AirFair | Devpost

Starting point
Departure Date
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Departure Flights
Summary Screen

Inspiration

The inspiration behind our app was to simplify the process of finding the most affordable airfare for travelers. We recognized that flexibility with travel dates and airports can lead to significant cost savings, but it can be time-consuming to manually search for these options. Therefore, we developed an app that automates this process, making it easy for users to discover the lowest airfare tailored to their preferences and budget.

What it does

Our app streamlines the airfare booking process by allowing users to input their trip details, such as destination, dates, and airports, and then leverages this information to find the lowest available airfares that match their preferences. Furthermore, for added convenience, users have the option to also explore the most affordable housing options at their destination, making it a comprehensive tool for cost-effective travel planning.

How we built it

The frontend was crafted using React and Node.js, while the backend was built with Python, employing a sophisticated web scraping tool to retrieve real-time flight prices. Seamless data transmission is achieved through the use of Flask, ensuring a robust and efficient interaction between both components.

Challenges we ran into

The primary challenge we encountered was integrating our frontend and backend components smoothly. This involved defining clear APIs, handling CORS issues, ensuring secure authentication, debugging communication problems, and maintaining consistent documentation and communication. These challenges required close collaboration between frontend and backend developers to deliver a cohesive and reliable application.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Some accomplishments we were proud of What we're really proud of is how we managed to make the front-end and back-end work together smoothly, even though we had some hiccups with dependencies that took us a few hours to sort out. This allowed us to offer real-time flight data and find the cheapest flights for users while keeping our UI user-friendly.

What we learned

During this project, we learned a lot about handling CORS (Cross-Origin Resource Sharing) issues, especially when integrating our Flask backend with the front end. We also gained valuable experience in web scraping to gather real-time flight data, which was crucial for finding the best flight options.

What's next for Flight

In the next phase of this project, we plan to enhance the user interface, optimize backend processes for faster data retrieval, and consider integrating car rentals to provide comprehensive travel solutions.