Step 1: Create the alert endpoint

After adding your API Key, your next step is to ensure your alert has an endpoint. An alert will not successfully be sent if it does not have a defined place to be sent to. For security reasons, we recommend using URLs that use https. If you have already created an alert without designating an endpoint, then you can use put /alerts/{id} to collectively add your target URL to your current alerts. If your endpoint was accepted, then you will receive a response status with a 200 code. If you receive a 400 code or an "unconnected" message, then your endpoint was not accepted. An error has occurred with your endpoint. Try editing your URL or using another one.

Step 2: Creating the alert

When creating your alert, you will see the following example displayed:

{
 "ident": "string",
 "origin": "string",
 "destination": "string",
 "aircraft_type": "string",
 "start": "1970-01-01",
 "end": "1970-01-01",
 "max_weekly": 0,
 "eta": 0,
 "impending_arrival": [
   5,
   10,
   15
 ],
 "impending_departure": [
   5,
   10,
   15
 ],
 "events": {
   "arrival": false,
   "cancelled": false,
   "departure": false,
   "diverted": false,
   "filed": false,
   "out": false,
   "off": false,
   "on": false,
   "in": false,
   "hold_start": false,
   "hold_end": false
 },
 "target_url": "string"
}

By selecting 'Schema', you will see a description of each parameter available. An asterisk, *, denotes that the field is optional. You can leave it blank or choose to delete it.

Go back to the 'Example' screen to input your parameters. The following are some things to pay attention to while creating your alert.

• We recommend creating your alert 1-2 days prior to when you want to begin receiving alerts. An end date is not necessary since you can delete the alert when you no longer have a need for it.

• Max Weekly: this is the maximum number of alerts you want to receive. The less defined the parameters are, then the higher the max weekly number will be. Your max weekly number should reflect this. If the number is too small, then you will receive an error message stating so. Simply increase the number or add more parameters. By default, the max weekly is set to 1,000 for Standard subscriptions and 4,000 for Premium subscriptions.

  

• ETA and Impending Arrival are the same thing. You can only set one at a time. If both fields have a value, then you will receive an error message informing you to fix the error.
• Alert settings can be set in 5 minute increments, i.e. 5, 10, 15, 20, etc.
• Adding true next to inflight events will notify you when the specified event has occurred.
• Don't forget to add your target URL at the end of your alert. put /alerts/{id} only works for alerts that have already been created.

When finished, your alert should look like the following:

{
  "ident": null,
  "ident_icao": null,
  "ident_iata": null,
  "origin": "KATL",
  "origin_icao": "KATL",
  "origin_iata": "ATL",
  "origin_lid": "ATL",
  "destination": "KJFK",
  "destination_icao": "KJFK",
  "destination_iata": "JFK",
  "destination_lid": "JFK",
  "aircraft_type": "A320",
  "created": "2025-07-09T20:55:00Z",
  "changed": "2025-07-10T13:55:03Z",
  "start": "2025-07-11",
  "end": null,
  "user_ident": null,
  "impending_arrival": [
    30
  ],
  "impending_departure": [
    5
  ],
  "events": {
    "arrival": true,
    "cancelled": false,
    "departure": true,
    "diverted": false,
    "filed": false,
    "out": false,
    "in": false,
    "off": true,
    "on": true,
    "hold_start": false,
    "hold_end": false
  },
  "target_url": "https://sites.google.com/view/apitestalert"
}

Step 3: Try your alert

A successfully created alert will display a status code of 200.

If an error was detected, then you will receive a status code of 400 followed by the reason it was not accepted.

Remember that you can use Notifications to check the status of recently delivered alerts and Flight XML to generate test messages.

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