Flight API Integration
PKFare API Integration Guide for OTA and Travel Booking Platforms
How to integrate PKFare's global flight API for LCC, consolidator and airline content in your booking engine
By Project OTA | 8 Aug, 2026 | 7 min read
PKFare is a global flight content aggregator offering LCC, consolidator and airline fares through a unified API. This guide covers the integration flow for OTA developers building flight booking engines with PKFare content.
What PKFare is and how it fits into OTA architecture
PKFare is a global travel technology company and flight content aggregator that provides access to airline inventory from over 800 carriers through a unified API. The platform specialises in aggregating low-cost carrier (LCC) content, consolidator fares and airline direct content — particularly in markets where GDS coverage is thin or where airlines price preferentially outside the GDS, such as Asia-Pacific, South Asia, the Middle East and Africa.
For OTA developers, PKFare fills a gap that GDS and NDC aggregators do not always address: comprehensive LCC access in price-sensitive markets. Many high-volume routes in Southeast Asia, South Asia and the Middle East are dominated by carriers that either have no GDS participation or publish their best fares only through direct or consolidator channels. PKFare aggregates this inventory and normalises it into a consistent API response.
PKFare API authentication and access
PKFare provides API access through a partner programme. After registration and commercial agreement, partners receive an API key for sandbox testing and separate production credentials. The API uses key-based authentication passed as a header or query parameter depending on the endpoint version in use.
PKFare's sandbox environment contains representative flight data for testing but not real live fares or bookable inventory. All booking and ticketing tests in sandbox are simulated. Before moving to production, complete end-to-end booking tests for each target market and route type to ensure normalised results, pricing accuracy and ticketing reliability.
Flight search and fare normalisation
The PKFare search endpoint accepts standard parameters: origin, destination, date, cabin class, passenger count and trip type. The response aggregates fares from multiple sources — airline directs, LCCs and consolidators — and normalises them into a consistent fare object containing price, airline, flight number, cabin, baggage allowance, fare conditions and a fare token for booking.
Fare normalisation across LCC and full-service carriers is a key value-add. PKFare abstracts differences in carrier fee structures — for example, some LCCs separate baggage fees, seat fees and payment fees — into a transparent total price model with itemised breakdown. This makes it easier to display consistent, comparable pricing in your search results UI without building carrier-specific parsing logic.
Booking, ticketing and post-booking management
The PKFare booking flow follows: reprice a selected fare → create a booking with passenger details and payment → confirm ticketing. The reprice step is critical because LCC fares are highly volatile and a price shown in search may no longer be available seconds later. Always reprice immediately before the booking form is submitted.
PKFare provides booking references and e-ticket numbers upon successful ticketing. Void and refund capabilities depend on the airline and fare type. For LCC bookings, changes and cancellations are often managed through the carrier's own web portal or through PKFare's service desk rather than API-driven self-service, which is a common constraint across LCC aggregators. Your admin panel should expose booking references and direct links to airline management portals for post-booking operations.
When to use PKFare alongside GDS and NDC
PKFare is most valuable as a complementary supplier alongside GDS and NDC in a multi-source booking engine. GDS provides broad coverage for full-service carrier itineraries, interline ticketing and legacy fare content. NDC aggregators provide richer airline-direct offers. PKFare adds LCC and consolidator content that the other channels miss — particularly for point-to-point routes in Asia, the Gulf and Africa.
A booking engine that queries GDS, NDC and PKFare in parallel and normalises results into a single display layer gives customers the broadest possible fare selection. The normalisation layer must handle differences in response time — PKFare results may arrive faster than GDS for some markets — and display partial results progressively as each source responds.
Frequently Asked Questions
What markets does PKFare cover best?
PKFare is particularly strong in Asia-Pacific, South Asia, Middle East, Africa and Latin America — markets with high LCC penetration and thin GDS coverage. It complements GDS well for European and North American routes.
Can PKFare issue tickets directly, or is manual intervention needed?
PKFare supports automated ticketing for most carriers in their network. Some LCCs require a booking-to-payment loop on the carrier's own payment page, which PKFare handles transparently in its booking flow.
How does PKFare compare to Duffel for LCC content?
Both cover LCC content but with different carrier mixes. PKFare has stronger coverage of Asia-Pacific and Middle East LCCs, while Duffel covers more European carriers. Many platforms use both alongside a GDS for maximum global coverage.
Key Takeaways
- PKFare aggregates LCC, consolidator and airline fares across 800+ airlines globally.
- Strong coverage in Asia-Pacific, Middle East and emerging markets often underserved by GDS.
- Provides a REST API with unified fare normalisation across carrier types.
Project OTA integrates PKFare API into multi-source OTA booking engines — connecting global LCC, consolidator and airline content alongside GDS and NDC for complete fare coverage.
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