Search flights with real-time position data via FlightAware AeroAPI, pay $0.10 per request.
What it does
This endpoint searches for flights and returns matching results with embedded position data (last known latitude, longitude, altitude, groundspeed, heading, and timestamp). It proxies FlightAware's AeroAPI flight search with positions through StableTravel's pay-per-request gateway. No API keys or subscriptions are required — payment via USDC on Base, Solana, or Tempo (x402/MPP protocol) serves as authentication.
The endpoint accepts a required `query` parameter using FlightAware's search syntax: `-idents "UAL*"` for ident-based searches, `-latlong "36 -104 30 -86"` for geographic bounding-box searches, or `-airline "UAL"` for airline-wide searches. Optional parameters include `unique_flights` (boolean to deduplicate) and `filter` ("airborne" or "grounded"). Each flight in the response includes full flight metadata (ident, operator, origin/destination airports, scheduled/estimated/actual times, status, aircraft type, route distance) plus a `last_position` object with real-time coordinates. The response also includes pagination via `links.next` and `num_pages`.
Priced at $0.10 per call. Part of the broader StableTravel API suite which covers Amadeus-powered flight booking, hotel search, activities, transfers, Google Flights price comparison, and the full FlightAware AeroAPI surface (airport info, weather, flight history, disruption counts). Payment settles via Tempo (chainId 4217) using pathUSD.
Capabilities
Use cases
- —Build a live flight map showing all airborne flights in a geographic region
- —Monitor an airline's fleet positions in real time
- —Track specific flights by ident with last-known position data
- —Filter airborne vs grounded flights for operational dashboards
- —Power autonomous travel agents that need real-time flight awareness
Fit
Best for
- —AI agents needing real-time flight position data without FlightAware API keys
- —Developers building flight tracking dashboards with pay-per-use pricing
- —Travel automation workflows that combine flight tracking with booking
Not for
- —High-frequency polling (each call costs $0.10; consider websocket-based solutions for sub-minute updates)
- —Historical flight track replay (use the /flights/{id}/track or /history endpoints instead)
Quick start
npx agentcash fetch "https://stabletravel.dev/api/flightaware/flights/search/positions?query=-idents+%22UAL*%22&filter=airborne"Example
Response
{
"links": {
"next": null
},
"flights": [
{
"ident": "UAL100",
"origin": {
"city": "Newark",
"code": "KEWR",
"name": "Newark Liberty Intl",
"code_iata": "EWR"
},
"status": "En Route",
"operator": "UAL",
"ident_iata": "UA100",
"destination": {
"city": "London",
"code": "EGLL",
"name": "London Heathrow",
"code_iata": "LHR"
},
"fa_flight_id": "UAL100-1234567890-schedule-0000",
"aircraft_type": "B772",
"last_position": {
"heading": 55,
"altitude": 370,
"latitude": 51.23,
"longitude": -15.67,
"timestamp": "2025-07-15T14:30:00Z",
"groundspeed": 485,
"update_type": "A",
"fa_flight_id": "UAL100-1234567890-schedule-0000"
}
}
],
"num_pages": 1
}Endpoint
Quality
Full OpenAPI 3.1 schema with detailed response types, clear pricing ($0.10/call), live 402 MPP challenge confirmed, comprehensive documentation including query syntax and parameters. Only minor gap: no inline example responses in the spec itself.
Citations
- —Endpoint price is $0.10 per requesthttps://stabletravel.dev/openapi.json
- —Payment settles via Tempo method on chainId 4217 using pathUSDhttps://stabletravel.dev/openapi.json
- —Query syntax supports -idents, -latlong, and -airline parametershttps://stabletravel.dev/openapi.json
- —No API keys needed; payment via USDC on Base, Solana, or Tempo serves as authenticationhttps://stabletravel.dev
- —MPP 402 challenge confirmed live with method=tempo, intent=chargehttps://stabletravel.dev/api/flightaware/flights/search/positions