Flight Deals Notifier

Overview

This project automates the search for cheap round-trip flights from London to various international destinations. It updates a Google Sheet with IATA codes, queries the Amadeus API for flight prices, and sends WhatsApp alerts via Twilio when a flight price drops below your target.

Technologies Used

• Python 3
• Amadeus API (for flight search and IATA codes)
• Sheety API (for Google Sheets integration)
• Twilio API (for WhatsApp notifications)
• dotenv (for environment variable management)

What We Learned

• How to interact with multiple APIs (Amadeus, Sheety, Twilio) in Python.
• Structuring code with classes for maintainability (FlightSearch, FlightData, DataManager, NotificationManager).
• Handling API authentication and token management.
• Parsing and validating API responses.
• Sending WhatsApp messages programmatically.
• Debugging common mistakes (e.g., incorrect parameter formats, missing required fields, handling booleans in JSON, Twilio sandbox setup).

Challenges & Solutions

• Incorrect API Parameter Formats:
  We learned that Amadeus expects nested JSON arrays and booleans, not flat dictionaries or strings. Fixing this required careful reading of the API docs and restructuring requests.
• IATA Code Validation:
  Some sheet rows had invalid or missing IATA codes, causing errors. We added type checks and fallback logic.
• Twilio WhatsApp Sandbox:
  Messages weren't delivered until we joined the Twilio sandbox and used the correct number format.
• Error Handling:
  We added robust error handling for API failures, rate limits, and missing data.

Real World Use Cases

• Travel Agencies: Automate fare monitoring and alert customers to deals.
• Personal Use: Get notified when your dream destination is affordable.
• Market Research: Track price trends for flights.

Future Improvements

• Add support for more origin cities.
• Integrate with email or SMS (not just WhatsApp).
• Store historical price data for analytics.
• Add a web dashboard for easier management.
• Use production Twilio numbers for broader notifications.

How to Run

1. Clone the repo: https://github.com/martialchess/flight_deal_notifier.git
2. Create a .env file with your API keys (see .env.example).
3. Activate your Python virtual environment.
4. Install dependencies:
   pip install -r requirements.txt
5. Run main.py.

License

MIT