hannahcat

This may be an odd question, but I'm looking for an award seats API or data for purchase for a project I'm thinking of starting. I've looked around at a lot of websites that offer award seat assistance, but they don't say where they're getting their data, and they don't offer their data for purchase.

In my imagined project, I wouldn't need the account or login information of potential users, but I would need to know what award seats are available on which flights. Who offers that data?

Thanks for the help!

Hannah

Nurse Traveler

http://www.expertflyer.com/ is one common tool used here. There is a $99.99 annual fee.

KVS tool is another. I am less familiar with this tool.

LondonElite

API = Advance Passenger Information...you want to buy this?

All websites that offer fare inventory information for purchase, including the big GDS platforms, get their data from the airlines in question.

Kagehitokiri

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Applic...ming_interface

i think theyre wondering if GDS/etc resell

LondonElite

Ah.

Have a look at this thread OP:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trave...ew-thread.html

Data comes from the airlines who don't permit the sort of sweeping that KVS does. I believe ExpertFlyer pays for it, which is why it charges you. Or you can buy yourself access to a GDS, but that's not cheap.

Kagehitokiri

indeed

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global...ibution_System

hannahcat

Thanks! And yes, you're right, Kagehitokiri, I was thinking about APIs in terms of "application program interface" -- really, the ability to import into one program some of the data and functionality of another program. For instance, if you ever see a website with a Twitter feed on it, that's built through an API.

I was hoping someone was feeding companies like ExpertFlyer and KVS the airline data they use through an API that I just wasn't finding, but from your posts, it appear that that's probably not the case. I guess I'll write ExpertFlyer and ask how much it would be to just purchase the award seat data, though I'm sure you're right that it will be expensive. If anyone has any other ideas, I'm open to them!

Thanks,
Hannah

LondonElite

If you read the KVS wiki thread you'll have noticed that application doesn't pay anyone for the GDS data. KVS asks for donations from users in exchange for which they get access to fare inventory data from the airlines. How does KVS get the data? Well, from a variety of sources. It has created dummy accounts with various travel service providers from which it sweeps GDS data, and it asks you to enter your own FF account information so that it can question that airline/alliance search form to scrape that data. Every so often it goes down for a while because an airline or travel service provider has noticed hundreds of thousand of requests through its system. KVS then finds a new one.

hannahcat

Hi LondonElite -- I did take a look at the KVS thread. While I admire their creativity and tenacity, I think I'm looking for a steadier data source, and one that doesn't require the user's frequent flyer information. Thanks for the thought, though!

hannahcat

I don't have time to look into it thoroughly just at the moment, but I think I might have solved my problem: Sabre REST APIs. Just thought I'd post here in case anyone else is looking for the same thing. Thanks!

Kagehitokiri

so at least some GDS do resell

can do award flights? for what cost?

two other GDS >
- https://developer.travelport.com/app...k/classic-apis
- "Amadeus Web Services is an Application Programming Interface (API)"

JamilD

I'm working on a Python wrapper for Sabre Dev Studio's APIs if you're interested, though it's still very much a work in progress.

It seems like most of the interesting data is in the SOAP APIs, which I haven't tested out yet. Apparently to use them you need to obtain additional credentials from Sabre….so you can't just create a client ID/secret pair like you can with the REST APIs.

As far as I know, the REST APIs don't allow you to query seat availability directly, it just provides an interface to various tools like searching through the cache of recently searched flights, etc.

If you want any more info or help with the REST APIs, send me a PM, I've been playing around with them for a couple months now

JDiver

Though KVS may call their fees "donations" they are fees. Donations are generally suggested contributions, mostly to not for profit endeavors. KVS is certainly for profit, and they "data scrape" airline and other travel provider websites, as you say - often in contravention of airline copyrights and terms of use.

planepoints

Sorry to open up such an old thread - but does anybody here have experience in working on APIs that handle reward flight availability?

I've looked at Sabre, and have also contacted 30K, but it would be great to connect with somebody who has first hand experience

abenaim

Hi @planepoints, I happen to be looking for the same thing!. I am looking for an API capable of handling reward flight and hotel availability and price using miles and CC's points. We should connect and compare our findings