SkyScanner API Client (Node.js)

A Node.js library for querying the reverse-engineered SkyScanner Android app API for flights, airports, locations, and car rentals, with built-in retries and error handling.

Note: This is a Node.js port of the original Python library. Original credit goes to @irrisolto.

Table of Contents

• Installation
• Quick Start
• Class Reference
• Methods
• Types and Enums
• Error Handling
• Examples

Installation

npm install skyscanner-api

Or if you're installing from source:

npm install

Quick Start

const { SkyScanner, CabinClass, SpecialTypes } = require('skyscanner-api');

async function main() {
    // Initialize the client
    const scanner = new SkyScanner({
        locale: "en-US",
        currency: "USD",
        market: "US"
    });

    // Search for airports
    const airports = await scanner.searchAirports("London");
    const origin = airports[0];

    const destinationAirports = await scanner.searchAirports("New York");
    const destination = destinationAirports[0];

    // Search for flights
    const departDate = new Date('2025-08-15');
    const returnDate = new Date('2025-08-22');

    const response = await scanner.getFlightPrices({
        origin: origin,
        destination: destination,
        departDate: departDate,
        returnDate: returnDate,
        cabinClass: CabinClass.ECONOMY,
        adults: 2
    });

    console.log(response.json);
}

main().catch(console.error);

Class Reference

SkyScanner

The main client class for interacting with Skyscanner APIs.

Constructor

const scanner = new SkyScanner({
    locale: "en-US",       // Locale code for results
    currency: "USD",       // Currency code for pricing
    market: "US",          // Market region code
    retryDelay: 2,         // Seconds to wait between polling retries
    maxRetries: 15,        // Maximum number of polling retries
    proxy: "",             // Proxy URL for HTTP requests
    pxAuthorization: null, // Optional pre-generated PX authorization token
    verify: true           // Whether to verify SSL certificates
});

Parameters:

• locale (string): Locale code for results (e.g., "en-US", "fr-FR")
• currency (string): Currency code for pricing (e.g., "USD", "EUR", "GBP")
• market (string): Market region code (e.g., "US", "UK", "DE")
• retryDelay (number): Seconds to wait between polling retries
• maxRetries (number): Maximum number of polling retries before giving up
• proxy (string): Proxy URL configuration for HTTP requests
• pxAuthorization (string | null): Optional pre-generated PX authorization token
• verify (boolean): Whether to verify SSL certificates

Methods

getFlightPrices()

Search for flight prices between two locations.

await scanner.getFlightPrices({
    origin,              // Airport object
    destination,         // Airport | SpecialTypes
    departDate,          // Date | SpecialTypes | null
    returnDate,          // Date | SpecialTypes | null
    cabinClass,          // CabinClass (default: ECONOMY)
    adults,              // number (default: 1)
    childAges            // number[] (default: [])
});

Parameters:

• origin (Airport): Origin airport object
• destination (Airport | SpecialTypes): Destination airport or special search type (e.g., SpecialTypes.EVERYWHERE)
• departDate (Date | SpecialTypes | null): Departure date or SpecialTypes.ANYTIME
• returnDate (Date | SpecialTypes | null): Return date (optional for one-way trips)
• cabinClass (string): Cabin class preference (from CabinClass enum)
• adults (number): Number of adult passengers (1-8)
• childAges (number[]): Ages of child passengers (0-17 years, max 8 children)

Returns: SkyscannerResponse object containing flight options and pricing data

Throws:

• Error: Invalid dates, passenger counts, or search parameters
• BannedWithCaptcha: When blocked by Skyscanner's anti-bot measures
• AttemptsExhaustedIncompleteResponse: When max retries exceeded

searchAirports()

Auto-suggest airports based on a search query.

await scanner.searchAirports(query, departDate, returnDate);

Parameters:

• query (string): Search text (airport name, city, or IATA code)
• departDate (Date | null): Optional departure date for context
• returnDate (Date | null): Optional return date for context

Returns: Array of Airport objects matching the query

searchLocations()

Auto-suggest locations for car rentals and other services.

await scanner.searchLocations(query);

Parameters:

• query (string): Location search text

Returns: Array of Location objects

getAirportByCode()

Retrieve a specific airport by its IATA code.

await scanner.getAirportByCode(airportCode);

Parameters:

• airportCode (string): Three-letter IATA airport code (e.g., "JFK", "LHR")

Returns: Airport object for the specified code

Throws:

• GenericError: If airport code not found

getItineraryDetails()

Get detailed information for a specific flight itinerary.

await scanner.getItineraryDetails(itineraryId, response);

Parameters:

• itineraryId (string): Unique itinerary identifier from search results
• response (SkyscannerResponse): Original search response containing session data

Returns: Object with detailed itinerary information including flight legs and preferences

getCarRental()

Search for car rental options between locations and times.

await scanner.getCarRental({
    origin,           // Location | Coordinates | Airport
    departTime,       // Date
    returnTime,       // Date
    destination,      // Location | Coordinates | Airport | null
    isDriverOver25    // boolean (default: true)
});

Parameters:

• origin (Location | Coordinates | Airport): Pickup location
• departTime (Date): Pickup date and time
• returnTime (Date): Drop-off date and time
• destination (Location | Coordinates | Airport | null): Drop-off location (defaults to origin)
• isDriverOver25 (boolean): Driver age flag affecting pricing

Returns: Object containing car rental options and pricing

getCarRentalFromUrl()

Parse a Skyscanner car rental URL and fetch rental options.

await scanner.getCarRentalFromUrl(url);

Parameters:

• url (string): Skyscanner car hire URL

Returns: Car rental search results

Example URL format:

https://www.skyscanner.net/g/carhire-quotes/GB/en-GB/GBP/30/27544008/27544008/2025-07-01T10:00/2025-08-01T10:00/

Types and Enums

Airport

const airport = new Airport(
    "London Heathrow",  // title
    "27544008",         // entityId
    "LHR"               // skyId (IATA code)
);

Location

const location = new Location(
    "London",           // entityName
    "27544008",         // entityId
    "51.5074,-0.1278"   // coordinates (lat,lng)
);

CabinClass

• CabinClass.ECONOMY
• CabinClass.PREMIUM_ECONOMY
• CabinClass.BUSINESS
• CabinClass.FIRST

SpecialTypes

• SpecialTypes.ANYTIME - Flexible date search
• SpecialTypes.EVERYWHERE - Open destination search

Error Handling

The library defines several custom exceptions:

BannedWithCaptcha

Raised when Skyscanner blocks requests with CAPTCHA challenges.

try {
    const response = await scanner.getFlightPrices({...});
} catch (error) {
    if (error instanceof BannedWithCaptcha) {
        console.log(`Blocked by anti-bot measures: ${error.captchaUrl}`);
        // Consider using proxies or reducing request frequency
    }
}

AttemptsExhaustedIncompleteResponse

Raised when polling retries are exhausted without getting complete results.

try {
    const response = await scanner.getFlightPrices({...});
} catch (error) {
    if (error instanceof AttemptsExhaustedIncompleteResponse) {
        console.log("Search timed out - try again later");
    }
}

GenericError

General API errors with status codes and response details.

Examples

Basic Flight Search

const { SkyScanner } = require('skyscanner-api');

async function searchFlights() {
    const scanner = new SkyScanner();

    // Find airports
    const londonAirports = await scanner.searchAirports("London");
    const heathrow = londonAirports[0];

    const nycAirports = await scanner.searchAirports("New York");
    const jfk = nycAirports[0];

    // Search flights
    const response = await scanner.getFlightPrices({
        origin: heathrow,
        destination: jfk,
        departDate: new Date('2025-09-01'),
        returnDate: new Date('2025-09-08'),
        adults: 1
    });

    console.log(response.json);
}

searchFlights().catch(console.error);

Flexible Search (Anywhere, Anytime)

const { SkyScanner, SpecialTypes } = require('skyscanner-api');

async function flexibleSearch() {
    const scanner = new SkyScanner();
    const londonAirports = await scanner.searchAirports("London");
    const heathrow = londonAirports[0];

    // Search from London to anywhere
    const response = await scanner.getFlightPrices({
        origin: heathrow,
        destination: SpecialTypes.EVERYWHERE,
        departDate: SpecialTypes.ANYTIME
    });

    console.log(response.json);
}

flexibleSearch().catch(console.error);

Car Rental Search

const { SkyScanner } = require('skyscanner-api');

async function searchCarRentals() {
    const scanner = new SkyScanner();

    // Search locations
    const locations = await scanner.searchLocations("London");
    const pickupLocation = locations[0];

    // Set dates
    const pickupDate = new Date('2025-07-01');
    pickupDate.setHours(10, 0);
    
    const returnDate = new Date('2025-07-08');
    returnDate.setHours(10, 0);

    // Search car rentals
    const rentals = await scanner.getCarRental({
        origin: pickupLocation,
        departTime: pickupDate,
        returnTime: returnDate,
        isDriverOver25: true
    });

    console.log(rentals);
}

searchCarRentals().catch(console.error);

Rate Limiting and Best Practices

1. Use Proxies: Consider proxy rotation for high-volume usage
2. Cache Results: Store airport/location searches to reduce API calls
3. Validate Inputs: Check dates and passenger counts before API calls
4. Reuse PX Authorization: X-Px-Authorization header isn't single use. Once you've made one you can use it for multiple requests, but once you get captcha you need to switch IP and authorization

Dependencies

• axios: HTTP client for making API requests
• https-proxy-agent: Proxy support for HTTPS requests

License

MIT

Credits

Original Python library by @irrisolto on Discord. Node.js port created for broader accessibility.

Disclaimer

This library uses reverse-engineered Skyscanner Android app endpoints. Use at your own risk. The library is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Skyscanner.