Is there a platform that would let me automatically buy a plane ticket given a certain set of conditions?
- By
- Aparna Patel
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- 24 Jul, 2023
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Hopper had auto-buy but it quietly disappeared. I purchased using the autobuy name your price on tickets to Orlando and loved it but they must have run into issues.
I am not aware of any service, however, here are some points in case you want to build this yourself – which is possible if perhaps impractical unless you can scale it out.
Even if an aggregator (like skyscanner) were to give you an API to their service, they can’t actually book a ticket for you – this requires access to the GDS and a license – since booking on these systems are made on credit.
So to do this yourself you would need to get an API to the GDS, and a travel agent license.
Next, simply write a script to query the GDS every x seconds (there is no notification system in GDS, you have to query for results) for your criteria – and on the first availability it will book your ticket.
You will have to then, at the end of the billing cycle, settle your account with the GDS for bookings done.
I think your are talking about C2B model.
Priceline once offered this kind of service – “Name-Your-Own-Price” (NYOP). But Priceline stopped NYOP service for flight.
Credit:stackoverflow.com‘