Install Required Libraries
Set Up Your API Key
Define the Base URL
Create a Function to Fetch Flight Data
- Encapsulate your API interaction logic inside a function, making it reusable and modular:
```python
import requests
def fetch_flight_data(endpoint, params):
url = f"{base_url}{endpoint}"
params['access_key'] = API_KEY
response = requests.get(url, params=params)
if response.status\_code == 200:
return response.json()
else:
print(f"Error: {response.status\_code}")
return None
```
Fetch Specific Flight Information
- Attempt to fetch flight data such as 'flights', 'airports', or 'airlines' by calling your function with appropriate parameters:
```python
flight_data = fetch_flight_data('flights', {
'flight_iata': 'BA2490'
})
if flight_data:
print(flight_data)
```
Handle API Rate Limits and Errors
- The API might have rate limits. Implement a mechanism to handle HTTP errors, and consider retrying requests after a delay or logging these events for analysis.
```python
import time
def fetch_with_retries(endpoint, params, retries=3):
for _ in range(retries):
result = fetch_flight_data(endpoint, params)
if result is not None:
return result
time.sleep(1) # Pause before retrying
print("Max retries exceeded.")
return None
```
Explore Additional Features
- AviationStack offers various endpoints and query parameters beyond flight tracking. Explore endpoints like 'routes', 'cities', or 'countries' to expand your data insights. For instance, fetching airport data might look like this:
```python
airports = fetch_flight_data('airports', {
'country_iso': 'US'
})
if airports:
print(airports)
```
Consider API Security
- Never expose your API key in a public repository or in client-side code. Consider using environment variables or a configuration file for local development or production environments.
