Airport Selection and Management

Airport Selection and Management

Airport selection is one of the most important configurations for your Flight Display. This article explains how to add, manage, and organize airports.

Airport Limits by Subscription Plan

Plan Overview

Basic Plan (€69/month):

Pro Plan (€149/month):

Premium Plan (€199/month):

Upgrade: Available at any time in the Billing section

Adding an Airport

Step-by-Step Guide

- Log in

- Click on "Settings" in the navigation

- Scroll to "Airport Codes"

- 12 pre-loaded European airports

- Click on an airport button

- Airport is added to your list

- Enter a 3-letter code (e.g., "JFK")

- Click "Add" or press Enter

- Code is validated and added

- Click "Save Settings"

- Changes take effect immediately

- Display shows new airports after refresh

Pre-loaded Airports (Europe)

Austria:

Germany:

Switzerland:

Others:

Tip: These airports are pre-loaded for quick selection. You can add any IATA code worldwide!

Understanding IATA Codes

What is an IATA Code?

Definition:

Examples:

VIE = Vienna International Airport
JFK = John F. Kennedy International Airport
LHR = London Heathrow Airport
DXB = Dubai International Airport
SYD = Sydney Airport

Finding an IATA Code

Method 1: Wikipedia

1. Open Wikipedia
2. Search for "[Airport Name]"
3. IATA code is in the infobox on the right

Method 2: IATA Search

1. Open https://www.iata.org/en/publications/directories/code-search/
2. Search for airport name or city
3. Copy the 3-letter code

Method 3: Google

Search: "[Airport Name] IATA code"
Example: "Salzburg Airport IATA code"
Result: SZG

Method 4: AirportCodes.io

1. Open https://www.airportcodes.io/
2. Enter airport name or city
3. Select the correct airport
4. IATA code is displayed

Managing Airports

Changing Order

Important: The first airport in your list is the primary airport.

Primary Airport:

Changing Order:

1. Remove all airports
2. Add them in desired order
3. First added = Primary

Example:

Hotel is closer to MUC than VIE:
1. Add MUC (becomes Primary)
2. Add VIE (becomes Secondary)
3. Save

Removing an Airport

- In your list of selected airports

- Displayed as chips/pills with X button

- Click the X next to the airport code

- Airport is immediately removed from the list

- Click "Save Settings"

- Changes take effect

Warning: If you remove your only/last airport, the display cannot show any flight data!

Replacing All Airports

Scenario: Hotel changes location or focus

Process:

1. Remove all current airports
2. Add new airports
3. Save
4. Display shows new airports after refresh

Multi-Airport Display

Pro & Premium: Multiple Airports

Pro Plan (3 Airports):

Example: Hotel Schwechat Plaza
1. VIE - Vienna (primary, 5 km)
2. BTS - Bratislava (30 km)
3. BRQ - Brno (120 km)

Premium Plan (Unlimited):

Example: Hotel chain in Central Europe
1. VIE - Vienna
2. MUC - Munich
3. PRG - Prague
4. BUD - Budapest
5. ZRH - Zurich
... and more

Display Behavior with Multiple Airports

Default Mode:

Rotation (Optional):

Info: Rotation feature is optional and can be enabled/disabled in Display Behavior.

Airport Selection Best Practices

1. Relevance

Choose Airports Based On:

Example:

Hotel 10 km from VIE, 100 km from MUC:
✅ Primary: VIE (closer, more relevant)
✅ Secondary: MUC (if guests use it)
❌ Not: Airports in other countries without relevance

2. Guest Information

Inform Guests About:

Example Signage:

"Live Flight Information
Vienna Airport (VIE) - 8 km
Munich Airport (MUC) - 120 km
Updated every 5 minutes"

3. Testing

After Airport Change:

1. Save settings
2. Open display preview
3. Wait 5 minutes (or press F5)
4. Check that correct airports appear
5. Test Departures AND Arrivals

Upgrade Scenarios

From Basic to Pro

Scenario: You need more than 1 airport

Process:

1. Go to "Billing" in the portal
2. Click "Manage Subscription"
3. Select "Pro Plan"
4. Confirm upgrade
5. Return to "Settings"
6. Add up to 3 airports

Cost: Pro-rated billing, available immediately

From Pro to Premium

Scenario: You need more than 3 airports

Process: Same as above, select "Premium Plan"

Benefit: Unlimited airports + additional Premium features

Limit Reached

What Happens?:

Example Message:

⚠️ Airport limit reached
You can add up to 3 airports on the Pro plan.
Upgrade to Premium for unlimited airports.
[Upgrade to Premium]

Technical Details

Flight Data API

How Flight Data is Retrieved:

1. LobbyFlight calls AviationStack API
2. Filters by your selected airports
3. Caches data for 5 minutes (faster, cheaper)
4. Display shows data
5. Auto-refresh based on subscription tier

Cache Sharing:

Validation

IATA Code Validation:

✅ Exactly 3 letters
✅ Only A-Z (no numbers/special characters)
✅ Case-insensitive (converted to uppercase)
✅ Existence not verified (you can enter invalid code)

Why Existence Not Verified?:

Data Availability

Not All Airports Available:

Check Before Selection:

1. Open https://aviationstack.com/airports
2. Search for your airport
3. If found: IATA code available ✅
4. If not found: No data available ❌

Popular Airports: Almost all international airports are available (VIE, MUC, FRA, JFK, LHR, etc.)

Troubleshooting

"Airport code not found"

Problem: Airport shows no data

Possible Causes:

Solution:

1. Verify IATA code on Wikipedia
2. Test with a known airport (e.g., VIE)
3. Wait 10 minutes and try again
4. Contact support for persistent issues

"No flights available"

Problem: Display shows "No flights scheduled"

Possible Causes:

Solution:

Not a bug! Simply no flights at this time.
- Check official airport website
- Wait for busier times
- Consider adding a second airport

Cannot Add Airport

Problem: "Add" button doesn't work

Solution:

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I add the same airport multiple times?

No, each airport only once. Duplicates are automatically prevented.

Are airports sorted alphabetically?

No, order is as you add them. First = Primary.

Can I switch airports based on time?

Not automatically. But you can enable rotation (switches between airports).

Does the display show international and domestic flights?

Yes, all departures and arrivals from the selected airport.

Can I filter by specific airlines?

Not currently. Display shows all flights from the airport.

How many flights are displayed?

Maximum 12 flights at a time (next chronologically).

Next Steps

After airport selection:

Support

Questions about airport selection?