[Blog](https://scrapfly.io/blog) / [python](https://scrapfly.io/blog/tag/python) / [How to Scrape Kayak Flights in 2026](https://scrapfly.io/blog/posts/how-to-scrape-kayak) # How to Scrape Kayak Flights in 2026 by [Ziad Shamndy](https://scrapfly.io/blog/author/ziad) Jul 27, 2026 18 min read [\#python](https://scrapfly.io/blog/tag/python) [\#scrapeguide](https://scrapfly.io/blog/tag/scrapeguide) [ ](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fscrapfly.io%2Fblog%2Fposts%2Fhow-to-scrape-kayak "Share on LinkedIn") [ ](https://x.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fscrapfly.io%2Fblog%2Fposts%2Fhow-to-scrape-kayak&text=How%20to%20Scrape%20Kayak%20Flights%20in%202026 "Share on X") [ ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fscrapfly.io%2Fblog%2Fposts%2Fhow-to-scrape-kayak "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%2Fhow-to-scrape-kayak) [ ](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%2Fhow-to-scrape-kayak) [ ](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%2Fhow-to-scrape-kayak) [ ](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%2Fhow-to-scrape-kayak) [ ](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%2Fhow-to-scrape-kayak) Try scraping Kayak with a plain Python `requests` call and you get a page shell with route and filter data, but no flight prices. As one developer put it on [r/learnpython](https://www.reddit.com/r/learnpython/comments/etzgld/how_do_i_scrape_flight_data_from_kayak_it_knows/), "I send a get request using python and don't get the actual html. It thinks I'm a bot on the first request." Kayak's live search results only populate after the page runs JavaScript and calls an internal API for flight data. This guide walks through the [kayak scraper](https://github.com/scrapfly/scrapfly-scrapers/tree/main/kayak-scraper), a Python scraper that uses the [Scrapfly Web Scraping API](https://scrapfly.io/products/web-scraping-api) to render a Kayak search, capture the internal flights poll response straight from the browser's own network traffic, then paginate through it directly to collect every result for a route and date. [**Kayak flights scraper**github.com/scrapfly/scrapfly-scrapers/tree/main/kayak-scraper](https://github.com/scrapfly/scrapfly-scrapers/tree/main/kayak-scraper) ## Key Takeaways - Kayak's live search pages are JavaScript rendered. A plain `requests` call returns the route shell and filter data, but no itinerary prices. - Kayak's own frontend loads results by polling an internal endpoint, `https://www.kayak.com/i/api/search/dynamic/flights/poll`. The scraper captures that call from the rendered page's network log instead of parsing HTML cards. - The verified Scrapfly configuration is `render_js=True`, a reused `session` id, `rendering_wait=3000`, `wait_for_selector="//div[contains(@id, 'results')]"`, `asp=True`, and `proxy_pool="public_residential_pool"`. - After the first page loads, the scraper paginates by POSTing directly to the poll endpoint with `render_js=False`, reusing the same session and the headers Kayak's own browser sent. No further rendering is needed. - The very first poll response can land while Kayak's backend is still searching (`status: "first-phase"`, `filteredCount: 0`). Retrying the same page a few times on the same session, rather than treating that as an empty result, fixed a real zero-flights run in testing. - Build the search URL from IATA codes and a date instead of driving the search form. Round-trip searches add a second date segment and a return leg to the request payload. - Flight data comes back as structured JSON with legs, segments, and airline lookups, which is more stable to parse than Kayak's rendered markup. - Kayak has no public data API, only a partner and affiliate Flights Search API. **Get web scraping tips in your inbox**Trusted by 100K+ developers and 30K+ enterprises. Unsubscribe anytime. ## Why Scrape Kayak Flight Data? Kayak aggregates fares from hundreds of providers for flights, hotels, and cars without selling inventory itself. Scraping Kayak gives you pricing across providers for a specific route and date in a single request, which no single airline or OTA can match. Common use cases for a Kayak scraper: - **Fare monitoring** that tracks how prices on a specific route shift over days or weeks leading up to the departure date. - **Dynamic pricing intelligence** for travel startups or corporate booking tools that need a current public market price reference. - **Seasonal and route trend analysis** comparing cheapest fares across months, origin cities, or destination pairs. - **Travel app enrichment** where aggregated comparison data supplements a single airline or OTA feed. - **Corporate travel rate benchmarking** checking negotiated fares against what the open market shows for the same route and date. Kayak covers the aggregated comparison layer. For single carrier fare classes, airline direct scraping is the better source. For aggregated flight data from sibling metasearch products, see the [Google Flights scraping guide](https://scrapfly.io/blog/posts/how-to-scrape-google-flights), which covers the tfs URL approach and Google's anti-bot stack. Scrape only public pages, respect rate limits, and avoid any account, checkout, or price alert flows. With the use case clear, the next section shows the exact output fields a Kayak flight card exposes, so you know what to build toward before writing any parsing code. ## What Kayak Flight Data Can You Scrape? A Kayak search returns price, carrier, departure and arrival times, duration, stop count, and a provider deal count for every itinerary Kayak finds for a route and date. This data comes from the same internal JSON payload Kayak's own page uses to render results. | Field | Example | Notes | |---|---|---| | `origin` / `destination` | `JFK` / `LAX` | Normalized IATA codes | | `departure_date` | `2026-06-16` | The date requested | | `trip_type` | `one_way` | Or `round_trip` when a return date is set | | `currency` | `USD` | Tied to the proxy country/market | | `carrier` | `JetBlue` | Resolved from an airline code lookup in the payload | | `departure_time` / `arrival_time` | `9:45 AM` / `12:53 PM` | Local time, with a `+1` suffix for next-day arrivals | | `duration` | `6h 08` | Formatted from a minutes value in the payload | | `stops` | `Direct` | Or `1 stop`, `2 stops`, etc. | | `price` | `$272` | Formatted as a string, not a raw number | | `provider_deal_count` | `2` | How many booking sites offered that itinerary | | `captured_at` | ISO timestamp | Set once per search run | A real record from a JFK to LAX one-way run: json```json { "origin": "JFK", "destination": "LAX", "departure_date": "2026-06-16", "trip_type": "one_way", "currency": "USD", "carrier": "JetBlue", "departure_time": "9:45 AM", "arrival_time": "12:53 PM", "duration": "6h 08", "stops": "Direct", "price": "$272", "provider_deal_count": 2, "captured_at": "2026-06-16T12:53:59.937713+00:00" } ``` Kayak also publishes lighter, more static flight-routes pages with route-level fare trends instead of live prices. That surface isn't covered by this scraper. ## How Kayak Flight URLs Work Kayak exposes constructable search URLs for both one-way and round-trip flights, so the scraper never has to drive a search form. ### Kayak Live Flight Search URLs The URL format is: url```url https://www.kayak.com/flights/{ORIGIN}-{DEST}/{DEPART_DATE}[/{RETURN_DATE}]?sort={SORT} ``` A one-way JFK to LAX search: url```url https://www.kayak.com/flights/JFK-LAX/2026-09-10?sort=bestflight_a ``` A round-trip search adds a second date segment for the return leg: url```url https://www.kayak.com/flights/JFK-LAX/2026-09-10/2026-09-17?sort=bestflight_a ``` Both IATA codes are uppercase, dates use `YYYY-MM-DD`, and `sort` controls result ordering: `bestflight_a` for Kayak's recommended ranking, or `price_a` to sort cheapest first. These pages render a shell immediately, but the itinerary list and prices only appear once the page's own JavaScript finishes calling Kayak's internal poll API in the background. ### Kayak Flight-Routes Pages (Lighter-Weight Alternative) A separate, more static surface exists at `/flight-routes/{Origin-Name-CODE}/{Dest-Name-CODE}`, for example `/flight-routes/New-York-John-F-Kennedy-Intl-JFK/Los-Angeles-LAX`. These pages carry route-level metadata such as typical fare ranges and cheapest travel days rather than live itinerary prices. Treat it as a lighter alternative for route-level research, not a substitute for the live search flow this guide builds. ## Project Setup This scraper needs: - **Python 3.10+** - **Scrapfly Python SDK**, for fetching, rendering, and reading captured browser network traffic - **`loguru`**, for logging No `parsel` or `BeautifulSoup`. The data comes back as JSON from Kayak's own internal API, not HTML markup to parse. Install the packages: shell```shell pip install "scrapfly-sdk[all]" loguru ``` Get a free API key from the [Scrapfly dashboard](https://scrapfly.io/register) and export it: shell```shell export SCRAPFLY_KEY="your-api-key" ``` The client setup and shared configuration the rest of the scraper builds on: python```python import json import os from datetime import datetime, timezone from typing import Any, Dict, List, Optional from uuid import uuid4 from loguru import logger as log from scrapfly import ScrapeApiResponse, ScrapeConfig, ScrapflyClient SCRAPFLY = ScrapflyClient(key=os.environ["SCRAPFLY_KEY"]) BASE_CONFIG = { "asp": True, "proxy_pool": "public_residential_pool", "country": "US", } POLL_URL = "https://www.kayak.com/i/api/search/dynamic/flights/poll" SEARCH_RESULTS_SELECTOR = "//div[contains(@id, 'results')]" ``` `BASE_CONFIG` holds the flags every request needs: `asp=True` for Scrapfly's anti-scraping protection, `proxy_pool="public_residential_pool"` for residential exit IPs, and `country="US"` to pin the market. `render_js` is deliberately left out of `BASE_CONFIG` because only the first request in a search needs it, as the next section shows. For the SDK reference, see the [Python SDK docs](https://scrapfly.io/docs/sdk/python), the [JavaScript rendering docs](https://scrapfly.io/docs/scrape-api/javascript-rendering), and the [session docs](https://scrapfly.io/docs/scrape-api/session). ## How Do You Scrape a Kayak Flight Search Page? Kayak's search URL returns a page shell to a plain GET request. Prices load only once the page's JavaScript calls an internal poll endpoint. The scraper renders the page long enough for that call to complete, captures it from the browser's network log, then reuses the same session to fetch further pages without rendering again. ### Build a Kayak Flight Search URL python```python def build_search_url(origin, destination, departure_date, return_date=None, sort="bestflight_a"): origin, destination = origin.upper(), destination.upper() path = f"/flights/{origin}-{destination}/{departure_date}" if return_date: path += f"/{return_date}" return f"https://www.kayak.com{path}?sort={sort}" ``` The function uppercases both IATA codes and appends a return date segment only when one is supplied, which keeps one-way and round-trip requests on the same code path. ### Render the Search and Open a Session Each search opens a unique Scrapfly session so every request that belongs to it, the initial render and every page fetched afterward, shares the same proxy IP and cookies: python```python session_id = f"kayak-{uuid4().hex}" search_response = await SCRAPFLY.async_scrape(ScrapeConfig( url, **BASE_CONFIG, render_js=True, session=session_id, rendering_wait=3000, wait_for_selector=SEARCH_RESULTS_SELECTOR, )) ``` `render_js=True` runs the page's JavaScript on Scrapfly's managed browser. `wait_for_selector` holds the request until the results container appears in the DOM, but that container can render before Kayak's poll call actually finishes, so `rendering_wait=3000` adds a fixed extra pause to let the background request land. ### Capture the Internal Flights Poll Response Scrapfly logs every network call the rendered page made in `browser_data.xhr_call`. The scraper filters that log for Kayak's poll endpoint and takes the last matching call, since Kayak can fire it more than once while a search is settling: python```python def parse_poll_call(response: ScrapeApiResponse): """extract poll API call from xhr_calls""" _xhr_calls = response.scrape_result["browser_data"]["xhr_call"] poll_call = [call for call in _xhr_calls if POLL_URL in call["url"]][-1] headers = poll_call["headers"] return poll_call, headers ``` The captured call carries both the response body, Kayak's own flight data as JSON, and the request headers Kayak's browser used to make it. `json.loads(poll_call["response"]["body"])` turns that body into a Python dict, and `page_data["searchId"]` gives the search ID needed to request more pages. ### Wait Out Kayak's First-Phase Search The first poll call can land before Kayak's backend has queried any providers, so `page_data["status"]` reads `"first-phase"` with `filteredCount: 0` even though the request succeeded. Treating that as a real empty result is the most common reason this scraper returns zero flights. The fix is to keep polling the same page on the same session until the search moves past that phase: python```python poll_attempts = 0 while page_data.get("status") == "first-phase" and poll_attempts < 5: poll_attempts += 1 await asyncio.sleep(2) response = await SCRAPFLY.async_scrape(ScrapeConfig( POLL_URL, **BASE_CONFIG, session=session_id, method="POST", headers=poll_headers, body=json.dumps(_build_poll_payload(origin, destination, departure_date, return_date, search_id, sort, page_data.get("pageNumber", 1))), render_js=False, )) page_data = json.loads(response.content) log.info(f"waiting for search to complete, attempt {poll_attempts}: status={page_data.get('status')} filteredCount={page_data.get('filteredCount')}") ``` Each retry is a plain `render_js=False` POST to the same poll endpoint, reusing `session_id` and the headers captured earlier, so it costs a fraction of another rendered page load. Only after `page_data` leaves `"first-phase"` does it make sense to run `parse_flight_results` against it and start real pagination. ### Handle a Missing Poll Response If the poll call hasn't completed by the time `wait_for_selector` resolves, `parse_poll_call` finds nothing and `[-1]` raises. Raise `rendering_wait` first; if it persists, set `debug=True` and check the session recording in the Scrapfly dashboard. With a captured poll response in hand, the next step is turning it into structured flight records. 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)## How Do You Parse Kayak Flight Data? The poll response is a JSON document with `legs`, `segments`, `airlines`, and `results` sections. Reading that JSON directly is simpler and more stable than scraping rendered markup, since Kayak's page structure can change between deploys while its internal API shape doesn't. ### Extract Flight Data from the Poll Response python```python def parse_flight_results( page_data: Dict[str, Any], origin: str, destination: str, departure_date: str, captured_at: str, ) -> List[Dict[str, Any]]: trip_type = (page_data.get("searchStatus", {}).get("tripType") or "oneway") trip_type = trip_type.lower().replace("roundtrip", "round_trip").replace("oneway", "one_way") legs = page_data.get("legs") or {} segments = page_data.get("segments") or {} airlines = page_data.get("airlines") or {} flights = [] for item in page_data.get("results") or []: if item.get("type") != "core": continue option = (item.get("bookingOptions") or [{}])[0] price_info = option.get("displayPrice") or {} leg_faring = (option.get("legFarings") or [{}])[0] leg = legs.get(leg_faring.get("legId") or "") or {} seg_id = ((leg.get("segments") or [{}])[0]).get("id") or "" airline_code = segments.get(seg_id, {}).get("airline") carrier = (airlines.get(airline_code) or {}).get("name") or airline_code # ... time, duration, and stop formatting covered next ``` `page_data["results"]` mixes several item types; only entries where `type == "core"` are bookable itineraries. Each one points at a `legFarings` entry, which in turn references a `legId` used to look up the actual flight leg. The leg's first segment gives an airline code, which is resolved against the `airlines` map to get a readable carrier name instead of a bare code. ### Normalize Times, Duration, Stops, and Price The rest of `parse_flight_results` formats each field in place rather than in a separate normalization step: python```python dep = (leg_faring.get("approxDepartureTime") or "").replace(" am", " AM").replace(" pm", " PM").strip() arr = (leg_faring.get("approxArrivalTime") or "").replace(" am", " AM").replace(" pm", " PM").strip() if arr and leg.get("departure") and leg.get("arrival"): try: if datetime.fromisoformat(leg["arrival"]).date() > datetime.fromisoformat(leg["departure"]).date(): arr = f"{arr} +1" except ValueError: pass minutes = leg.get("duration") if minutes is not None: hours, mins = divmod(int(minutes), 60) duration = f"{hours}h {mins:02d}" if hours else f"{mins}m" else: duration = None seg_count = len(leg.get("segments") or []) stops = "Direct" if seg_count <= 1 else f"{max(seg_count - 1, 1)} stop{'s' if seg_count > 2 else ''}" price = price_info.get("price") flights.append({ "origin": origin, "destination": destination, "departure_date": departure_date, "trip_type": trip_type, "currency": price_info.get("currency"), "carrier": carrier, "departure_time": dep or None, "arrival_time": arr or None, "duration": duration, "stops": stops, "price": f"${int(price)}" if price is not None else None, "provider_deal_count": item.get("totalBookingOptions", 0), "captured_at": captured_at, }) ``` The `+1` suffix comes from comparing arrival and departure dates directly, not from parsing the display string. Stop counts come from the leg's segment count, `Direct`, `1 stop`, or `N stops`. `provider_deal_count` reads `totalBookingOptions`, a rough signal of how competitive a fare is. ### Paginate Through Additional Result Pages The first poll response only covers one page of results. Kayak's own frontend loads more by POSTing to the same poll endpoint as the user scrolls, and the scraper reuses the captured session and headers to make those calls directly: python```python def _build_poll_payload(origin, destination, departure_date, return_date, search_id, sort, page_number): legs = [{ "origin": {"airports": [origin], "locationType": "airports"}, "destination": {"airports": [destination], "locationType": "airports"}, "date": departure_date, "flex": "exact", }] if return_date: legs.append({ "origin": {"airports": [destination], "locationType": "airports"}, "destination": {"airports": [origin], "locationType": "airports"}, "date": return_date, "flex": "exact", }) return { "filterParams": {}, "userSearchParams": { "legs": legs, "searchId": search_id, "passengers": ["ADT"], "passengerDetails": [{"ptc": "ADT"}], "sortMode": sort, }, "searchMetaData": {"pageNumber": page_number, "searchTypes": []}, } ``` Round-trip requests add a second leg with the origin and destination swapped. The pagination loop in `scrape_flights` walks forward from the page Kayak already returned, POSTing with `render_js=False`, and stops once enough results are collected or Kayak reports the search as complete: python```python for page_number in range(start_page + 1, start_page + max_pages + 1): if len(all_results) >= filtered_count: break response = await SCRAPFLY.async_scrape(ScrapeConfig( POLL_URL, **BASE_CONFIG, session=session_id, method="POST", headers=poll_headers, body=json.dumps(_build_poll_payload(origin, destination, departure_date, return_date, search_id, sort, page_number)), render_js=False, )) page_data = json.loads(response.content) page_results = parse_flight_results(page_data, origin, destination, departure_date, captured_at) all_results.extend(page_results) if page_data.get("status") == "complete" and not page_results: break ``` Reusing `session=session_id` and the exact `headers` Kayak's own browser sent on its poll call means every paginated request looks like a continuation of the same browsing session, not a burst of disconnected requests. That consistency is central to why this approach holds up better than scraping the rendered DOM, which the next section covers. ## Why Does Kayak Block Scrapers (and How Does Scrapfly Get Through)? Kayak can block scrapers aggressively at production scale because its aggregated fare data is the competitive core of the business. It detects automation through IP reputation, session consistency, and browser fingerprint signals, and community reports say it bans proxies harder than sibling aggregators. ### How Kayak Detects and Bans Scrapers - **Shell response to plain HTTP.** A plain `requests` call gets route and filter data but no live prices, since nothing runs the JavaScript that triggers the poll call. - **Bot checks on plain requests.** Community reports back this up: the r/learnpython poster's plain request hit a bot wall on the first call. - **Proxy bans at volume.** A developer on [r/webdev](https://www.reddit.com/r/webdev/comments/1i70doq/i_figured_google_flight_and_kayak_api_so_u_dont/) in 2025 reported that Kayak blocked their proxies more aggressively than Google Flights did for the same traffic pattern. - **Session and fingerprint checks.** Disconnected requests, or requests that switch IP or cookies mid-search, are an easy automation signal for any site whose internal API expects a continuous session. - **Markup that changes between deploys.** Kayak's rendered page structure isn't guaranteed to stay stable, which is exactly why this scraper reads the internal poll JSON instead of the rendered DOM. ### Why Session Reuse and Residential Proxies Matter Here Because pagination happens through direct POSTs, each one has to look like it belongs to the same search a real browser started. Scrapfly's `session` parameter pins one proxy IP and cookie jar to every request tagged with that session id, so the render and every paginated call share the same identity. `proxy_pool="public_residential_pool"` sources those IPs from residential ISPs, which lines up with community reports that Kayak treats datacenter and proxy traffic harder. Scrapfly's [Web Scraping API](https://scrapfly.io/products/web-scraping-api) handles that proxy rotation, session pinning, and TLS/fingerprint matching in a single request call. For a deeper look at how modern anti-bot stacks work and what actually defeats them, see the [guide to bypassing anti-bot protection when web scraping](https://scrapfly.io/blog/posts/how-to-bypass-anti-bot-protection-when-web-scraping). ### Aligning Proxy Country and Market Kayak's prices, currency, and available providers shift with the geographic context of the request. `country="US"` in `BASE_CONFIG` pins the market used throughout this guide. The scraper's own output doesn't stamp a market field on each record, so if you're comparing prices across countries, record the `country` value you used alongside every result set you save. ### When to Use Cloud Browser Instead The Web Scraping API with ASP and session pinning covers most Kayak use cases. For interaction-heavy flows, markets where this setup repeatedly hits challenges, or debugging a search with live browser state, the [Scrapfly Cloud Browser](https://scrapfly.io/docs/cloud-browser-api/getting-started) is the right fallback rather than the default starting point. ## Is There a Kayak API? Kayak does not offer a public data API for general third-party developers. The only official option is the [Kayak Affiliate Flights Search API](https://affiliates.kayak.com/apis/flights), available to approved affiliate partners to power comparison tools and monetize outbound booking clicks. It is not a general data feed. Scraping the public search pages, the way this guide builds, is the practical path for anyone outside the affiliate program who needs the data Kayak already surfaces to a browser. Adjacent options exist if a different coverage model fits your use case better. Amadeus, ITA Matrix, and individual airline or OTA APIs cover different subsets of flight inventory with their own pricing and access requirements, and are worth evaluating when official coverage matches what you need. ## FAQ Does Kayak have a public API?No. Kayak does not offer a public data API for general developers as of 2026. The only official API is a partner and affiliate Flights Search API for approved use cases. Scraping the public search pages is the standard approach for anyone outside that program who needs Kayak's aggregated fare data. Can I scrape Kayak with just requests and BeautifulSoup?Not reliably. A plain `requests` call returns the page shell and filter data but no itinerary prices, since those only load after the page's JavaScript calls Kayak's internal poll API. Even once you render the page, this scraper doesn't use `BeautifulSoup` or `parsel` at all, because it reads that internal API's JSON response directly, which is simpler and more stable than parsing rendered HTML. Why do I keep getting blocked or flagged as a bot on Kayak?Kayak checks IP reputation, session consistency, and browser fingerprint signals, and community reports say it bans proxies aggressively at volume. Rendering through a residential proxy with `asp=True`, and keeping every request in a search pinned to one Scrapfly `session`, addresses the main causes. Is scraping Kayak free?Writing the scraper code costs nothing. At any meaningful volume, reliable results require anti-bot infrastructure and a residential proxy pool. Scrapfly offers a free tier that covers getting started and validating the full setup against a real Kayak search. How is scraping Kayak different from scraping Skyscanner or Google Flights?All three are flight metasearch aggregators, but each has its own technical profile. Kayak's defining production challenge is heavier proxy banning and bot detection compared to its siblings. The [Google Flights guide](https://scrapfly.io/blog/posts/how-to-scrape-google-flights) covers the tfs Protobuf URL approach and Google's specific anti-bot stack. A Skyscanner scraper deals with PerimeterX detection and price container waits. Kayak is a distinct target with its own DOM structure, detection behavior, and URL pattern that requires its own validated setup. ## Scraping Kayak Summary The Kayak scraping flow has five steps. Build the search URL, render it through Scrapfly with a reused session and selector wait, capture the poll response from the network log instead of parsing HTML, parse its legs and segments into flat records, then paginate further pages with direct POSTs to the same endpoint, skipping rendering after the first request. This scraper is scoped to public Kayak flight search results, one-way and round-trip, for a given market. Flight-routes pages remain a separate, lighter-weight surface for route-level fare trends. Scrapfly Cloud Browser is the fallback for markets or flows where this setup keeps hitting challenges. The [kayak scraper](https://github.com/scrapfly/scrapfly-scrapers/tree/main/kayak-scraper) shows the full working code end to end. Start with the [free Scrapfly tier](https://scrapfly.io/register) to test the setup against a real Kayak search before scaling it up. 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) - [Why Scrape Kayak Flight Data?](#why-scrape-kayak-flight-data) - [What Kayak Flight Data Can You Scrape?](#what-kayak-flight-data-can-you-scrape) - [How Kayak Flight URLs Work](#how-kayak-flight-urls-work) - [Kayak Live Flight Search URLs](#kayak-live-flight-search-urls) - [Kayak Flight-Routes Pages (Lighter-Weight Alternative)](#kayak-flight-routes-pages-lighter-weight-alternative) - [Project Setup](#project-setup) - [How Do You Scrape a Kayak Flight Search Page?](#how-do-you-scrape-a-kayak-flight-search-page) - [Build a Kayak Flight Search URL](#build-a-kayak-flight-search-url) - [Render the Search and Open a Session](#render-the-search-and-open-a-session) - [Capture the Internal Flights Poll Response](#capture-the-internal-flights-poll-response) - [Wait Out Kayak's First-Phase Search](#wait-out-kayak-s-first-phase-search) - [Handle a Missing Poll Response](#handle-a-missing-poll-response) - [How Do You Parse Kayak Flight Data?](#how-do-you-parse-kayak-flight-data) - [Extract Flight Data from the Poll Response](#extract-flight-data-from-the-poll-response) - [Normalize Times, Duration, Stops, and Price](#normalize-times-duration-stops-and-price) - [Paginate Through Additional Result Pages](#paginate-through-additional-result-pages) - [Why Does Kayak Block Scrapers (and How Does Scrapfly Get Through)?](#why-does-kayak-block-scrapers-and-how-does-scrapfly-get-through) - [How Kayak Detects and Bans Scrapers](#how-kayak-detects-and-bans-scrapers) - [Why Session Reuse and Residential Proxies Matter Here](#why-session-reuse-and-residential-proxies-matter-here) - [Aligning Proxy Country and Market](#aligning-proxy-country-and-market) - [When to Use Cloud Browser Instead](#when-to-use-cloud-browser-instead) - [Is There a Kayak API?](#is-there-a-kayak-api) - [FAQ](#faq) - [Scraping Kayak Summary](#scraping-kayak-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 scrapeguide ### How to Scrape Google Flights Data in 2026 Learn how to scrape Google Flights with Python and Scrapfly: extract prices, airlines, routes, stops, CO2 emissions, and... ](https://scrapfly.io/blog/posts/how-to-scrape-google-flights) [ blocking ### 5 Tools to Scrape Without Blocking and How it All Works Tutorial on how to avoid web scraper blocking. What is javascript and TLS (JA3) fingerprinting and what role request hea... ](https://scrapfly.io/blog/posts/how-to-scrape-without-getting-blocked-tutorial) [ python scrapeguide ### How to Scrape Google Search Results in 2026 In this scrape guide we'll be taking a look at how to scrape Google Search - the biggest index of public web. We'll cov... ](https://scrapfly.io/blog/posts/how-to-scrape-google) ## Related Questions - [ Q How to get file type of an URL in Python? ](https://scrapfly.io/blog/answers/how-to-get-url-filetype-in-python) Scale your web scraping effortlessly, **1,000 free credits** [Start Free](https://scrapfly.io/register)