Historical flight track data via FlightAware AeroAPI, pay-per-request at $0.12 per call.
What it does
This endpoint retrieves the historical flight track (position history) for a completed flight, identified by its FlightAware fa_flight_id. It returns an array of position objects, each containing latitude, longitude, altitude, groundspeed, heading, altitude_change, timestamp, and update_type. An optional `include_estimated_positions` query parameter controls whether estimated positions are included in the results.
The endpoint is part of the StableTravel API suite, which wraps FlightAware's AeroAPI behind a pay-per-request micropayment model. No API keys or subscriptions are required — payment is handled via the MPP protocol (Tempo method on chain 4217) or x402. The price is $0.12 per request. The typical workflow is to first look up historical flights by ident via `/api/flightaware/history/flights/{ident}` to obtain the fa_flight_id, then call this endpoint with that ID to get the full position track.
The endpoint uses a path parameter `:id` which should be the FlightAware fa_flight_id of the historical flight. Data is sourced from FlightAware's AeroAPI and includes actual recorded positions from ADS-B and other surveillance sources. The response schema is well-defined in the OpenAPI spec with typed position fields. Payment settles in pathUSD on Tempo L2 (chain ID 4217).
Capabilities
Use cases
- —Replay the exact path a historical flight took for analysis or visualization
- —Verify actual flight routes against filed flight plans
- —Build flight history dashboards showing past aircraft movements
- —Analyze flight patterns for operational research or delay analysis
- —Generate historical flight track visualizations or maps
Fit
Best for
- —Aviation data analysts needing historical position data
- —Travel agents or tools building flight history features
- —Autonomous agents that need to retrieve past flight tracks programmatically
- —Developers building flight replay or visualization tools
Not for
- —Real-time live flight tracking (use the non-history track endpoint instead)
- —Booking flights or hotels (use the Amadeus-backed endpoints)
- —Bulk historical data downloads (pay-per-request model is per-flight)
Quick start
# First get the fa_flight_id from historical flights lookup:
npx agentcash fetch "https://stabletravel.dev/api/flightaware/history/flights/UAL100"
# Then get the historical track using the fa_flight_id:
npx agentcash fetch "https://stabletravel.dev/api/flightaware/history/flights/UAL100-1234567890-airline-0123/track"Example
Response
{
"positions": [
{
"heading": 270,
"altitude": 350,
"latitude": 40.6413,
"longitude": -73.7781,
"timestamp": "2025-01-15T14:30:00Z",
"groundspeed": 480,
"update_type": "A",
"fa_flight_id": "UAL100-1718000000-airline-0042",
"altitude_change": "C"
},
{
"heading": 268,
"altitude": 370,
"latitude": 39.8561,
"longitude": -75.2412,
"timestamp": "2025-01-15T14:35:00Z",
"groundspeed": 510,
"update_type": "A",
"fa_flight_id": "UAL100-1718000000-airline-0042",
"altitude_change": "-"
}
]
}Endpoint
Quality
Full OpenAPI 3.1 schema with typed response fields, clear pricing ($0.12/request), live 402 MPP challenge captured confirming the endpoint is operational, extensive documentation including workflow guidance and parameter descriptions.
Warnings
- —The :id path parameter must be a FlightAware fa_flight_id, not a flight ident — you must first resolve the ident via the history/flights/{ident} endpoint.
- —The MPP challenge currency address 0x20c000000000000000000000b9537d11c60e8b50 on chain 4217 (Tempo) with amount 120000 corresponds to $0.12 assuming 6 decimals for pathUSD.
Citations
- —Historical flight track endpoint costs $0.12 per requesthttps://stabletravel.dev/openapi.json
- —Endpoint is live and returns 402 MPP challenge with method=tempo, intent=charge, amount=120000https://stabletravel.dev/api/flightaware/history/flights/:id/track
- —Payment via USDC on Base, Solana, or Tempo (x402/MPP protocol) serves as authenticationhttps://stabletravel.dev
- —Typical workflow: /flightaware/history/flights/{ident} → /flightaware/history/flights/{id}/trackhttps://stabletravel.dev/docs
- —Response returns positions array with altitude, groundspeed, heading, latitude, longitude, timestamp, update_type fieldshttps://stabletravel.dev/openapi.json