Can the flight booking API tell me what ancillary services like meals and seat upgrades are available before I book, so I can offer them to my customers?

Yes, the flight booking API can show you what add-ons are available for a flight, though what you see depends on what each airline makes available through their system. Most airlines offer extras like seat selections, meal packages, baggage allowances, and lounge access, and the API will display these options so you can present them to your customer during the booking flow. This means your customer can add what they want before you complete the purchase, rather than having to contact the airline separately afterwards.

The exact ancillaries on offer change from airline to airline and sometimes from route to route, so you cannot assume the same extras will be available for every flight you search. Some airlines are generous with what they share through the API, while others restrict certain add-ons or handle them differently. The prices for ancillaries also vary by supplier and by how far in advance you book.

If you want to sell ancillaries to your customers, you can build them into your booking flow so customers see what is available at the right moment, which usually means higher take-up than asking them to buy extras later. Some travel agencies also choose to add their own markup to ancillary prices, which works the same way as marking up the base fare. Check with your API provider to understand exactly which ancillaries are surfaced in your searches and at what point in the booking journey your system can display and sell them.