ComparisonGroupArrivals vs a spreadsheet of guest flights
A spreadsheet is a fine place to collect names and flight numbers. Here is where it stops helping on travel days, and what a live group board adds.
Short answer
A spreadsheet is good for collecting guests and flight numbers, but it does not update itself: someone has to check every flight and type in each change. GroupArrivals starts from that same spreadsheet, then tracks every flight live, flags delays, cancellations and possible missed connections, and alerts your team. Keep the spreadsheet for planning and use a live board for the travel days.
| What you need | GroupArrivals | Spreadsheet |
|---|---|---|
| Collect names and flights | Upload your CSV or Excel file. Columns are matched for you, with English or Spanish names. | Easy. Type or paste, with any columns you like. |
| Catch typos in flight numbers | Every flight is checked to exist, and likely typos are shown in a preview before you save. | Only if someone looks up each flight by hand. |
| Know when a flight is late | Status updates live: on time, in the air, landed, with lateness as a separate label. | Someone checks each flight and updates the cell. |
| Hear about cancellations and diversions | Flagged on the board and sent to the team by email and push. | Found when someone checks, or when a guest calls. |
| Connecting flights | Each leg is tracked, and travelers who might miss a connection are flagged. | You can list both legs, but nothing warns you when the first one is late. |
| Time zones | Every time is shown in the local time of the airport where it happens. | Depends on how each person typed the time. |
| Guest corrections | A self-entry link lets guests add or fix their own flights, checked as they type. | Guests send changes by email or message, and someone copies them in. |
| Keep the client informed | A private live board link with totals and flights. Names can be hidden. | Share the whole file with every guest's details, or write updates by hand. |
| Greeters at the airport | If you turn on check-in, each greeter gets a phone link and taps names to mark them checked in, even with no signal. | A printout, or a shared file on a phone that several people edit at once. |
| Manifests for transfers | Export arrivals and departures by day, airport or flight as CSV or Excel. | Filter and sort by hand, then copy into a new file. |
| Cost | A one-time group pass or a monthly plan. You can see your list on the board before paying. | Free, apart from the hours spent checking flights. |
When Spreadsheet is enough
When a spreadsheet is enough: a small group, a few flights on one day, and someone with time to check each flight on the day.
When GroupArrivals fits better
When GroupArrivals is the better fit: dozens or hundreds of guests, several days or airports, connecting flights, a team sharing the work, or a client who wants live updates.
What a spreadsheet does well
Most group trips start in a spreadsheet, and for good reason. It is free, it opens on any computer, and you can add any column you need: dietary notes, room types, transfer groups. Collecting flight numbers from guests or from a booking report fits naturally in rows and columns.
- Collecting names, flight numbers and dates from many sources
- Planning rooms, tables and transfers around those flights
- Sharing a list with a supplier who needs a simple file
- Small groups where one person can check every flight on the day
Where it falls behind on travel days
A spreadsheet only shows what someone typed into it. When a flight is delayed by two hours at 6 in the morning, the cell still says on time until a person looks it up and changes it. With 80 guests on 30 different flights, that checking becomes a full job.
- Delays and cancellations appear only after someone checks each flight.
- Connecting flights look fine on paper even when the first leg is late.
- Times typed in different time zones are easy to misread.
- Several people editing one file can overwrite each other's changes.
- Sharing the file with a client shares every guest's details too.
Keep your spreadsheet, add a live board
You do not have to give up your spreadsheet. Use it to collect and plan, then load it into a group flight tracker for the days people travel.
Export your list
Save the sheet as CSV or Excel with one row per traveler: name, arrival flight and date, departure flight and date.
Upload and review
Check the preview for flagged rows: flights that do not exist, likely typos, or airports that do not match the group.
Share the right view
Invite your team to the board, send greeters their phone links if you use check-in, and send the client their own link.
Switching in the middle of planning
Many organizers move to a live board a few days before the first arrivals, once most flights are known. Guests who are still missing flights can add them through a self-entry link, so the board fills in without more copying.
Questions about moving from a spreadsheet
Do I have to retype my spreadsheet?
No. Upload your CSV or Excel file and GroupArrivals matches the columns for you. You see a preview with any problems per row before saving.
What if my columns have different names?
Columns are matched by name in English or Spanish, and you can use AI matching for messy files. You confirm the result in the preview.
Can I still get a spreadsheet out at the end?
Yes. Export manifests of arrivals and departures by day, airport or flight as CSV or Excel.
Can I see my list before paying?
Yes. You can upload your list and see it on the board first. Flights are tracked once a group pass or a monthly plan is active.
What happens to guests' personal data afterwards?
It is deleted a set number of days after the group ends, 60 by default, and your workspace can choose. Only flight numbers and dates go to the flight data provider, never names.
Guides that go with this
Arrival manifest: what it is and the columns it needs
Read the guideGuide for wedding planners, travel agents and DMCsHow to collect your guests' flight details without the usual mistakes
Read the guideGuide for travel and event teamsHow to track multiple flights for a group
Read the guideGuide for travel agentsHow to follow a group's flights after ticketing
Read the guideSee every featureAll guidesCompare with other ways of working
See your own list on the board today.
Upload your guest list and see every flight on the board before you pay. Live tracking starts at $29 per group.