FlightAware API v3 Local Date Issue

FlightAware AeroAPI
1

We use your FlightInfoStatus end point daily to get, among other things, the scheduled local departure time. This is critical to our system, but is causing us some issues.

We have had challenges over the last year where the localtime attribute in the filed / estimated or actual block out time is still local.

An example is faFlightID IBE6118-1582868769-airline-0132 , where all times and timestamps are GMT, whereas the origin (Miami) is GMT-05h00 and destination (Madrid) is GMT+01h00. The result makes it impossible to automatically get the local date of scheduled departure.

Please can you advise how we can rectify this in the response alternatively provide a workaround accordingly?

2

The result from this seems fine to me: https://flightxml.flightaware.com/json/FlightXML3/FlightInfoStatus?ident=IBE6118-1582868769-airline-0132

{
"FlightInfoStatusResult": {
    "next_offset": -1,
    "flights": [
        {
            "ident": "IBE6118",
            "faFlightID": "IBE6118-1582868769-airline-0132",
            "airline": "IBE",
            "airline_iata": "IB",
            "flightnumber": "6118",
            "tailnumber": "EC-LZX",
            "type": "Form_Airline",
            "codeshares": "AAL8636,BAW7260,FIN5642",
            "blocked": false,
            "diverted": false,
            "cancelled": false,
            "origin": {
                "code": "KMIA",
                "city": "Miami, FL",
                "alternate_ident": "MIA",
                "airport_name": "Miami Intl"
            },
            "destination": {
                "code": "LEMD",
                "city": "Madrid",
                "alternate_ident": "MAD",
                "airport_name": "Barajas Int'l"
            },
            "filed_ete": 26700,
            "route": "SAVON M327 JIMAC BALOO 3500N/06000W 3900N/05000W 4200N/04000W 4300N/03000W 4300N/02000W ARMED EPOPO ADORO UL155 ZMR",
            "filed_altitude": 360,
            "display_filed_altitude": "36,000 feet",
            "filed_airspeed_kts": 460,
            "distance_filed": 4451,
            "filed_departure_time": {
                "epoch": 1583120700,
                "tz": "EST",
                "dow": "Sunday",
                "time": "10:45PM",
                "date": "03/01/2020",
                "localtime": 1583102700
            },
            "estimated_departure_time": {
                "epoch": 1583123304,
                "tz": "EST",
                "dow": "Sunday",
                "time": "11:28PM",
                "date": "03/01/2020",
                "localtime": 1583105304
            },
            "actual_departure_time": {
                "epoch": 1583123304,
                "tz": "EST",
                "dow": "Sunday",
                "time": "11:28PM",
                "date": "03/01/2020",
                "localtime": 1583105304
            },
            "departure_delay": 2400,
            "filed_arrival_time": {
                "epoch": 1583147400,
                "tz": "CET",
                "dow": "Monday",
                "time": "12:10PM",
                "date": "03/02/2020",
                "localtime": 1583151000
            },
            "estimated_arrival_time": {
                "epoch": 1583149920,
                "tz": "CET",
                "dow": "Monday",
                "time": "12:52PM",
                "date": "03/02/2020",
                "localtime": 1583153520
            },
            "actual_arrival_time": {
                "epoch": 1583149920,
                "tz": "CET",
                "dow": "Monday",
                "time": "12:52PM",
                "date": "03/02/2020",
                "localtime": 1583153520
            },
            "arrival_delay": -600,
            "status": "Arrived / Gate Arrival",
            "progress_percent": 100,
            "aircrafttype": "A333",
            "full_aircrafttype": "A333",
            "inbound_faFlightID": "IBE6117-1582868769-airline-0012",
            "adhoc": false
        }
    ]
}
}

Those times match with our website: https://flightaware.com/live/flight/IBE6118/history/20200302/0345Z/KMIA/LEMD

And the timezones are properly shown as EST and CET. Additionally the “localtime” elements are different from the “epoch” values in all cases.

3

Hi @bovineone,

Thanks for this. Please see the capture of data provided in our request, which in our instance we pass include_ex_data=true to get all the information needed. The timezones are all in GMT:

{
  "FlightInfoStatusResult": {
    "next_offset": -1,
    "flights": [
      {
        "ident": "IBE6118",
        "faFlightID": "IBE6118-1582868769-airline-0132",
        "airline": "IBE",
        "airline_iata": "IB",
        "flightnumber": "6118",
        "tailnumber": "EC-LZX",
        "type": "Form_Airline",
        "codeshares": "AAL8636,BAW7260,FIN5642",
        "blocked": false,
        "diverted": false,
        "cancelled": false,
        "origin": {
          "code": "KMIA",
          "city": "Miami, FL",
          "alternate_ident": "MIA",
          "airport_name": "Miami Intl"
        },
        "destination": {
          "code": "LEMD",
          "city": "Madrid",
          "alternate_ident": "MAD",
          "airport_name": "Barajas Int'l"
        },
        "filed_ete": 26700,
        "route": "SAVON M327 JIMAC BALOO 3500N/06000W 3900N/05000W 4200N/04000W 4300N/03000W 4300N/02000W ARMED EPOPO ADORO UL155 ZMR",
        "filed_altitude": 360,
        "display_filed_altitude": "36,000 feet",
        "filed_airspeed_kts": 460,
        "distance_filed": 4451,
        "filed_departure_time": {
          "epoch": 1583120700,
          "tz": "GMT",
          "dow": "Monday",
          "time": "03:45",
          "date": "02/03/2020",
          "localtime": 1583120700
        },
        "estimated_departure_time": {
          "epoch": 1583123304,
          "tz": "GMT",
          "dow": "Monday",
          "time": "04:28",
          "date": "02/03/2020",
          "localtime": 1583123304
        },
        "actual_departure_time": {
          "epoch": 1583123304,
          "tz": "GMT",
          "dow": "Monday",
          "time": "04:28",
          "date": "02/03/2020",
          "localtime": 1583123304
        },
        "departure_delay": 2400,
        "filed_arrival_time": {
          "epoch": 1583147400,
          "tz": "GMT",
          "dow": "Monday",
          "time": "11:10",
          "date": "02/03/2020",
          "localtime": 1583147400
        },
        "estimated_arrival_time": {
          "epoch": 1583149920,
          "tz": "GMT",
          "dow": "Monday",
          "time": "11:52",
          "date": "02/03/2020",
          "localtime": 1583149920
        },
        "actual_arrival_time": {
          "epoch": 1583149920,
          "tz": "GMT",
          "dow": "Monday",
          "time": "11:52",
          "date": "02/03/2020",
          "localtime": 1583149920
        },
        "arrival_delay": -600,
        "filed_blockout_time": {
          "epoch": 1583120100,
          "tz": "GMT",
          "dow": "Monday",
          "time": "03:35",
          "date": "02/03/2020",
          "localtime": 1583120100
        },
        "estimated_blockout_time": {
          "epoch": 1583120100,
          "tz": "GMT",
          "dow": "Monday",
          "time": "03:35",
          "date": "02/03/2020",
          "localtime": 1583120100
        },
        "actual_blockout_time": {
          "epoch": 1583122500,
          "tz": "GMT",
          "dow": "Monday",
          "time": "04:15",
          "date": "02/03/2020",
          "localtime": 1583122500
        },
        "filed_blockin_time": {
          "epoch": 1583151000,
          "tz": "GMT",
          "dow": "Monday",
          "time": "12:10",
          "date": "02/03/2020",
          "localtime": 1583151000
        },
        "estimated_blockin_time": {
          "epoch": 1583150280,
          "tz": "GMT",
          "dow": "Monday",
          "time": "11:58",
          "date": "02/03/2020",
          "localtime": 1583150280
        },
        "actual_blockin_time": {
          "epoch": 1583150400,
          "tz": "GMT",
          "dow": "Monday",
          "time": "12:00",
          "date": "02/03/2020",
          "localtime": 1583150400
        },
        "status": "Arrived / Gate Arrival",
        "progress_percent": 100,
        "aircrafttype": "A333",
        "full_aircrafttype": "A333",
        "terminal_dest": "4S",
        "gate_orig": "E21",
        "bag_claim": "8",
        "inbound_faFlightID": "IBE6117-1582868769-airline-0012",
        "adhoc": false
      }
    ]
  }
}

Please advise. Even just passing the tail, we get the GMT only for this flight identity.

4

We believe we have found the issue. It seems that modifying your display preferences on the front end also affects the API calls. I have advised the team to leave the account as “Display in local timezone”.

image
image1147×321 26.2 KB

5

Yes, that account preference setting will intentionally alter the behavior of the “localtime” attribute. It is recommended that it be left in the “display flights in flight’s time zone” setting.

1 Like