flighthelp documentation
flighthelp is open, neutral, non-profit infrastructure for air-travel facts and passenger rights — open schemas, an open rules engine, a verified dataset, and a free public API that any product can build on. The website at flighthelp.net is the reference implementation; the infrastructure is the product.
This site documents how to use everything: the website, the public API, the rules engine, and the open dataset. It also mirrors the full project specifications.
The four layers
flighthelp is built in four layers, each usable on its own:
| Layer | Package | What it is | License |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 — Schemas | @flighthelp/schema |
JSON Schema for every entity, plus TypeScript bindings | MIT |
| 2 — Rules engine | @flighthelp/rules-engine |
Pure passenger-rights logic (EU 261, UK 261, Montreal, Brazil ANAC 400, US DOT) | MIT |
| 3 — API | @flighthelp/api |
REST API serving the dataset and exposing the engine | AGPL-3.0 |
| 4 — Website | flighthelp.net |
The consumer reference site | AGPL-3.0 |
Pick your path
- I'm a traveler. Start with Using the website — check what you're owed, read your rights scenario by scenario, and look up airlines and airports.
- I'm a builder. Start with Using the API for the REST endpoints, or Using the rules engine to embed the passenger-rights logic directly.
- I want to find an airline or airport. See Searching airlines & airports — by name, IATA, ICAO, city, or country.
What the engine covers today
The rules engine implements five passenger-rights regimes:
- EU 261 (EC 261/2004) — EU/EEA cancellation, long delay, denied boarding.
- UK 261 — the retained EU 261, in GBP.
- Montreal Convention 1999 — international baggage and passenger-delay liability.
- Brazil ANAC 400 — material assistance and re-accommodation.
- US DOT (14 CFR) — involuntary denied boarding, the 2024 refund rule, tarmac delays, and domestic baggage liability.
Every entitlement the engine returns is tied to a specific article of law and a link to the official text. See How rights are verified.
Principles
flighthelp is built to last decades, not quarters. It does not run ads, take a cut of any payout, sell data, or lock up the dataset. The governing documents make those constraints structural. Read the Mission and Principles for the why.
This documentation is information, not legal advice. The authoritative source is always the regulation itself and the case law interpreting it — both are linked from each regulation guide.