Travel & Hospitality

Flight Status Update WhatsApp Templates

A flight status update is a message telling a passenger what is actually happening with their flight — on time, delayed, gate changed, or cancelled — with the new information stated first. WhatsApp is the right channel because a passenger in transit is on roaming data and will not open an email, but a WhatsApp notification lands on the lock screen and stays readable offline. The rule that decides whether this message works: lead with the new time or the new gate. Never bury it under an apology.

Meta billing category

Templates on this page are typically approved as Utility, billed at ~₹0.115 per message (India).

Transactional — tied to an order, account, or appointment the customer already has. Cheapest category. Adding promotional lines risks Meta reclassifying it as Marketing at ~7.5x the cost.

Copy-ready templates

Replace the {{placeholders}} with your platform’s variables before submitting to Meta for approval.

1. On time — check-in open

✈️ {{airline_name}} {{flight_number}} — ON TIME {{name}}, your flight from {{origin_city}} to {{destination_city}} departs {{departure_time}} on {{departure_date}}. PNR: {{pnr}} Check-in is now open: {{checkin_link}} Counters close {{counter_close_time}} — {{terminal}}. We will message you here if anything changes.

Best for: 24 hours before departure. It also earns you the right to be believed later, when the message actually matters.

2. Delay — new time first

✈️ {{flight_number}} — NEW DEPARTURE TIME: {{new_departure_time}} {{name}}, your flight to {{destination_city}} is delayed. It was {{departure_time}}; it is now {{new_departure_time}} on {{departure_date}}. PNR: {{pnr}} Gate: {{gate_number}}, {{terminal}} Reason: {{delay_reason}} We are sorry for the disruption. Reply HELP if this breaks a connection and we will look at your options.

Best for: The moment a delay is confirmed — 2 hours before departure at the latest. The new time is the one message a delayed passenger actually wants, so it goes in line one.

3. Gate change

⚠️ GATE CHANGE — {{flight_number}} {{name}}, your gate is now {{gate_number}} ({{terminal}}). It was {{old_gate_number}}. Boarding: {{boarding_time}} Departure: {{departure_time}} Allow extra walking time if you are already airside.

Best for: Instantly on the gate change. A passenger sitting at the old gate has minutes, not hours — brevity is the entire feature.

4. Cancellation with the next step

✈️ {{flight_number}} on {{departure_date}} is CANCELLED. {{name}}, we are sorry. Here is what happens now — pick one: 1️⃣ Rebook free on {{alternate_flight}} departing {{alternate_departure_time}} 2️⃣ Full refund of ₹{{refund_amount}} to your original payment method 3️⃣ Talk to a person — reply TALK PNR: {{pnr}} Reply 1, 2, or 3. We will action it immediately.

Best for: The instant a cancellation is confirmed. A cancellation message without a next step just moves the passenger into your call-centre queue.

5. Boarding now

🛫 Boarding now — {{flight_number}} {{name}}, boarding has started at gate {{gate_number}}, {{terminal}}. Seat: {{seat_number}} Gate closes: {{gate_close_time}} Please head to the gate. The gate closes {{gate_close_minutes}} minutes before departure and does not reopen.

Best for: At boarding call. It genuinely reduces gate no-shows — the passenger is nearly always in the terminal, just not listening to announcements.

6. Landed — baggage belt

Landed. Welcome to {{destination_city}}, {{name}}. 🛬 {{flight_number}} arrived {{arrival_time}}. Baggage belt: {{baggage_belt}} Booked a transfer with us? Your driver is tracked to this flight and is already on the way. Safe travels.

Best for: On touchdown. The belt number saves the whole arrivals hall from squinting at one overhead screen.

What each variable means

These 24 placeholders appear in the templates above. Map each one to the matching field in your WhatsApp platform before you submit for approval.

Variable	What to put in it
`{{airline_name}}`	The operating airline.
`{{flight_number}}`	Flight number, as printed on the ticket.
`{{name}}`	The customer's first name.
`{{origin_city}}`	City flown from.
`{{destination_city}}`	City flown to.
`{{departure_time}}`	Scheduled departure time.
`{{departure_date}}`	Scheduled departure date.
`{{pnr}}`	Passenger Name Record — the six-character booking reference on the ticket.
`{{checkin_link}}`	Replace with the checkin link for this message.
`{{counter_close_time}}`	Replace with the counter close time for this message.
`{{terminal}}`	Terminal the flight departs from or arrives at.
`{{new_departure_time}}`	Revised departure time after a delay. Put it in the first line — never bury it.
`{{gate_number}}`	The departure gate.
`{{delay_reason}}`	The real reason for the delay, in plain language. No jargon.
`{{old_gate_number}}`	Replace with the old gate number for this message.
`{{boarding_time}}`	When boarding starts.
`{{alternate_flight}}`	Replace with the alternate flight for this message.
`{{alternate_departure_time}}`	Replace with the alternate departure time for this message.
`{{refund_amount}}`	Amount actually being refunded, after any deduction.
`{{seat_number}}`	The passenger's allotted seat.
`{{gate_close_time}}`	Replace with the gate close time for this message.
`{{gate_close_minutes}}`	Replace with the gate close minutes for this message.
`{{arrival_time}}`	When the patient should actually arrive — usually earlier than the appointment time.
`{{baggage_belt}}`	Belt number in the arrivals hall.

Frequently asked questions

Is a flight status update Utility or Marketing?

Utility, without argument — it concerns a ticket the passenger already holds, so it costs roughly ₹0.115 per message in India rather than about ₹0.8631 for Marketing, a ~7.5x difference. This is also the message class where you least want to risk reclassification: a status update that gets held up because Meta read a promotional line in it is a status update that arrives after the passenger has already missed the gate.

How should a delay message be written?

New time in the first line, before the apology and before the reason. A passenger reading a delay message is doing exactly one calculation — when do I now need to be at the gate — and every word placed above that number is a word between them and the answer. State the old time too, so they can see it changed, and give them a way to reply if the delay has broken an onward connection.

How often should I send status updates?

On events, not on a timer: check-in open, any delay, any gate change, boarding, and arrival. Do not send hourly "still on time" reassurances — passengers learn to ignore you, and the one message that mattered gets ignored along with the noise. If a delay keeps extending, send a fresh message each time the time genuinely moves, and say plainly that it has moved again.

Go deeper

Browse the full library

90 template sets and 488 copy-ready messages — across commerce, Indian festivals, finance, and industry starter packs. All free, all written for Meta approval.

All WhatsApp templates