I just got back from an international trip to drop off my son to boarding school. Self-check-in / self-service is everywhere. Travel, retail, hospitality, the “check yourself in, manage it yourself” model is spreading. On paper, it’s efficient. In practice, it’s… mixed.
Take McDonald’s (at least in Europe). The kiosks have actually improved the experience: you avoid the long queue, place your order at your own pace, then sit down and wait for table service. It’s faster, smoother, and surprisingly more human than standing in line.
BTW this is an excerpt from my more more informative newsletter:https://martinsoler.substack.com/p/122-is-self-service-a-boon
Now contrast that with airlines. When flying internationally, and the self-check-in process turned what used to be a straightforward counter interaction into a minefield of stress. Suddenly, I’m responsible for entering my passport details, dates, numbers, countries of issue (is it the country or country where the embassy is located?), places of birth and for the kids as well. Each field a potential mistake that could derail the whole trip. Add the joy of sticking luggage tags (How do the Airfrance ones work compared to Easyjey? do they stay on? will my bag get lost?) and the tension climbs quickly.
What happens when you get it wrong? (because there is no “back” button) Ideally, you ask an attendant for help. In reality, it was: “Go to the main counter at the other end of the airport.” Translation: a massive queue and even more stress. The system may reduce staffing needs, but it transfers the burden of complexity onto the traveler, who is not a trained airline agent.
There’s possibly a principle hiding here: if self-service requires more than a handful of high-stakes decisions, it may not actually be service at all. It’s outsourcing work to the customer without giving them the expertise to succeed. That’s not efficiency, that’s liability disguised as innovation.
Of course, there are upsides. Lines do move faster, one attendant can oversee a dozen kiosks, and yes, some travelers prefer the autonomy. But let’s not confuse fewer queues with better service. Airports are stressful enough without adding the existential dread of a typo that could not be corrected.
Maybe the solution is tiered. If you’re confident and want to save time, go ahead and use the kiosk. If you’d rather have peace of mind, pay a little extra for the assurance of professional handling.
Because the real question is not how much labor can we cut, but how much better can we make it for the customer? In the hospitality and travel industries, that’s the difference between service and self-service. I don’t have the answer. But the first principle here needs to be how to make it better for the customer – in the end that has proven to generate more profit. Whereas cost-cutting rarely does on the long run.
Food for thought.
