[Blog](https://scrapfly.io/blog) / [api](https://scrapfly.io/blog/tag/api) / [6 Best Travel and Flight Data APIs for Developers in 2026](https://scrapfly.io/blog/posts/best-travel-flight-data-apis) # 6 Best Travel and Flight Data APIs for Developers in 2026 by [Mohab Yousry](https://scrapfly.io/blog/author/mohab-yousry-9396552a) Oct 26, 2026 12 min read [\#api](https://scrapfly.io/blog/tag/api) [\#python](https://scrapfly.io/blog/tag/python) [ ](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fscrapfly.io%2Fblog%2Fposts%2Fbest-travel-flight-data-apis "Share on LinkedIn") [ ](https://x.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fscrapfly.io%2Fblog%2Fposts%2Fbest-travel-flight-data-apis&text=6%20Best%20Travel%20and%20Flight%20Data%20APIs%20for%20Developers%20in%202026 "Share on X") [ ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fscrapfly.io%2Fblog%2Fposts%2Fbest-travel-flight-data-apis "Share on Facebook") Summarize this article with [ ](https://chat.openai.com/?q=Summarize%20this%20article%20and%20explain%20how%20Scrapfly%20helps%20me%20scrape%20any%20website%20at%20scale%20and%20bypass%20anti-bot%20systems%20for%20my%20use%20case%3A%20https%3A%2F%2Fscrapfly.io%2Fblog%2Fposts%2Fbest-travel-flight-data-apis) [ ](https://claude.ai/new?q=Summarize%20this%20article%20and%20explain%20how%20Scrapfly%20helps%20me%20scrape%20any%20website%20at%20scale%20and%20bypass%20anti-bot%20systems%20for%20my%20use%20case%3A%20https%3A%2F%2Fscrapfly.io%2Fblog%2Fposts%2Fbest-travel-flight-data-apis) [ ](https://x.com/i/grok?text=Summarize%20this%20article%20and%20explain%20how%20Scrapfly%20helps%20me%20scrape%20any%20website%20at%20scale%20and%20bypass%20anti-bot%20systems%20for%20my%20use%20case%3A%20https%3A%2F%2Fscrapfly.io%2Fblog%2Fposts%2Fbest-travel-flight-data-apis) [ ](https://www.perplexity.ai/search/new?q=Summarize%20this%20article%20and%20explain%20how%20Scrapfly%20helps%20me%20scrape%20any%20website%20at%20scale%20and%20bypass%20anti-bot%20systems%20for%20my%20use%20case%3A%20https%3A%2F%2Fscrapfly.io%2Fblog%2Fposts%2Fbest-travel-flight-data-apis) [ ](https://www.google.com/search?udm=50&aep=11&q=Summarize%20this%20article%20and%20explain%20how%20Scrapfly%20helps%20me%20scrape%20any%20website%20at%20scale%20and%20bypass%20anti-bot%20systems%20for%20my%20use%20case%3A%20https%3A%2F%2Fscrapfly.io%2Fblog%2Fposts%2Fbest-travel-flight-data-apis) When we asked OpenSky Network's free API for the planes over Switzerland, it returned 110 of them with their callsigns, coordinates and altitudes. But what about ticket prices? There weren't any, as tracking and fare data come from different APIs. In this article, we'll take a look at 6 flight APIs grouped by the job they do, from tracking flights and schedules to searching fares. That way, we can pick the right one before writing any code. ## Key Takeaways - Know what your product needs before picking an API, since tracking and fare data come from different places - Aviationstack and AirLabs cover flight status and airport lookups - OpenSky Network suits research work - AeroDataBox is suitable for building airport boards for departure and arrival, flight status lookups and creating an aircraft history page. - If you can't find what you're looking for directly through an API, then scraping is the way to go **Get web scraping tips in your inbox**Trusted by 100K+ developers and 30K+ enterprises. Unsubscribe anytime. ## Picking The Best Data API For Developers Decide first which job you need: tracking, schedules or fare search. Then pick from the APIs built for it. | API | Best for | Data type | Access | Main limit | |---|---|---|---|---| | [Aviationstack](https://aviationstack.com/) | Status apps | Flights + airports | API key | Plan scope | | [FlightAware](https://www.flightaware.com/commercial/aeroapi/) | Flight tracking | Operational data | Account | Commercial access | | [OpenSky](https://openskynetwork.github.io/opensky-api/) | Aircraft states | ADS-B research | Public/account | Not fare data | | [Skyscanner](https://developers.skyscanner.net/docs/flights-live-prices/overview) | Live fare search | Itineraries + prices | Partner access | Approval-led | | [AirLabs](https://airlabs.co/docs/) | Schedules + status | Aviation feeds | API key | Plan scope | | [AeroDataBox](https://aerodatabox.com/) | Flight + airport apps | Status + schedules | API access | Product scope | Tracking and schedule APIs tell you where a flight is and when it runs. Fare APIs search what a seat costs, and booking that seat is a separate step that needs a commercial agreement. The chart below sorts the six APIs by that split: Flight data APIs serve different developer needs, from real-time tracking and fare search to read-only availability workflows.Now let's walk through each API in detail. ## 1. Aviationstack Aviationstack provides real-time and historical flight status, schedules and airport data. It has the details of the flights you would need through an endpoint with an API key. You can use it to build a board for flights showing arrival and departure, also schedule pages for a route. Here is an example API call: python ```python import requests params = { "access_key": "YOUR_AVIATIONSTACK_KEY", "flight_iata": "BA245", } response = requests.get("https://api.aviationstack.com/v1/flights", params=params) data = response.json() for flight in data["data"]: print( flight["flight"]["iata"], flight["flight_status"], flight["departure"]["iata"], flight["arrival"]["iata"], ) ``` This is the example response: json ```json { "pagination": { "limit": 100, "offset": 0, "count": "", "total": "" }, "data": [ { "flight_date": "", "flight_status": "", "departure": { "airport": "", "iata": "" }, "arrival": { "airport": "", "iata": "" }, "airline": { "name": "", "iata": "" }, "flight": { "number": "", "iata": "", "icao": "" } } ] } ``` It provides several plans that differ in request volumes and included endpoints. Check their [docs](https://docs.apilayer.com/aviationstack/docs/api-documentation) for more details about each plan. ## 2. FlightAware AeroAPI FlightAware AeroAPI is the best choice for flight tracking. It covers nearly everything about what a flight is doing but it does not provide prices or booking. It supports 3 types of flight coverage. Real-time tracking where it returns live flight information, historical flight tracking where you can get information about flights back to January 2011, and predictive, which combines both with weather data to produce predictions. The entry Personal tier covers current flights only; historical data and alerts start at the Standard tier. It can be used for aircraft position analysis or for research using the flights history. It also has alerts, so you can get notified on events such as a departure or an arrival. Here is an example API call: python ```python import requests headers = {"x-apikey": "YOUR_AEROAPI_KEY"} response = requests.get( "https://aeroapi.flightaware.com/aeroapi/flights/BAW245", headers=headers, ) data = response.json() for flight in data["flights"]: print( flight["ident"], flight["status"], flight["origin"]["code"], flight["destination"]["code"], ) ``` The response looks like: json ```json { "flights": [ { "ident": "", "status": "", "origin": { "code": "", "code_iata": "" }, "destination": { "code": "", "code_iata": "" }, "scheduled_out": "", "estimated_in": "" } ], "num_pages": "" } ``` It bills per result set (up to 15 records), so cap the response with the `max_pages` parameter. Choose the tier wisely also as each tier allows different uses. ## 3. OpenSky Network API OpenSky Network API provides live airspace information for research and non-commercial uses. It returns the data as a state vector which summarizes an aircraft tracking information, so it tells you where a plane is and how it is moving, not where it's scheduled to go or what a seat costs. It can be used for aircraft position analysis, for using its data as a teaching dataset and research. Here is an example API call: python ```python import requests response = requests.get("https://opensky-network.org/api/states/all") data = response.json() print("snapshot time:", data["time"]) for state in data["states"][:5]: icao24 = state[0] callsign = state[1].strip() if state[1] else None origin_country = state[2] longitude, latitude, baro_altitude = state[5], state[6], state[7] print(icao24, callsign, origin_country, latitude, longitude, baro_altitude) ``` The `states/all` endpoint works without authentication, but keep in mind that anonymous requests only return the latest snapshot and use a smaller credit allowance. This is how it responds: json ```json { "time": "", "states": [ ["", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", ""] ] } ``` If you publish anything built on OpenSky data, their [docs](https://openskynetwork.github.io/opensky-api/index.html) ask you to cite the original OpenSky paper and give the exact citation. ## 4. Skyscanner Flights Live Prices API Skyscanner shows you live route prices, so it's the best option for building prices displays or fare comparisons. It uses a create-poll workflow which means that it has two main steps. `/create` starts a search and returns a session token with incomplete results, and `/poll` returns the remaining results as Skyscanner queries its suppliers, each responding in its own time. To access the API you have to apply for the Skyscanner partner program and you need approval before production, so keep that in mind. Here is an example API call in which we keep polling until `status` reaches `RESULT_STATUS_COMPLETE`: python ```python import time from datetime import date, timedelta import requests BASE_URL = "https://partners.api.skyscanner.net/apiservices/v3/flights/live/search" headers = {"x-api-key": "YOUR_SKYSCANNER_PARTNER_KEY", "Content-Type": "application/json"} travel_date = date.today() + timedelta(days=30) create_payload = { "query": { "market": "UK", "locale": "en-GB", "currency": "GBP", "queryLegs": [ { "originPlaceId": {"iata": "LHR"}, "destinationPlaceId": {"iata": "JFK"}, "date": {"year": travel_date.year, "month": travel_date.month, "day": travel_date.day}, } ], "adults": 1, "cabinClass": "CABIN_CLASS_ECONOMY", } } create = requests.post(f"{BASE_URL}/create", headers=headers, json=create_payload) create.raise_for_status() result = create.json() session_token = result["sessionToken"] for _ in range(10): if result["status"] == "RESULT_STATUS_COMPLETE": break time.sleep(2) poll = requests.post(f"{BASE_URL}/poll/{session_token}", headers=headers) poll.raise_for_status() result = poll.json() itineraries = result["content"]["results"]["itineraries"] print(result["status"], len(itineraries), "itineraries") ``` The response looks like this with field names from the docs and placeholder values:json ```json { "sessionToken": "", "status": "RESULT_STATUS_COMPLETE", "action": "RESULT_ACTION_REPLACED", "content": { "results": { "itineraries": { "": { "pricingOptions": [ { "price": { "amount": "", "unit": "PRICE_UNIT_MILLI" }, "agentIds": [""], "items": [ { "agentId": "", "deepLink": "" } ] } ], "legIds": [""] } }, "legs": { "": { "originPlaceId": "", "destinationPlaceId": "", "departureDateTime": { "year": "", "month": "", "day": "", "hour": "", "minute": "" }, "durationInMinutes": "", "stopCount": "", "segmentIds": [""] } }, "segments": { "": { "marketingFlightNumber": "" } }, "places": { "": { "name": "" } }, "carriers": { "": { "name": "" } }, "agents": { "": { "name": "" } } }, "stats": { "itineraries": { "minDuration": "", "maxDuration": "" } }, "sortingOptions": { "cheapest": [ "..." ], "fastest": [ "..." ] } } } ``` If you do not want to go with a partner program or you just can't find the market you're looking for, scraping a site like Kayak is a strong option. [How to Scrape Kayak Flights in 2026A step-by-step guide to scraping Kayak flight search results with Python and the Scrapfly SDK. Covers URL construction, JavaScript rendering, Unblocker (previously ASP) configuration, and parsing Kayak's internal poll JSON.](https://scrapfly.io/blog/posts/how-to-scrape-kayak) Scrapfly #### Scale your web scraping effortlessly Scrapfly handles proxies, browsers, and anti-bot bypass — so you can focus on data. [Try Free →](https://scrapfly.io/register)## 5. AirLabs AirLabs provides live flight positioning data, flight schedules, and a reference database of airlines, routes, and airports. It does not provide fares or booking. It is suitable for building an app that shows departures for an airport or lookup tables for airport and airline codes. When you sign up, you get an API key. Pass it as a parameter to make the request. Each tier has its limits, and the free plan returns a reduced set of fields, check their [pricing page](https://airlabs.co/#Pricing) for more details. Here is an example request to the single-flight endpoint: python ```python import requests params = {"api_key": "YOUR_AIRLABS_KEY", "flight_iata": "BA245"} response = requests.get("https://airlabs.co/api/v9/flight", params=params) flight = response.json()["response"] print( flight["flight_iata"], flight["status"], flight["dep_iata"], flight["arr_iata"], ) ``` The [endpoint docs](https://airlabs.co/docs/flight) shows a response like this: json ```json { "request": { "params": { "flight_iata": "" } }, "response": { "flight_iata": "", "flight_icao": "", "airline_iata": "", "dep_iata": "", "dep_time": "", "arr_iata": "", "arr_time": "", "dep_delayed": "", "status": "", "lat": "", "lng": "", "alt": "", "speed": "", "reg_number": "", "model": "" } } ``` ## 6. AeroDataBox Choose AeroDataBox when you need a combination of flight status, schedules and airport data. It is suitable for building airport boards for departure and arrival, flight status lookups and creating an aircraft history page. You subscribe through a marketplace, API.Market or RapidAPI. Here is an example call through RapidAPI: python ```python import requests headers = { "X-RapidAPI-Key": "YOUR_RAPIDAPI_KEY", "X-RapidAPI-Host": "aerodatabox.p.rapidapi.com", } response = requests.get( "https://aerodatabox.p.rapidapi.com/flights/number/BA245/2026-10-25", headers=headers, ) data = response.json() for flight in data: print( flight["number"], flight["status"], flight["departure"]["airport"]["iata"], flight["arrival"]["airport"]["iata"], ) ``` The response example looks like: json ```json [ { "number": "", "callSign": "", "status": "", "codeshareStatus": "", "isCargo": "", "lastUpdatedUtc": "", "departure": { "airport": { "icao": "", "iata": "", "name": "" }, "scheduledTime": { "utc": "", "local": "" }, "terminal": "", "quality": [""] }, "arrival": { "airport": { "icao": "", "iata": "", "name": "" }, "scheduledTime": { "utc": "", "local": "" }, "quality": [""] }, "airline": { "name": "", "iata": "", "icao": "" }, "aircraft": { "reg": "", "model": "" } } ] ``` You will find all the plans listed [here](https://aerodatabox.com/pricing), each one has its own limitations, so always check their [terms](https://aerodatabox.com/terms) before picking one. ## When Should You Scrape Google Flights or Airline Pages? When you can't find the data you're looking for provided through an API, then scraping is the way to go. Airlines also have regional prices and products that may not be shown by aggregators. See our guide here for an airline scraping step by step: [How to Scrape Emirates Flights with Python (2026)Learn how to scrape Emirates flight search results with Python in 2026, including fares, fare brands, routes, schedules, cabin details, geo-targeting, and blocking issues.](https://scrapfly.io/blog/posts/how-to-scrape-emirates-flights) A source like Google Flights does not provide its data through an API, and its search results are rendered by JavaScript. Scrapfly solves this problem. It renders JavaScript, gets past anti-bot checks with [Unblocker (previously ASP)](https://scrapfly.io/products/unblocker) and sends the request from the country you choose, so you see that market's prices. Install the SDK with its parser extra, which `result.selector` needs (`pip install "scrapfly-sdk[parser]"`). Here is a simple example: python ```python from datetime import date, timedelta from urllib.parse import quote_plus from scrapfly import ScrapflyClient, ScrapeConfig client = ScrapflyClient(key="YOUR_SCRAPFLY_KEY") travel_date = (date.today() + timedelta(days=30)).isoformat() query = quote_plus(f"one way flights from LHR to JFK on {travel_date}") result = client.scrape(ScrapeConfig( url=f"https://www.google.com/travel/flights?q={query}&hl=en&curr=USD", asp=True, render_js=True, country="US", )) for card in result.selector.css("li.pIav2d"): print(card.css("div[role='link']::attr(aria-label)").get()) ``` Google Flights selectors change frequently, so plan for maintenance. Check this guide if you want to learn more about it. [How to Scrape Google Flights Data in 2026Learn how to scrape Google Flights with Python and Scrapfly: extract prices, airlines, routes, stops, CO2 emissions, and fare data from rendered search results.](https://scrapfly.io/blog/posts/how-to-scrape-google-flights) Also if you want to make the scraper act as an API, see our guide here to make the scraper fit your needs: [How to Turn Web Scrapers into Data APIsDelivering web scraped data can be a difficult problem - what if we could scrape data on demand? In this tutorial we'll be building a data API using FastAPI and Python for real time web scraping.](https://scrapfly.io/blog/posts/how-to-turn-web-scrapers-into-data-apis) ## FAQ Is there a free flight data API?Yes, a few. OpenSky Network doesn't need an API key at all for its live data. Aviationstack, AirLabs and AeroDataBox have free plans too, but with limits. What is the difference between a flight status API and a flight booking API?A status API is about the flight, and a booking API is about the ticket. For example, OpenSky can tell us where a plane is, but not how much a seat on it costs. Does Google Flights have an official API?The short answer is no. Google Flights doesn't provide its results through an official API. For more on getting this data, see our [guide to scraping Google Flights](https://scrapfly.io/blog/posts/how-to-scrape-google-flights). Which API provides live flight prices?Out of the APIs in this guide, it's Skyscanner, which returns live prices from airlines and online travel agencies. ## Summary In this article, we explored the best travel and flight data APIs. We went through six of them, and each one fits a different use case, like: - Flight tracking with FlightAware AeroAPI, or OpenSky Network for research projects. - Flight status and schedules with Aviationstack, AirLabs or AeroDataBox. - Fare search with Skyscanner. Booking flights is a different story, as it requires a commercial agreement with a booking provider. That being said, each provider has its own terms of use, so make sure to check them in its documentation before picking one. ### Web Scraping API Scrape any website with our powerful API. Anti-bot bypass, JavaScript rendering, and rotating proxies built-in. [Try Web Scraping API](https://scrapfly.io/docs/scrape-api/getting-started) Legal Disclaimer and PrecautionsThis tutorial covers popular web scraping techniques for education. Interacting with public servers requires diligence and respect: - Do not scrape at rates that could damage the website. - Do not scrape data that's not available publicly. - Do not store PII of EU citizens protected by GDPR. - Do not repurpose *entire* public datasets which can be illegal in some countries. Scrapfly does not offer legal advice but these are good general rules to follow. For more you should consult a lawyer. [ Add as a preferred source ](https://google.com/preferences/source?q=scrapfly.io) Table of Contents Table of Contents - [Key Takeaways](#key-takeaways) - [Picking The Best Data API For Developers](#picking-the-best-data-api-for-developers) - [1. Aviationstack](#1-aviationstack) - [2. FlightAware AeroAPI](#2-flightaware-aeroapi) - [3. OpenSky Network API](#3-opensky-network-api) - [4. Skyscanner Flights Live Prices API](#4-skyscanner-flights-live-prices-api) - [5. AirLabs](#5-airlabs) - [6. AeroDataBox](#6-aerodatabox) - [When Should You Scrape Google Flights or Airline Pages?](#when-should-you-scrape-google-flights-or-airline-pages) - [FAQ](#faq) - [Summary](#summary) Join the Newsletter Get monthly web scraping insights Scale Your Web Scraping Anti-bot bypass, browser rendering, and rotating proxies, all in one API. Start with 1,000 free credits. No credit card required 1,000 free API credits Anti-bot bypass included [Start Free](https://scrapfly.io/register) [View Docs](https://scrapfly.io/docs/onboarding) Not ready? Get our newsletter instead. ## Related Articles [ python hidden-api ### How to Scrape DHL Tracking Status and Shipment Events A practical guide to scraping DHL parcel tracking status and shipment events in Python, covering Track & Trace page insp... ](https://scrapfly.io/blog/posts/how-to-scrape-dhl) [ python scrapeguide ### How to Scrape Maersk Container Tracking and Shipping Schedule Data Learn how to scrape Maersk container tracking events and vessel schedules using Python and Scrapfly, extracting containe... ](https://scrapfly.io/blog/posts/how-to-scrape-maersk) [ python playwright ### How to Scrape Emirates Flights with Python (2026) Learn how to scrape Emirates flight search results with Python in 2026, including fares, fare brands, routes, schedules,... ](https://scrapfly.io/blog/posts/how-to-scrape-emirates-flights) Scale your web scraping effortlessly, **1,000 free credits** [Start Free](https://scrapfly.io/register)