Case Study - Early Results

24/7 AI Travel Assistant for High-Volume Passenger Support

Croatia’s largest ferry operator deployed Own.Assistant to handle high-volume passenger queries during peak summer season – across every route, in every language, around the clock.

Live on jadrolinija.hr since May 2026

Case Study - Early Results

24/7 AI Travel Assistant for High-Volume Passenger Support

Croatia’s largest ferry operator deployed Own.Assistant to handle high-volume passenger queries during peak summer season – across every route, in every language, around the clock.

Live on jadrolinija.hr since May 2026

Early Results · First 5 Weeks

Passenger conversations
0
Messages handled
0 +
Answer rate
0 %
Growth June vs May
+ 0 %

Barba AI: A New Kind of Passenger Service

For the first time, Jadrolinija passengers have access to a digital support channel that’s available around the clock, responds in any language, and is connected to live timetable and pricing data — right when millions of travellers need it most.

About Jadrolinija

Croatia’s national ferry operator — and one of Europe’s largest

With a fleet of 58 ships, connecting the country’s mainland and islands through a network of 37 domestic and 4 international routes.

The Challenge

Volume

Every year, the company transports more than 12.6 million passengers and 3.8 million vehicles, operating up to 600 sailings per day during peak summer season — generating an enormous volume of inquiries covering timetables, fares, routes, reservations, island connections and travel policies.

Multilingual demand

International tourists ask in multiple languages — and expect a timely, accurate answer.

No digital support channel

During the busiest months, customer support teams handle thousands of repetitive inquiries facing significant pressure. Around 60% can be answered using information already on the website — the challenge wasn't the lack of information, it was making it instantly accessible. No scalable digital support channel existed before Barba AI.

The Solution

AI assistant trained on Jadrolinija's live data: timetables, ticket pricing, routes, travel rules, and destination info.

Deployed directly on jadrolinija.hr — available 24/7 with no queue, no wait time.

Responds automatically in the passenger's language — Croatian, English, German, Italian, and more.

Handles real-time queries: "When is the next ferry to Hvar?", "Can I bring my car?", "How do I change my ticket?"

Peak season ready — handles the 8 AM – 1 PM morning rush without queues. Scales to any volume without adding staff.

Meet Barba

AI Travel Assistant Built on Own.Assistant Platform

Barba AI is a travel assistant deployed directly on jadrolinija.hr, built on Own.Assistant — connected to Jadrolinija’s live data: timetables, pricing, routes, and travel rules. Every answer is grounded in real, current information.

Trained on live Jadrolinija data

Connected to timetables, pricing, routes and rules. Answers are always current — not cached or static.

Available 24/7 with no queue

Passengers get instant answers on jadrolinija.hr at any hour — including the 8 AM – 1 PM morning peak when planning volume is highest.

Automatic multilingual responses

Detects the passenger's language and responds accordingly — Croatian, English, German, Italian, Czech and more. No manual routing required.

Built to expand

Next phase includes WhatsApp and additional channels. The assistant learns from every interaction and improves over time.

“Our primary goal was to make Jadrolinija’s services more accessible through a simple, intuitive and conversational experience. With Croatia’s highly indented coastline and an extensive network of ferry routes, navigating timetables, fares and travel information can often feel overwhelming, particularly for first-time visitors. Every summer, our customer support teams handle thousands of inquiries, although around 60% of them can be answered using information already available on our website. Barba AI bridges that gap by providing passengers with instant, 24/7 assistance, making travel planning easier while significantly reducing the workload on our customer support teams.”

Jadrolinija
Communications Team

delivers measurable results quickly and efficiently:

Schedules, prices, tickets, bookings, availability — if your team answers the same questions at scale, Own.Assistant is built for you. Every implementation is configured to your data, your rules, and your brand.

Ferry & Maritime

Routes, timetables, vehicle transport, island connections

Bus & Coach

Schedules, stops, bookings, real-time updates

Airlines

Flight info, check-in, baggage, travel policies

Rail Operators

Timetables, connections, platform changes, passes

Ticketing Platforms

Availability, pricing, booking flows, cancellations

Tourism & Hospitality

Destination info, reservations, local guidance

Ready to see what Own.Assistant can do for you?