how to partnership with airlines?

[Macik]

Hey all,

I am creating a website which is a flight search engine and I was wondering if any of you have a clue how to get airlines to give me an access to the details of their flights databases? I mean all the "from-to" "fly out-return", prices etc.
Are there agencies that you need to deal with who will provide you with this kind of information, or airlines itself? If so, and idea how to start this?

Thanks!
Macik

 

[tony84]

Have you asked the airlines directly?

Forget their call centres, speak to the head office, they will be able to point you in the right direction.

 

[IE152]

Hi,

A firm called OAG collate the scheduling information of many of the major airlines, and I'm sure that they would be willing to sell that information to you.

If you approach any airlines directly, your best bet would be to contact their corporate sales departments.

You may find it difficult to get any information from the low cost airlines, though. Many of them actively seek to keep their information out of such systems, and don't work with on line booking agents and systems.

 

[Macik]

thanks guys!
I wont be dealing with booking and other stuff like that. I just want to put info about flights there and sort it so its easier to find what you want. That's it.

I found that in most cases a website policy allows me "non-commercial, personal use" only.
Since I am not going to make any money of the website, do you have any clue whether or not I can still display info about their flights - without their written permission (if I find a way to get all those info about flights and put it on my website) ?

 

[fisicx]

You can't get it for free.

You are going to need access to some pretty powerful databases and it's not going to be cheap. These are the sort of people you need to talk to: http://www.oag.com/

<damn, beaten to it - that what happens if you get distracted while writing a post>

 

[Macik]

Oh come on! If I can get all the info I need from the websites of different airlines and create my own database, its still illegal to put it up on my website even for non-commercial purpose??!!

that just sounds crazy!!

 

[faz]

You could go onto the airline/intermediary websites and see if they operate an affiliate scheme and sign up to that to start with. I would imagine most of them operate a scheme. Hope this helps

 

[fisicx]

If I can get all the info I need from the websites of different airlines and create my own database, its still illegal to put it up on my website even for non-commercial purpose??!!

And how do you propose getting all the info?

London Heathrow alone has over 1000 flights per day with dozens of operators. Ryan Air has over 1400 departures every day. Are you going to trawl through every single operator's website copying all their flight details - by the time you have done this the schedules will already have been changed.

Not suggesting it can't be done, it's just that you have set yourself an enormous hill to climb.

And remember, as soon as you put a single advert on the website it becomes commercial so you can't use the information from the operator's websites without permission.

 

[Macik]

the question is not how, but if - If I can use those info on my non-commercial (no banners nor any other source of income etc) website without them say yes to it?? Would it be legal or illegal?

Has any one got an answer to this question?

 

[IE152]

I don't thin it is illegal to post details of airline schedules, but you need to investigate the copyright situation, as I believe that OAG may have the copyright to many airline schedules.

Do you mind me asking why you are doing this - as fisix says, this would be a huge undertaking, and from what you are saying, you wouldn't be doing this commercially?

Google also have a useful feature now that you need to be aware of - if you type "flights london to rome" (or other destinations) into the searchbar, you get a timetable of all the non stop flights on the route.

 

[jhardy2008]

i think usairways.com & delta.com provides your information on "from-to" "fly out-return" and prices details.