Get Departure Time Data Using An API

Departure time data is kind of like the holy grail for travel apps and websites. But, what is it exactly? Departure time data is actually really simple: it’s a data source that shows the location and status of airplanes.

The Departure Time Data (DTD) is a standard published by IATA that defines the data that must be published by an airline in order to allow third-party applications to make flight schedules, check-in, and comparison services using real-time available data. This post explains what is DTD and lists some of the ways you can use it to improve your website’s flight booking capability.

It can be obtained from feeds, but it is simplest to use an API. That way you don’t have to fight with XML just to get your departure times.

There are hundreds of airline data feeds, travel websites, and apps that have departure times for all the airports in the world. Which one is best?

Thankfully, we’ve discovered a very accurate, easy-to-use API that can help us do just that.

FlightLabs

FlightLabs enables finding and obtaining real-time worldwide flight information from a range of airlines and airports simple and quick. This API provides real-time information about flights, airports, schedules, timetables, IATA codes, and other topics.

A passenger or an agency can use this API to get current flight discounts from a range of airlines. It will also make it much easier for developers to integrate all of the data into a platform or application. The data is also available in a variety of computer languages, including JSON, Python, and PHP.

The Flightlabs API includes a lot of features.

• Airports Database
• Airline Routes
• Cities Database
• Countries Database
• Airlines Database
• Historical and Live Flight

Get departure time data?

To obtain the information, use the following methods:

1. Go to www.goflightlabs.com and create an account. After that, search for symbols that signify an airport or airline.
2. You can use the API once you’ve used these symbols. Your account dashboard will provide you with a unique API key.
3. Press the “run” button to complete the operation. On your screen, the API will show. The information is also available in a number of other computer languages.

If you were to make an API call, for example, the request might look like this:

https://app.goflightlabs.com/airports
                  ? access_key = YOUR_ACCESS_KEY

And the end result would be as follows:

{
                    "data": [
                        {
                            "flight_date": "2019-12-12",
                            "flight_status": "active",
                            "departure": {
                                "airport": "San Francisco International",
                                "timezone": "America/Los_Angeles",
                                "iata": "SFO",
                                "icao": "KSFO",
                                "terminal": "2",
                                "gate": "D11",
                                "delay": 13,
                                "scheduled": "2019-12-12T04:20:00+00:00",
                                "estimated": "2019-12-12T04:20:00+00:00",
                                "actual": "2019-12-12T04:20:13+00:00",
                                "estimated_runway": "2019-12-12T04:20:13+00:00",
                                "actual_runway": "2019-12-12T04:20:13+00:00"
                            },
                            [...]
                          ]
                        }

Related posts:

How To Use A Historical Flight Data API

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Also published on Medium.