PROBLEM -> SOLUTION
SUMMARY
Ahead of the Gate is an SMS-based predictive flight delay alert system.
PROBLEM
Travelers often learn about delays at the airport gate, long after the delay is mathematically inevitable.
SOLUTION
We provide early-warning text messages so travelers can rebook or adjust their plans before the crowd.ravelers often learn about delays at the airport gate, long after the delay is mathematically inevitable.
TARGET AUDIENCE
Frequent flyers, business travelers, and highly proactive passengers.
TEAM
LIOR MORAVTCHIK - FOUNDER
A product leader with over 15 years of experience building and scaling technology platforms. Having founded, co-founded, and driven product strategy across four different startups, the focus is on solving complex workflow and user experience gaps through intuitive, data-driven solutions. LinkedIn
DANIELA PLESCOFF - DESIGNER
Creative UX/Product Designer with a background in Industrial Design. I have more than 8 years’ experience in all aspects of product development from concept through production, including design strategy, concept boards, preparation of designs for manufacturing, prototypes oversight, communication with factories and suppliers, multiple stage presentations, and collection sign off. LinkedIn
PRODUCTS & SERVICES
CURRENT STAGE
Live MVP / Private Beta.
HOW IT WORKS
- Text to Track: Users text their flight number to our system.
- Inbound Aircraft Tracking: Instead of just trusting the airline's schedule, our proprietary cloud backend identifies the tail number of the inbound aircraft assigned to the user's flight.
- Turnround Math: We calculate the exact time needed to deplane, clean, and board taking in account origin, destination, equipment, RONs and more.
- The Alert: If the inbound aircraft's arrival time makes an on-time departure physically impossible, we instantly text the user a delay warning via Twilio.
ORIGIN STORY
I used to fly several times a day
Between 2016 and 2020, while building a previous startup, I took over 2,000 flights. I earned the highest status tiers, learned the lingo, and recognized the familiar faces of fellow frequent flyers. I also became intimately familiar with the cascading impact of travel disruptions.
We all know the fallout when things go wrong: missed meetings, missed bedtimes, unexpected nights in subpar motels, and disappointing the people relying on you. I spent hours of my life hitting "refresh" on airline apps, trying to guess if a cancellation was imminent.
If you travel enough, you develop an intuition. You’ve likely stood at a terminal staring at a screen that says "On Time" in green, while looking out the window at an empty jetbridge. The plane isn't there. You know there isn't enough time for the aircraft to land, taxi, deplane, clean, board, and take off. It's a physical impossibility. Yet, the airline's screen still insists everything is on schedule.
Ahead of the Gate was built to bridge that gap. We use direct connections to flight data services to do the math for you. If the physical reality of the inbound aircraft doesn't match the airline's promised departure time, we text you instantly.
Sometimes that gives you a 10-minute head start; sometimes it's 25 minutes. In the airport ecosystem, that time is the difference between:
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Being first in line at the customer service desk.
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Securing the last seat on an alternate flight.
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Getting a premium hotel voucher before the queue hits 50 people.
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Staying at home or the office instead of rushing to wait at the gate.
With 1 in 5 North American flights experiencing delays, think of this as practical travel insurance that easily fits into a corporate expense report. Most days, your flight is fine, and you won't hear from us. But when the math doesn't add up, we'll ping you—often before the airline updates their own screens.
Sign up, send us your flight number, and let the math do the watching.