API FAQ

Owned by Nigel Martin
Last updated: Oct 31, 2016
2 min read

This article will address frequently asked questions regarding our APIs.

Q: How do I authenticate to the various APIs?

A: We have three different types of API. Authentication is handled in the following ways:

  • APIv3 is a SOAP based API and uses WS-Security username/password authentication.
  • APIv4 is a SOAP based API and uses a standalone session service for authentication. (see this article for further details)
  • RESTv1 is a RESTful API with a JSON request/response structure and uses HTTP Basic Auth over a secure channel.
Q: How do I search for available flights?

A: We often refer to this type of request as "Travel Options". The recommended API to use is RESTv1 GET travelOptions. See the online documentation for further details.

Q: How do I view the available seats for a specific travel option?

A: This is referred to as Seat Map retrieval. The recommended approach is to use GetSeatMapByFlight() under the Booking Service in APIv3. For sample requests see this article.

Q: How do I set seat assignments for a passenger on a reservation?

A: Setting seat assignments can be done by using SetSeatAssignmentsByFlight() under the CheckIn Service in APIv3. Refer to this article for a more in depth explanation.

Q: How do I retrieve information for an existing reservation?

 A: There are a few ways to go about doing this. The recommended approach is to use RESTv1 GET reservation available in release 16.10 or later. Alternatively, reservation information can be retrieved using GetReservation() under the CheckIn Service in APIv3.

Q: How do I view a list of reservations associated with a specific user profile?

 A: In APIv3 under the User Profile Service there is an operation called GetProfileReservationList(). This will return all reservations associated with the provided user profile information.

Q: How do I "check in" a passenger?

 A: In APIv3 under the CheckIn Service there is an operation called CheckIn(). If this request is successful the passenger will be checked in for all flights on the Segment passed in the request. Further information can be found here.

Q: How do I email a boarding pass?

 A: In APIv3 under the CheckIn Service there is an operation called EmailBoardingPass(). This operation emails the boarding pass for a passenger on a reservation based on the information supplied in the request.

Q: How do I get all the required information to book a reservation?

 A: The recommended process goes as follows:

  1. Run GET Travel Options via the RESTful endpoint supplying proper search criteria
  2. Select a travel option that makes sense for you
    1. Take the booking key returned under the fareOption node for the travel option you desire
    2. Pass the bookingKey to the bookingApiBridge (i.e {endpoint}/RESTv1/bookingApiBridge/{bookingKey})
  3. Populate the booking request with all required information returned from the above requests