An Open Developer Sandbox and API Platform for the global travel industry.
For our investor friends and non-techies in its simplest terms API’s allow companies to expose their backend data and functionality for reuse in new applications. For example the Flitways API allows airline developers to build a ground transportation application that can display all of Flitways 15,000 vehicles and pricing in a city/destination when a traveler is booking a trip, without having to store and maintain the real-time inventory and pricing data.
A few months ago I wrote Travel Platforms and Travel APIs are the NEW drivers of growth in the travel industry.
The business development sales process is somewhat repeatable when looking to commercialize and get distribution for your travel API.
- Find the correct contact person at a travel company.
- Email or call that person.
- Send your 5-page API pitch deck highlighting how the company will benefit by licensing your API.
- Explain how the company will make money with your API.
- Receive a request to view your API documentation.
- Sign an NDA.
- The company places your API in their sandbox so they can test it out.
- Negotiate the licensing deal.
- Sign the deal.
- Handoff to the engineers to integrate your API.
Some API integrations take months due to customization, testing and connecting all the technology. I understand this but finding the right API for your business needs, connecting with the right person and testing the API should take a few days, not weeks or months. I mean we are in the travel technology business after all.
My hypothesis is that there are over 1,000 travel APIs right now in the market trying to either a) find integrations or b) get distributed. (more…)