
Ask HN: Should I build an airline booking system? - espitia
Hello, I turn to this community for advice.<p>My close family owns a small airline that used to be for personal concierge services (6 planes). They are trying to move into another space which is air travel for remote place within the country (LATAM), where other airlines don&#x27;t usually go. They have asked me to build an app as a booking system for travelers.<p>I am thinking that before going for an app (iOS&#x2F;Android) it would be best to build the website system that works well on mobile and then if needed, go native (iOS&#x2F;Android). Either way, my question is the following:<p>Is it best to hire a team and build the system or buy software for this? What would you do? Any guidance would be appreciated!<p>Please keep in mind the following that this is at a very small scale compared to a regular airline you find on KAYAK.com. Total fleet can&#x27;t carry over 150 passengers.
======
tixocloud
As a first step, I would try to understand the customers and how they book
their flights. Do they use apps, websites or even any technology at all?

Sometimes your target market may not be all that tech-savvy to begin with and
would prefer booking over the phone. It is something you'll have to validate
with your customers. Once you know them, then you will know what to build. And
once you know what to build, you will know if what's out on the market can
support their needs.

------
stephenr
I don't have any specific experience in the field but I'd imagine that there
is probably not a huge amount of software that is targeted at such a small
niche - most commercial software is likely very large systems integrated into
large commercial airlines where they have 1000s of routes to cater for, and is
thus likely very expensive compared to the needs/budget of a small service
like you've described.

If simple searching for something applicable doesn't turn up a suitable
option, consider this:

Build the system, and keep in mind (without letting it massively delay
delivery of a working product) that if it's built well, it can probably be
licensed to _other_ small operators as well. Not necessarily as a means of
making profit, but simply as a way to recoup costs.

Good luck!

~~~
espitia
That explains why I've only found solutions for big systems - such a small
niche. Tank you for the input!

------
corford
There will probably be some 'off the shelf' software out there that fits your
requirements & budget.

Some quick ideas: [http://www.navitaire.com](http://www.navitaire.com),
[http://www.airkiosk.com/](http://www.airkiosk.com/),
[https://tflite.com/](https://tflite.com/)

Another approach that might turn up some useful leads: try googling for flight
& fleet management software that integrates with Avinode. You could also try
looking through the past exhibitors at EBACE (some of which I'm sure will
offer booking/scheduling software for small airlines).

Good luck!

------
smt88
As a first step, I would suggest trying to use an existing service to sell the
tickets. The lowest-tech solution that will work for you is probably the best.
Making bookings is a really common problem -- do you have special needs that
would require you to have a highly-customized booking system?

On an unrelated note: an interesting niche on Airbnb are people who charter
boats. You book the boat just like a regular place, but then they include a
sailing trip, food, a guided tour, etc.

That might be something for your family to consider. Just a thought, no idea
if it makes sense for you at all.

~~~
espitia
Had to read it twice to get it. I like your first idea, a simple booking
system, one that doesn't even cater to airlines might work to begin with.

As for the Airbnb, it is something to think about. Why not try it as a
channel? Will keep in mind. Thank you!

------
brudgers
The bigger question is the business question: Is the new "product" viable?

This means that the focus of the "software" should be toward answering that
question. In other words, the "app" could connect to a manual booking system
behind the scenes [aka, "something that won't scale"]. The keys at the early
stage are reliability and flexibility. The choice of technology should be
driven by data and the data should come from the actual business process not
_a priori_ assumptions.

Good luck.

------
CyberFonic
Many years ago I worked for a guy (ex TWA) who ran an "airline" by doing a
sort of arbitrage between chartering whole biz class jets and selling
individual seats. Believe it or not he did it all by sticking cards on a wall
and marking the map with coloured pins.

With 6 planes and 150 pax, you could probably do the same. If not, at least
think in terms of keeping it simple.

The far bigger question is "How do potential customers find you?" Are the
flights scheduled? or run based on demand?

------
kiraken
I'm a web developer, contact me through aladin.bensassi@gmail.com and i'll be
more than glad to give You some advice, and walk You through it

------
jdc
I'd look into ITA: [http://www.itasoftware.com](http://www.itasoftware.com)

~~~
stephenr
It's kind of depressing to me that for _so many_ people these days, the first
"solution" they think of for something thats basically core business (or a
dependency for their core business) is, "quick, how can I find a way to
simultaneously hand over all my business data to; and make my business reliant
on, Google/Amazon/Facebook.

