conversion: Analysed booking flows operator by operator, using trend analysis and product discovery to spot friction points

• Onboarding: Simplified processes and worked closely with engineering to reduce time to market for new operators

• Ways of working: Introduced OKRs and a culture of transparency, sharing metrics openly to build trust with stakeholders and drive evidence-based decision making

Impact

• Increased flight booking conversion from 80.2% to 87.2%, driving an additional £1.1m in annual revenue

• Halved onboarding times for new operators from 4 weeks to 2, enabling the business to capitalise quickly on destinations not restricted by FCO travel advice during COVID. This directly drove booking increases of +13.4% in Türkiye and +11.3% in Greece and Cyprus

• Introduced OKRs and improved team health scores from 5.3 to 8.3, while nearly doubling deployment frequency (32 to 60) and reducing deployment failure rates from 3.4% to 1%

Lesson Learned
When data is at the heart of everything, from payments to product decisions, results follow. By combining transparency, evidence-based planning, and the right technical foundations, we created a flights platform that delivered both for the customer and the business.