Gate Automation

Smarter boarding gates, powered by AI

A suite of AI assistants that support gate agents end-to-end — from flight preparation to revenue optimization and passenger boarding.

About the project

Gate Automation bundles the operational intelligence a gate agent needs into focused, easy-to-use assistants. Each product targets a concrete moment in the gate process: preparing the flight, capturing upgrade revenue across channels, and orchestrating the boarding call. Select a product below to see how it works.

Purpose
Why we must act now

Empower gate staff by automating today's constrained and fragmented gate environment, enabling them to focus on operational excellence and an enhanced passenger experience.

Vision
What future we aspire to create

Envision a future where empowered gate staff fully leverage their expertise for high-value decisions and deliver exceptional passenger hospitality and service — setting a new global benchmark for efficiency and hospitality at the airport gate.

Mission
How we will achieve this future

Develop modular, intelligent, and scalable automation solutions that fit the realities of gate operations across airlines, hubs, and outstations. Leveraging cutting-edge technology and a pragmatic, value-driven approach, these solutions deliver measurable impact.

Digital Assistants

Every process at the gate is supported by one agentic-AI-driven Digital Assistant — an end-to-end capability that owns a slice of the gate value chain, bundles products and agents, and works hand in hand with the human gate agent.

Gate process → supporting Digital Assistant
Boarding Preparation
Flight Prep Assistant

Prepares the boarding, flags possible problems early and gives targeted, actionable recommendations.

Boarding Management
Boarding Assistant

Ensures a smooth boarding process and a seamless flow of passengers onto the aircraft.

Process Disruption
Special Case Assistant

Handles all special cases around preparation and boarding, resolving disruptions quickly.

Premium Service Experience
Premium Service Assistant

Takes care of ancillaries such as the sale of upgrades and other premium services.

Provider Collaboration
Provider Sync Assistant

Connects the gate with below-the-wing service providers — fueling, catering and cleaning.

Each Digital Assistant bundles one or more products, and every product is run by a team of agents — an Orchestrator Agent coordinating MCP, Specialized and Domain Agents.

Architecture

How Gate Automation is layered — from connected systems and the central integration platform down through the business, orchestration and decision layers, all built on the Digital Core Platform (DCP) with end-to-end observability.

Systems & Sources

Internal and external sources

OIP

One Integration Platform
All communication runs through this central gateway
DCPDigital Core Platform — the layers below run on it

Business Application Layer

Provides the utility tools for the digital assistants
APIMCP

Agentic Orchestration

Place for the assistants
Orchestrator AgentDomain AgentsSpecialized Agents
ODPOne Data Platform — the decision layer runs on it

Decision Layer

Place for AI services
Azure AI FoundryLLM OpsML Models
OBSObservability Platform
Agent monitoring — input, output, prompts, stats, eval tests
Monitoring

TAC

Turnaround Companion
User Interface

Custom Interface

HITL, Fallback
Product 01

Flight Prep Assistant

One compliant, automated pre-flight briefing — assembled from every data source a gate agent would otherwise chase across systems.

What it does

The Flight Prep Assistant pulls together the booking situation, ineligible lists, special passengers, critical inbound connections, catering figures, aircraft and crew availability, and operational data. It turns this scattered information into a single situational picture for the upcoming departure — automatically and in line with operational compliance rules. Instead of checking six tools, the gate agent gets one clear, up-to-date briefing.

How it works
GATE AUTOMATION Flight Prep Assistant FRA MODULES INSIGHTS SITUATIONAL AWARENESS COMPLIANT & AUTOMATED OUTCOME 📊Booking Situation 🛑Ineligible List 👤Special PAX ✈️Critical Inbounds 🍽️Catering Figures 🛩️Aircraft Availability 👥Crew Availability ⚙️Operational Data 📋 Boarding Context 🚦 Traffic Light Recommendations 🎯 On-Time Boarding 🔄 Feedback & Context LUFTHANSA GROUP Click to enlarge
Product 02

Multi Channel Upgrade Booster

Turns idle premium seats into revenue — by predicting upgrade potential and pushing the right offer through the right channel at the right moment.

What it does

The Upgrade Booster combines upgrade prediction, the actual booking situation and global events to identify which passengers are most likely to take a cabin upgrade. It then activates targeted offers across every available channel — app, email, kiosk and gate — and tracks performance in real time. The result is a coordinated, data-driven upselling engine that captures premium revenue before the flight closes, without manual effort at the gate.

How it works
Gate Automation Upgrade Booster MUC 📈Upgrade Prediction 📋Actual Booking Situation 🌍Global Events 🔄Upgrade Pattern 💰Pricing Model FEEDBACK LOOP ⚙️ UpgradeEngine AI-poweredRanking 🔀 Channel Optimizer Gate 🛎️Gate AgentAt the counter 📲Mobile AgentBefore the counter OthersAdditional channels 📊UpgradeTracking LUFTHANSA GROUP Click to enlarge
Product 03

Boarding Group Caller

Dynamic boarding orchestration that calls the right group at the right time — keeping the gate flowing and the aircraft on schedule.

What it will do

The Boarding Group Caller will coordinate boarding groups and announcements dynamically, based on live gate status, passenger presence and turnaround timing. Instead of fixed sequences, it adapts the call order to reduce aisle congestion, prioritize tight connections and keep boarding on schedule — guiding the gate agent step by step.

How it works
GATE AUTOMATION Boarding Group Caller FRA BOARDING CONTEXT Crew Availability Aircraft Availability Unklarmeldung Inbound PAX yet to Board Boarding Record BOARDING CONDITIONS Airline Kont or Interkont Hub or Outstation Gate or Apron / Bus 🔔 Boarding Group Trigger 🚪 Open & Close Boarding 👥 Open & Close Boarding Groups 🔄 Feedback & Context 🖥️SignageGate displays 📢AnnouncementAudio at Gate LUFTHANSA GROUP Click to enlarge