Geopolitical events often put strain on the commercial aviation industry, exposing the limitations of traditional connectivity models. For multi-carrier or self-connecting itineraries, this strain can be magnified, while any disruption exacerbates the lack of accountability and servicing issues common to these journeys. By Hugh Aitken, COO, Dohop
The current conflict offers a case study. According to Dohop platform data, the Middle East market declined by 13% in seat capacity and 15% in flight frequency in March compared to February 2026, illustrating the scale of disruption affecting the region. When network instability reaches this level, the shortcomings of existing models become impossible to ignore.
We are seeing this reflected directly in booking behaviour. Our platform data shows that booking windows have shortened, with the percentage of passengers booking between 0 and 3 days before departure rising to 9% in the week of 16th March - 22nd March, compared to 7% during the week of 16th February - 22nd February (the last week before the conflict began).
This indicates that passengers are waiting longer before committing to travel. At the same time, the share of passengers adding protection to multi-leg journeys on our platform has risen from 46% to around 50%. These trends signal reduced confidence in how complex itineraries involving multiple carriers are managed today.
The challenge is that much of this demand still sits entirely outside airline systems. Passengers are piecing together travel segments across separate bookings, often through third-party platforms or on their own. When things go wrong, either due to external events or other irregular operations, there is no unified framework for rebooking, no consistent service standard, and no clear ownership of the problem. The result is a stressful experience for the traveller that reflects poorly on the carriers involved and reveals the cracks in traditional interline and self-connecting models.
Bringing Connectivity Under Airline Control
Airlines are beginning to respond. Through a connected travel model, carriers are bringing multi-carrier and interline itineraries into their own environments, and structuring journeys they previously had no visibility into.
This allows them to manage pricing, servicing, and disruption handling within a framework they control, rather than leaving passengers to navigate complexity and uncertainty alone.
By “owning” these journeys, airlines can deliver a more consistent end-to-end experience, with accountability that sits within their brand rather than distributed across disconnected bookings. For passengers, this means clearer expectations and more reliable support.
Airlines that successfully integrate the connected travel approach into their distribution and service models are better positioned to capture demand that currently leaks to aggregators or goes unprotected. They also reduce the reputational risk that comes with disruption-driven passenger frustration.
Disruption will always be part of aviation, but the structures we build around it determine whether passengers see airlines as part of the problem or part of the solution. Connected travel offers a path toward the latter, unifying control, responsibility, and experience in a single, workable model that delivers tangible business results.