Flights Operations Lead
Posted on: December 05, 2025 | Job ID: 26841
Company Name: Booking.com
Division: Commercial-Trips Business Unit
Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Schedule: On-Site (Office-Centric) | Employment Type: Full-Time
About Booking.com: Connecting the World Through Travel
At Booking.com, data drives our decisions. Technology is at our core. And innovation is everywhere. But our company is more than datasets, lines of code, or A/B tests. We're the thrill of the first night in a new place. The excitement of the next morning. The friends you encounter. The journeys you take. The sights you see. And the memories you make. Through our products, partners, and people, we make it easier for everyone to experience the world.
We began by taking hotel bookings online over 20 years ago, and we've been shaping the travel industry ever since. Today, we're building an integrated platform that connects all parts of the trip—from accommodation to transport, flights, tickets, tours, and much more. Our vision is to create seamless "connected trips" where every element of travel comes together effortlessly.
Our Trips Business Unit: Making Every Journey Possible
Our Trips Business Unit is dedicated to helping people get where they want to go, anywhere in the world. Whether customers want the freedom of a rental car, the convenience of a flight, the ease of a taxi, or the economy of public transport, we make it all possible through innovative technology and strategic partnerships.
Our team is passionate about helping people travel. We see challenges as opportunities for innovation. And we're always ready for change in this dynamic, fast-paced industry. We thrive on solving complex problems and delivering experiences that exceed customer expectations.
The Flights Team: Where Every Journey Begins
A trip usually starts with a flight. The Flights team's mission is crystal clear: offer travelers a wide selection of flights, great value for money, and the easiest end-to-end booking experience in the industry. We partner with our strategic partner, Etraveli Group, to make our mission a reality and have ambitious, high-reaching goals over the next several years that will transform how people book and experience air travel.
As we scale our flights business to serve millions of customers globally, operational excellence becomes absolutely critical to our success. This is where you come in.
The Role: Flights Operations Lead
The Flights Operations Lead is a pivotal position that owns the end-to-end Customer Service operation across our entire Flights business. You will act as the connective tissue between the Flights product team, Booking.com Customer Service organization, and supplier customer service teams, working to drive a best-in-class customer experience at scale that sets us apart from competitors.
In this role, you will monitor and continuously improve both performance and cost efficiency. You'll lead rigorous SLA governance, proactively resolve operational risks and issues before they impact customers, embed sustainable processes that can scale with business growth, lead strategic projects and initiatives, and drive comprehensive knowledge management and tooling improvements to support both growth and quality objectives.
This role reports directly to the Product Operations Manager based in Amsterdam and is part of our Operations Track, a career path focused on operational excellence and scalable business operations.
Why This Role Matters
As the Flights business grows exponentially, the complexity of managing customer service operations across multiple partners and touchpoints increases dramatically. You'll be responsible for ensuring that operational complexity never translates into customer friction. Your work will directly impact customer satisfaction, operational costs, and the scalability of our flights business. Every process you optimize, every issue you prevent, and every improvement you implement will benefit thousands of travelers.
Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities
Strategic Ownership and Accountability
You will own all customer service topics, initiatives, and performance metrics across the Flights business, spanning internal functions and external suppliers. You'll act as the primary escalation point and day-to-day accountable owner for operational excellence, meaning the success or failure of Flights customer service operations rests on your shoulders. This requires exceptional judgment, quick decision-making, and the ability to balance competing priorities effectively.
Performance Monitoring and Continuous Improvement
Monitor, analyze, and continuously improve customer service performance and cost efficiency by setting ambitious but achievable targets, surfacing root cause drivers of performance issues, and implementing product fixes and process improvements to systematically reduce contact volume, retail loss, and other key performance drivers. You'll use data analytics to identify trends, predict issues before they escalate, and quantify the business impact of your improvement initiatives.
Cross-Functional Bridge and Governance
Act as the main point of contact and strategic bridge between the Flights product team, Booking.com Customer Service organization, and supplier customer service teams. You'll manage governance frameworks, align competing priorities across these groups, and enforce rigorous performance and SLA management through regular business reviews and corrective action plans when performance falls short of expectations. This requires exceptional diplomatic skills and the ability to influence without direct authority.
Refund Experience Excellence
Establish comprehensive end-to-end visibility and robust controls to support and uphold the refund experience for customers—one of the most critical touchpoints in customer satisfaction. You'll work to improve refund processing throughput, reduce processing time, and eliminate unassigned or orphan refunds that create customer frustration and operational inefficiency. This may involve redesigning workflows, implementing new tools, or renegotiating processes with partners.
Process Optimization and Automation
Identify operational inefficiencies by meticulously mapping current processes, removing unnecessary handoffs that slow operations and increase error rates, automating repetitive tasks where possible through technology solutions, and translating operational needs into specific agent capability requirements covering tooling enhancements, training programs, and knowledge base updates. Your process improvement mindset will be essential to scaling operations efficiently.
Incident and Defect Management
Manage structured triage, prioritization, and resolution processes for incidents and defects that impact customer experience or operational performance. Ensure clear, timely communications to all stakeholders, implement rapid mitigations to limit customer impact, and maintain operational knowledge bases and runbooks that enable teams to respond quickly and consistently to recurring issues. Your ability to remain calm under pressure and coordinate cross-functional response efforts will be tested regularly.
Escalation Management and Root Cause Prevention
Own executive complaint triage processes and manage escalation paths to suppliers and Booking.com leadership. Rather than just resolving individual cases reactively, you'll analyze complaint patterns to identify systemic issues and implement fixes that prevent repeat patterns from occurring. You'll also review and continuously improve customer communications across all channels—email, chat, phone, and self-service—to ensure clarity, empathy, and effectiveness.
Qualifications & Skills Required
Core Experience Requirements
Significant experience in SLA governance, vendor management, and BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) management is essential. You should have a proven track record of managing complex vendor relationships, holding partners accountable to performance standards, and driving measurable performance impact through structured governance processes. Experience managing customer service operations at scale in a fast-paced, high-volume environment is highly valued.
Demonstrated change management and process improvement expertise with the ability to design efficient processes from scratch, implement them at scale across multiple teams and geographies, and embed sustainable BAU (Business as Usual) ownership so improvements stick rather than fading over time. You should be familiar with process improvement methodologies like Lean, Six Sigma, or similar frameworks.
Data-Driven Decision Making
You must be a data-driven decision maker, proficient with operational analytics to accurately size problems, set appropriate targets based on benchmarks and business needs, and validate that your initiatives are actually delivering the intended outcomes. Comfort with tools like Excel, SQL, Tableau, or similar analytics platforms is expected. You should be able to build dashboards, analyze trends, and present data-driven recommendations to leadership.
Stakeholder Management and Influence
Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills with demonstrated ability to influence across Product teams, Customer Service operations, Finance, Legal and Compliance functions, and supplier leadership teams. Many of your initiatives will require buy-in and active participation from groups you don't directly manage, so your ability to build relationships, communicate value, and gain commitment is critical to your success.
Incident Management Capabilities
Be comfortable leading incident and issue management processes, conducting thorough root cause analyses that dig beyond surface symptoms to identify underlying issues, and developing prevention plans that address root causes rather than just treating symptoms. Experience with structured incident management frameworks like ITIL is beneficial.
Communication Excellence
Exceptional communication and documentation skills are non-negotiable. You must be able to summarize complex, multi-faceted information clearly and present it effectively to diverse audiences, both in written reports and verbal presentations. Your communications should be concise yet comprehensive, tailored to your audience, and action-oriented.
Additional Valued Skills
- Experience in the travel, aviation, or e-commerce industries
- Familiarity with customer service platforms and ticketing systems
- Understanding of airline operations and flight booking processes
- Project management certification (PMP, PRINCE2, or similar)
- Experience with API integrations and technical troubleshooting
- Multilingual capabilities for managing international operations
Personal Attributes
- Proactive problem-solver with strong initiative
- Resilient under pressure with ability to manage crisis situations calmly
- Detail-oriented with strong analytical thinking
- Collaborative team player with cross-cultural sensitivity
- Customer-centric mindset with empathy for traveler needs
- Adaptable and comfortable with ambiguity
- Results-driven with strong accountability
What Success Looks Like
In your first 90 days, you'll establish relationships with key stakeholders, map current processes and pain points, and implement quick wins that demonstrate value. Within six months, you'll have established robust governance frameworks, improved key performance metrics, and built credibility as the go-to expert for Flights operations. Within a year, you'll have transformed the operational model to be more efficient, scalable, and customer-centric, with measurable improvements in customer satisfaction, cost efficiency, and operational reliability.
Benefits & Perks: Global Impact, Personal Relevance
Booking.com's Total Rewards Philosophy is not only about compensation but also about comprehensive benefits that support your whole life, career aspirations, and personal wellbeing. We offer a competitive compensation and benefits package, as well as unique-to-Booking.com benefits designed to enhance your experience both at work and in your personal life.
Time Off and Work-Life Balance
Annual paid time off with generous allowances that recognize the importance of rest, rejuvenation, and pursuing personal interests outside of work.
Generous paid leave scheme including:
- Parental leave for new mothers and fathers to bond with new additions to the family
- Grandparent leave to support family members during important milestones
- Bereavement leave providing time and space to grieve and support loved ones
- Care leave for when family members need your support during illness or other challenges
Flexible Working Arrangements
Hybrid working model including flexible working arrangements that optimize your productivity and wellbeing. Work from the office when collaboration and connection matter most, and from home when you need focused time for deep work and analysis.
Up to 20 days per year working from abroad (from your home country), allowing you to experience new places, visit family, or simply enjoy a change of scenery while staying connected to your work. This unique benefit embodies our mission to make travel accessible and integrated into daily life.
Travel and Lifestyle Benefits
Industry-leading product discounts up to €1,400 per year for yourself, allowing you to experience firsthand the products and services you're helping to optimize. Travel more frequently, explore new destinations, and bring those customer insights back to your work.
Automatic Genius Level 3 status giving you access to the best available rates, exclusive deals, free room upgrades, and VIP treatment when you book through Booking.com.
Booking.com wallet credit for additional travel experiences, flights, rental cars, and attractions, encouraging you to explore our full platform and understand the complete customer journey.
Professional Development
We invest in your growth through training programs, conference attendance, professional certifications, and learning opportunities that help you develop new skills and advance your career.
Additional Benefits
Beyond these highlights, we offer a comprehensive benefits package tailored to our Amsterdam location, including health insurance options, pension contributions, commuter benefits, wellness programs, employee assistance programs, and various other perks designed to support your financial security, physical health, mental wellbeing, and career growth.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Booking.com
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion have been a core part of our company culture since day one. This ongoing journey starts with our very own employees, who represent over 140 nationalities and a wide range of ethnic and social backgrounds, genders, and sexual orientations. This diversity is not just something we celebrate—it's fundamental to our innovation and success.
Take it from our Chief People Officer, Paulo Pisano: "At Booking.com, the diversity of our people doesn't just build an outstanding workplace, it also creates a better and more inclusive travel experience for everyone. Inclusion is at the heart of everything we do. It's a place where you can make your mark and have a real impact in travel and tech."
We ensure that colleagues with disabilities are provided the adjustments and tools they need to participate fully in the job application and interview process, to perform crucial job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. We believe accessibility is not an accommodation but a right, and we're committed to creating an environment where everyone can contribute their best work.
Application Process: Let's Go Places Together
We're excited to learn more about you and how your experience and expertise can drive operational excellence for our Flights business. When you apply, please ensure your application materials clearly demonstrate:
- Your experience managing complex customer service operations at scale
- Specific examples of process improvements you've led and their measurable impact
- Your approach to vendor management and SLA governance
- Your data analytics capabilities and how you've used data to drive decisions
Important note: This role does not come with relocation assistance. Candidates should be based in or planning to relocate to the Amsterdam area independently.
Our Hiring Process: How We Hire
Our hiring process is designed to be thorough yet respectful of your time. You can expect to:
- Initial screening to discuss your background and interest in the role
- Interviews with the hiring manager to dive deep into your experience and approach
- Case study or practical exercise to demonstrate your problem-solving abilities
- Meetings with key stakeholders from Flights, Customer Service, and potentially suppliers
- Final discussions about mutual fit, expectations, and next steps
We'll provide detailed instructions on any required application materials, work samples, or assessments as you progress through the process. We're committed to providing timely feedback and clear communication throughout your candidate journey.
Our Commitment to Equal Opportunity
Booking.com is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.
We strive to move well beyond traditional equal opportunity commitments and work proactively to create an environment that allows everyone to thrive. We believe that diverse teams make better decisions, create more innovative solutions, and deliver superior customer experiences. Your unique perspective and background are assets we value.
Pre-Employment Screening
If your application is successful, your personal data may be used for a pre-employment screening check by a third party as permitted by applicable law. Depending on the vacancy and applicable law, a pre-employment screening may include verification of employment history, education credentials, and other information (such as media information) that may be necessary for determining your qualifications and suitability for the position.
This process is conducted with full respect for your privacy and in full compliance with all applicable data protection laws, including GDPR. We will request your explicit consent before conducting any background checks and will only collect information that is directly relevant and necessary for this specific role.
Ready to Transform Flights Operations?
If you're passionate about operational excellence, love solving complex problems, and want to make a tangible impact on how millions of people experience air travel, we want to hear from you. This is your opportunity to join a dynamic, high-growth business within the world's leading travel platform, working with talented colleagues from around the globe.
Apply now to begin your journey as Flights Operations Lead at Booking.com.
Booking.com is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace where everyone can thrive. We welcome applications from all qualified candidates and look forward to learning about your unique perspective and experience in driving operational excellence.
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