When building travel platforms or apps, choosing between commercial and open flight APIs is a crucial decision. Commercial APIs like Amadeus, Skyscanner, or Sabre offer high reliability, extensive global coverage, and robust support. They often come with features such as real-time pricing, booking capabilities, and advanced search filters, making them ideal for production-ready platforms aiming for scale and professional performance. However, they can be costly and come with usage restrictions.

On the other hand, open-source or free APIs are more accessible and flexible, especially for prototyping or small-scale projects. Examples like OpenSky or AviationStack provide basic flight data and can be great for experimentation or building internal tools. But they may have limited data freshness, coverage, or support compared to their commercial counterparts.

What’s been your experience working with either type? Do you think open APIs are catching up in terms of reliability, or is the investment in commercial APIs still worth it?