We tested a booking system from a leading global airline. This system standardizes and optimizes bookings across all member airlines, improves operational reliability and provides users with a stable, intuitive user interface.
Large companies are increasingly consolidating their systems into integrated digital platforms - and this also increases the complexity of testing.
Booking systems in particular, such as those used in global industries with high real-time requirements, need particularly comprehensive and scalable test strategies. Conventional methods are no longer sufficient here.
We tested a large booking system for a group of international airlines. With each new version, we were faced with the same central question: how can the platform be developed quickly and securely without affecting ongoing operations or compromising performance, user-friendliness or data protection?
A platform that manages bookings, rebookings, reservations, cancellations and data synchronization across different business units makes quality assurance a business-critical task. The requirements for availability and user experience are extremely high - and the risk of failure increases if new functions are not carefully tested.
We therefore took a multi-layered approach:
End-to-end tests of the most important booking processes
Integration tests to ensure the interaction of new modules with existing services
Automated and manual regression tests to uncover unintended side effects
Acceptance tests carried out internally and with selected end users
We not only tested the functionality , but also the business added value of the platform - i.e. non-functional.
Fast, correct bookings, a consistent user experience and smooth support across all areas had to be guaranteed at all times. We documented all test results in standardized reports that served both for go-live decisions and as a knowledge base for future releases.
Automation played a central role in our testing approach. It increased coverage, shortened release cycles and allowed us to quickly retest critical workflows with every change.
We saw significant benefits in areas like these:
But not everything can or should be automated.
Automated tests are excellent at uncovering technical errors and functional problems. However, not all aspects can be tested automatically: changes to the user interface, for example, still require manual testing - especially when it comes to user-friendliness, accessibility or the intuitiveness of new processes. Human judgment is required here, for example when assessing whether an error message makes sense in the respective context or whether a new process is actually intuitive.
Potential points of friction must be identified and eliminated at an early stage, especially along the customer journey.
While automation ensures technical stability, manual testing helps to identify non-functional aspects such as user experience, visual errors or unexpected problems, thereby optimizing the overall experience for end users.
Well-structured software tests are an investment - with continuous benefits.
You can:
Do you support a complex, business-critical platform? Then see testing not just as a safety net, but as a real success factor. It provides transparency and ensures the long-term success of your platform.
And if you still rely heavily on manual test routines or undocumented knowledge - start small: Automate where costs can be saved, invest in repeatable processes and use the time freed up for daily business or other important topics.
We have been supporting airlines in IT quality assurance since 2007.
We are real experts and will be happy to help you.
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