Unified API Flight Booking Platform
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current charter flight booking systems face issues such as delayed updates in flight information, inefficient use of aircraft, high costs due to multi-leg flight bookings, and a lack of integrated comparison with commercial flights, leading to a poor user experience and hidden mark-ups for consumers.
Innovation Solution
A system utilizing a centralized computing device that receives flight information from both charter and commercial providers via a unified API, allowing for real-time updates and integrated search functionality across both types of flights, enabling users to compare and book flights efficiently while allowing for the resale of unused legs, thereby optimizing aircraft utilization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If charter brokers obtain flight information through provider-specific APIs, then flight information can be obtained, but lag time occurs in providing updated information to individuals
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple provider-specific APIs into a single unified API that aggregates flight information from multiple aircraft providers. This consolidation eliminates the need for separate API calls to each provider, reducing lag time and improving information update timeliness through centralized data collection and distribution.
Solution Approach 2:
The unified API serves as a universal interface that handles flight information retrieval from multiple different providers through a single standardized connection. This multi-functional API replaces numerous provider-specific interfaces, enabling real-time updates across the platform without requiring individual API integrations for each provider.
2Reliability
If individuals book aircraft/space/seat for multi-leg flights, then complete travel coverage is achieved, but higher prices and inefficiencies occur since space/seat remains unused for certain legs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments multi-leg flight bookings into individual leg components, allowing passengers to book only the specific legs they need rather than forcing purchase of all legs. This segmentation enables flexible booking where passengers can select and pay only for the portions of the journey they require, improving both cost efficiency and aircraft utilization.
Solution Approach 2:
The system allows passengers to perform partial bookings by selecting only the specific flight legs they need, rather than requiring complete multi-leg itineraries. This partial action approach enables passengers to book exactly what they need (e.g., one-way or specific segments), reducing wasted capacity and improving overall system efficiency.
3Adaptability or versatility
If individuals use multiple different sources to compare commercial and charter flights, then comprehensive comparison is possible, but poor user experience results
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines commercial flight information and charter flight information into a single unified platform and user interface. This merging allows users to compare both types of flights simultaneously without needing to switch between multiple external sources, significantly improving ease of operation while maintaining comprehensive comparison capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The unified platform serves as a universal travel planning tool that handles both commercial and charter flight searches, comparisons, and bookings through a single interface. This multi-functional system eliminates the need for users to manage multiple separate tools, providing comprehensive flight comparison capabilities while simplifying the user experience.
4Ease of manufacture
If charter brokers add fees for services, then broker compensation is achieved, but end-user consumers are unaware of mark-ups and price differences
Solution Approach 1:
The unified platform provides self-service capabilities that enable users to directly access and compare wholesale pricing information from multiple providers without broker intervention. Users can independently research and understand true market prices, making informed decisions about whether to use broker services or book directly, thereby increasing pricing transparency while still allowing brokers to compete on service value.
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure provides a description of systems and methods for managing routes and travel planning. A computing device of an entity receives, from a charter flight transportation provider and via an application programming interface associated with the entity, charter flight information for a plurality of charter flights. The computing device receives, from a commercial transportation provider and via an application programming interface associated with a different entity, commercial flight information for a plurality of commercial flights. The computing device stores records for the charter flight information and the commercial flight information. The computing device provides, to a user computing device, data for the user computing device to generate a single user interface including charter flight information, commercial flight information, and fields to enter search criteria. The computing device receives, from the user computing device, user-input search criteria including user starting location, user ending location, and date of travel.