Award Calendar

curl -s -H "Partner-Authorization: $SEATS_AERO_API_KEY" \
  "https://seats.aero/partnerapi/search?origin_airport={ORIGIN}&destination_airport={DEST}&start_date={START}&end_date={END}&cabin={CABIN}"

Parameters:

• origin_airport: Can be comma-delimited for nearby airports (e.g., SFO,SJC,OAK)
• destination_airport: Same. Use multiple for metro areas (e.g., NRT,HND for Tokyo)
• start_date, end_date: YYYY-MM-DD. Keep range under 60 days for best results.
• cabin: Optional filter. economy, premium, business, first. Omit for all cabins.
• order_by: Use lowest_mileage to get cheapest first.
• take: Set to 1000 to get all results in one page.

For ranges over 60 days, split into two queries and combine results.

Step 2: Group by Date

Process the API response:

For each availability object:
  date = result.Date
  cabin = which cabin(s) are available (Y/W/J/F)
  For each available cabin:
    cost = result.{cabin}MileageCost
    program = result.Source
    Track: cheapest cost per date per cabin across all programs

Step 3: Apply Transfer Partner Optimization

For each cheapest-per-date result, calculate the effective cost in transferable currencies using data/transfer-partners.json:

For date 2026-09-05, cheapest business = 55,000 via Flying Blue:
  Chase UR: 55,000 / 1.0 = 55,000 UR
  Amex MR: 55,000 / 1.0 = 55,000 MR
  Bilt: 55,000 / 1.0 = 55,000 Bilt

Step 4: Present Calendar Grid

Always use markdown tables. One table per cabin class requested.

Business Class: SFO → NRT, September 2026

*CPP calculated against cheapest cash fare from Duffel/Ignav if available, otherwise estimated.

⭐ = Best deal of the month

Summary:

• Best date: Sep 3 via Virgin Atlantic → ANA at 52,500 miles (8.0 cpp)
• Runner-up: Sep 5 via Flying Blue at 55,000 miles
• Worst week: Sep 10-14 (no business availability most days)
• Cheapest economy: Sep 12 at 25,000 United miles

Step 5: Additional Context

After the grid, include:

1. Freshness warning: "Data from seats.aero cached search. Last seen times vary. Verify before transferring points."
2. Transfer advice: "Don't transfer until you've confirmed the specific flight exists on the airline's website."
3. Cash comparison: If a cash price was fetched (from Duffel/Ignav), show the CPP for context.
4. Booking links: For the top 3 dates, mention how to book (e.g., "Book via Virgin Atlantic website, call to hold").
5. Release date note: If searching far out, mention which airlines may not have released space yet (use seats.aero release date tool).

Error Handling

NEVER fail silently.

- ❌ Seats.aero: API error (rate limit). Try again in a few minutes.
- ⚠️ Seats.aero: Only 12 results for 30-day range. Some dates may have uncached availability. Try live search for specific dates of interest.
- ℹ️ No business availability found for any date. Showing economy and premium economy instead.

If zero results come back for the entire range, say so explicitly and suggest:

1. Widening the airport search (add nearby airports)
2. Checking a different month
3. Looking at different cabins
4. Using the seats.aero live search for specific dates (local Patchright only)

Limitations

• Cached data only. Results may be 1-48 hours old. Live search (via seats-aero-web) is more current but Bobby-local only.
• 60-day query limit. Split longer ranges into multiple queries.
• No round-trip optimization. Shows one-way availability. For round-trip, run two calendar searches (outbound and return).
• No cash price calendar. This is award-only. For cash date flexibility, use Google Flights "Date grid" view.
• Phantom availability. Some results may not actually be bookable. Always verify.