4 ms·
I don't know if it qualifies as the "most interesting" but as a travel bug I wrote a little airfare scraper that I got plenty of value out of. Basically it's a
by paws 3y ago
I don't know if it qualifies as the "most interesting" but as a travel bug I wrote a little airfare scraper that I got plenty of value out of.
Basically it's a script that scrapes several places for flight deals and "mistake fares" and notifies my phone if it matches with my city. No searching like other flight apps, you basically just set it up and wait, and various places will pop up. Helps if you're in a hub city e.g. NYC.
The phone notification was crucial because such deals sold really fast. In case the booking didn't work out I was usually covered by the 24 hour cancellation rule [0][1].
I started off running it on my own server but later I learned IFTTT handles device notifications without paying the Apple Developer tax, so I migrated things there. Used it more when I was single but nevertheless it's helped me land some killer deals e.g. NYC-Dublin RT for $300, NYC-Paris RT for ~$400.
Thought about making a paid app out of it but the limited seating and time-sensitive nature of these deals is tricky.
[0] https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer/notice-24hour-reservation https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer/notice-24hour-res...
[1] I believe this rule, which is not so broadly known, was imposed on air carriers in response to certain fraudulent online marketing practices going on at the time.
- e4e5 3y agoI know that you don't want when more competition for the flights, but that sounds very useful!
- sjg1729 3y agoBeen traveling a lot this year - this would've saved me a ton of money. If you've still got the script lying around, I'd love to check it out
- npsomaratna 3y agoYou still got this? I'd love to use it myself.
- peacefulpond 3y agoGreat idea! Would love to give the script a spin myself..
- noahtallen 3y agoScott’s cheap flights (going.com now) has basically implemented this in a nice little paid service. I got sub-$400 roundtrip direct from Seattle to Dublin. If you can snag even just a deal a year, it’s well worth the small yearly price!
- maderfarker3 3y agogoing.com is US only. Sad.
- gberger 3y agoJack's Flight Club is the UK equivalent.