Case Study: British Airways achieves 96% lounge app cost reduction with Leighton’s AWS serverless modernisation

British Airways cuts lounge app infrastructure costs by 96% with Leighton

British Airways faced significant challenges with its global lounge app, which relied on inefficient server-based infrastructure. This architecture resulted in high operational costs, slow deployment times, and limited scalability, making it difficult to customize the app for over 60 different lounge locations. To address this, British Airways partnered with vendor Leighton to modernize the application using AWS serverless technologies.

Leighton implemented a fully serverless AWS solution, eliminating per-lounge servers and introducing a flexible, pay-as-you-go model. This modernization reduced monthly infrastructure costs by 96%, from approximately $2,000–$2,500 to just $90, while also improving API response times and enabling faster, downtime-free deployments. The new scalable architecture allows each lounge to easily customize its menus and amenities, enhancing the guest experience.

British Airways