Question 1

Can I search for hotels near a specific landmark or address through the API instead of only by city name?

Accepted Answer

Yes, in most cases you can search around a specific point instead of only by city name. Hotel booking APIs usually accept a latitude and longitude together with a radius, and many also accept a landmark or an address that they turn into a point for you. So if your customer wants a room near a conference centre, a hospital or a beach, you can send that location and get back only the properties that sit within the distance you asked for. How well it works depends on the supplier behind the search. Some suppliers hold accurate coordinates for every property and will even sort the results by distance from your point. Others hold only a rough location for smaller hotels, or support searching by city and area alone, so a radius search quietly widens to the whole city or comes back empty. If you are connected to more than one supplier, you may see this work well for one and poorly for another, which is normal and not a fault in your portal. There are two limits worth knowing before you promise it to a customer. The distance a supplier reports is almost always a straight line, not a walking or driving distance, so a property that looks close can still be awkward to reach by road. Address searching also depends on the address being written the way the supplier expects, so a vague or misspelt address can pull in the wrong area. The useful next step is to run the same landmark search against each supplier you have switched on and compare what comes back, and to check with us which of your connections support coordinate and radius search before you build it into the way you sell.

Question 2

Can I cancel a flight ticket and get my customer a refund through the API, or do I have to contact the airline myself?

Accepted Answer

Yes, in most cases you can cancel a flight booking and start the refund through the flight booking API, without calling the airline yourself. You send a cancel request with the booking reference, and the response tells you whether the cancellation went through and what penalty the airline is holding back, so your team can handle it from your own portal. How far you can go depends on the fare and the supplier. Some fares are non refundable, so you only get taxes back, and a few give back nothing. Low cost carriers often do not allow cancellation through the API at all, and those have to be done on the airline side. Timing matters too, because once the flight has departed or the ticket has passed its time limit, the API will usually refuse the request and it becomes a manual claim with the airline. It also helps to keep cancelling and refunding apart in your head. Cancelling stops the travel. The refund is money moving, and that takes longer, because the airline has to process it and then it has to reach the card or account that paid. The API can confirm the refund was requested and what was approved, but it cannot make the money arrive sooner. Before you promise this to a customer, read the cancellation rules that come back with each fare at search and booking time, and ask your supplier which airlines support cancellation through the API and which need to be done by hand. Knowing that in advance saves an awkward call with someone expecting an instant refund.

Question 3

Can I use travel agency software to let my customers book trips in installments or split payments across multiple cards?

Accepted Answer

Yes, many travel agency software platforms support flexible payment options including installment plans and split payments, but the exact features depend on which plan you choose and which payment processors you have connected to your system. When you set up payment options in your software, you can typically configure how many installments a customer can spread their booking across, what the payment schedule looks like, and whether there are any fees for paying in installments. Some systems let customers choose their own payment dates within a window you set, while others follow a fixed schedule you create. Split payments across multiple cards usually work through your payment processor, which handles charging different cards for different portions of the total cost. Keep in mind that your payment processor may have limits on how many installments you can offer or how long the payment period can be. Some processors charge extra fees for installment plans, which might affect your profit margin on those bookings. You should check with your payment provider about their rules before you advertise installment options to your customers. Look at your software's payment settings to see what installment and split payment options are already available, and contact your payment processor to confirm what they support and what fees they charge.

Question 4

Can I use the flight booking API to search for round trip flights with flexible dates so my customers can see which days have the cheapest fares?

Accepted Answer

Yes, the flight booking API supports flexible date searches so your customers can explore different travel dates and find the lowest prices. When you set up a search, you can request results across a range of dates rather than just one specific outbound and return date. This helps your customers understand the cost difference between traveling on different days, which is especially useful when they have some flexibility in when they want to go. How the flexible search works depends on what your customers are looking for. Some travelers want to see all the options for an entire month so they can pick the absolute cheapest days to travel. Others might have a rough timeframe, like early September or late October, and want to compare prices within that window. The API can handle both of these scenarios, showing you fares across multiple date combinations so your customers can make an informed decision. Keep in mind that flexible date searches return more results than a single date search, which means the response takes longer and uses more data. You may want to think about how you present all these options to your customers so they can find the best deal without getting overwhelmed by information. Some travel businesses show a calendar view where customers can see prices for each day at a glance, while others show a simple list sorted by price. To set up flexible date searches for your customers, check the API documentation to see which date range parameters are available and how to structure your requests, then test with a few sample searches to make sure the results look right for your business.

Question 5

Can I white label a travel portal so my customers see my company name and branding instead of glideFares?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you can customize a white label portal with your own branding, colors, logos and company name so your customers think they are booking directly through your travel agency. When you set up a white label portal with us, the entire booking experience can be branded as your own business, from the search page through to the confirmation email. Your customers will not see any reference to glideFares or know that you are using our technology behind the scenes. The level of customization available depends on which white label portal package you choose. Some packages let you change colors, fonts and logos, while others offer deeper customization of the layout and booking flow to match exactly how you want your business to work. You can also add your own content like destination guides or travel tips if your package includes that option. One thing to keep in mind is that while the front end can be fully branded as yours, the actual flight, hotel and other travel content comes from the suppliers we work with. So the prices, availability and policies are determined by those suppliers, not by us. Your branding makes customers feel like they are booking through you, but the underlying travel products and rules come from the travel companies themselves. To get started, you should talk with our sales team about which white label portal package fits your business needs and budget, so you understand exactly what customization options are included and what the setup process looks like.

Question 6

Does the flight booking API let me see what baggage allowance and seat selection options come with each fare?

Accepted Answer

Yes, the flight booking API can show you baggage allowance and seat selection details for each fare option, though what information is available depends on what the airline provides through the system. Most airlines include this data so you know exactly what your customer is getting when they book a particular ticket. Some airlines are more detailed than others about what they share, so you may see full information for one airline and less detail for another on the same route. You can use this information to help your customers make better choices and to set expectations before they commit to a booking. If a customer is choosing between two fares and one includes a checked bag while the other does not, you can point that out and explain the real difference in value. This helps you provide better advice and reduces the chance that your customer gets an unpleasant surprise after they book. Keep in mind that ancillary details like baggage and seats can change if an airline updates its policies, and the API will reflect those changes. You should check what specific details your flight booking API is configured to return, since each setup can be different depending on your contract with the suppliers and how your API is built. Contact your provider to see exactly which baggage and seat details are available in your system so you know what information you can show your customers.

Question 7

Can I use travel agency software to set up automatic alerts when flight prices drop for routes my customers are interested in?

Accepted Answer

Yes, many travel agency platforms can track price changes for flights your customers are watching and notify you when prices fall, though the details depend on which suppliers you work with and what your software plan includes. The way this usually works is that you or your customers mark certain routes as ones to monitor, and the system checks those prices on a regular schedule. When the price drops below a certain level or changes significantly, you get an alert so you can reach out to your customer and let them know it might be a good time to book. Keep in mind that how often prices are checked and how quickly you get notified can vary. Some suppliers update their prices constantly throughout the day, while others update less frequently. Your software plan will determine whether you can set price alerts for unlimited routes or if there are limits on how many you can watch at once. You should also understand that a price drop alert is just a heads up, not a guarantee that the price will stay low or that the flight will still be available when your customer decides to buy. The best next step is to check with your software provider about what price tracking features are included in your plan and which suppliers those alerts work with. Ask specifically whether you can set custom price thresholds so you only get alerts when prices drop by an amount that matters to your business, and whether your customers can set up their own alerts through your portal or if you have to do it manually for them.

Question 8

Can I use a hotel booking API to check what policies and rules each property has for things like early check-in, late checkout, and pet fees?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you can retrieve hotel policies through the API, but what you get back depends on what the hotel supplies to us and what your subscription plan includes. Most hotels do provide information about their check-in and checkout times, pet policies, parking fees, and other house rules through the API, so you can show this to your customers before they book. This helps your customers make an informed decision and reduces surprises when they arrive at the property. The completeness of policy information varies from one hotel to another, because each property decides what details to share and how to format them. Some hotels are very detailed and list every fee and restriction, while others provide only basic information. You should test the API with the hotels you plan to offer to your customers to see what policy details come back for each one. This way you will know exactly what you can tell your customers about before they complete their reservation. When you integrate the API into your booking flow, you can display these policies prominently so your customers see them at the right moment, such as right before they confirm their booking or in the room details section. This transparency helps build trust with your customers and reduces the number of disputes or complaints after they check in. To get started, run some test searches through the API for the hotels you work with most often and review what policy information appears for each property.

Question 9

Can I use the flight booking API to search for flights on behalf of my customer without them needing to enter all their details into a search form?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you can search for flights through the API using just the basic information you need, like departure and arrival cities, travel dates, and number of passengers. You do not need to collect full passenger names, contact details, or payment information at the search stage. This means you can run flight searches in the background of your system or your white label portal without asking your customers to fill out lengthy forms before they see any options. How much flexibility you have depends on what your API plan includes and what the flight suppliers themselves allow. Some suppliers may require certain information earlier in the booking process than others, or they may have rules about how searches can be performed. The search results you get back will show you available flights, prices, and basic details, but you will still need to collect full passenger information and payment details when your customer is ready to actually book and pay for a ticket. You can use this search capability to power features like showing customers price alerts, comparing multiple date options, or letting them browse options before they commit to providing personal information. This can make the booking experience smoother and encourage more customers to complete their purchase. Check your API documentation or speak with your account contact to understand exactly which search parameters your plan supports and whether there are any restrictions on how often you can search or how many results you can retrieve.

Question 10

Can I integrate my white label portal with my existing business systems like accounting software or customer relationship management tools?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you can integrate your white label portal with other business systems, but the specifics depend on what tools you use and what your portal setup supports. Most modern travel portals can connect to accounting software, customer databases, and email systems through APIs or standard integration methods. This means your booking data can flow automatically into your financial records, customer lists, and communication tools instead of you having to enter everything manually across different systems. The exact integrations available depend on your portal plan and the systems you want to connect. Some common connections include accounting software to track revenue and expenses, customer relationship management tools to keep all your customer information in one place, and email platforms to send booking confirmations and marketing messages. You should check with your portal provider about which integrations are included with your plan and which ones might require additional setup or fees. If the specific system you use is not directly supported, there are often workaround options using data feeds or manual export functions, though these require more work on your end. The best approach is to make a list of the tools you rely on for your business, then ask your portal provider which ones they can connect to and what the setup process looks like. This will help you understand how much manual work you will still need to do versus what can be automated.