What to prepare before integrating a travel supplier API

Connecting a portal to a flight, hotel, transfer or activity supplier is rarely just a technical task. Access, rules and testing arrangements decide how quickly it goes live.

Get access in writing

Suppliers usually grant access under an agreement. Confirm which products you may sell, in which markets, and whether the credentials you receive are for testing or live use.

Collect the documentation

• The API reference and any change notes
• Test credentials and a test environment
• Rate limits and timeout expectations
• Rules for cancellations, changes and refunds
• A contact for technical queries

Decide how errors should behave

Suppliers sometimes time out, return partial data or reject a request. Decide in advance what the traveller or agent should see and when a booking should be retried or flagged for a person to check.

Plan testing and go-live

Agree which scenarios must pass before launch, such as a normal booking, a cancellation and a failed payment. Some suppliers also run their own certification step, so allow time for it.

With these items ready, integration work is faster and the first release is far more stable.