Flight Info Alerts now allows creation of Alerts to track and monitor status updates, on top of or independent of Schedule changes.
In February 2023 we have released Status data into the Flight Info Alerts product. This allows users to start creating alerts to monitor flight status changes, which are typically unplanned, operational updates starting about 48 hours before departure. Status changes usually revolve around updates in estimated departure or arrival times, as well as the actual departure and arrival values, along with other pertinent operational details such as gate and baggage information, as well as notifications when delays, cancellations or diversions occur. Status data is available for users as an additional data set which can be subscribed to independently or in combination with schedules data.
Data Volume
Do note that due to the increase in event volume from status updates (there are an average of about 30-40 status updates for every flight), if you are subscribed to Status Alerts you will see a significant increase in the number of updates received for each flight. To ensure continued, seamless consumption of data, please ensure that your application is able to handle the larger volumes.
What does this mean for existing users?
As status data is an additional data set that is independent of schedules changes, users will have the option to modify their existing alerts to start receiving status data as well. However, do note that you will have to contact your account manager if you do not already have a subscription for status data.
Can you receive both schedule and status changes in the same event hub?
Yes, we will stream status and schedule changes into the same event hub so it is not necessary to have 2 event hubs for the different data types. The JSON event data will have specific identifiers that allows users to determine if an update falls under a scheduled change or an operational, status change.
How do I enable status updates in my Alerts?
When creating an Alert, two new parameters have now been added as a requirement to the JSON body:
{
"accountId": "ce29194a-8218-486b-a3b7-ade791d57423",
"name": "John's Alert",
"description": "Alert config for John",
"iataCarrierCode": "AA",
"icaoCarrierCode": "AAA",
"flightNumber": 1231,
"fromFlight": 1245,
"toFlight": 6235,
"departureAirport": "DUB",
"arrivalAirport": "HTR",
"departureDate": "2021-09-25",
"arrivalDate": "2021-09-26",
"alertType": "global",
"content": "seats",
"schedules": true,
"status": true
}
In order to enable status changes for the Alert, you will need to indicate "status" as true and repeat the same action for schedules information. Should you choose not to receive schedules or status updates for that Alert, simply pass the parameter with a false.
What does a status event look like and what are the fields?
Please see this page for samples of status events and this page for a description of each of the fields.