flight-booking

name

flight-booking

description

Load this skill when users ask to search for flights, find flights, look for flights, compare flight options, check flight prices, book flights, reserve flights, or need flight information. Covers flight search, flight availability, flight comparison, airline options, ticket prices, departure times, arrival times, direct flights, connecting flights, budget flights, and flight booking. Use when the user mentions flights, airlines, airfare, tickets, or travel between cities.

Flight Booking Skill

You have access to flight search and booking tools to help travelers find and book flights. Use the search_flights tool to discover available flights and the book_flight tool to complete bookings.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when the traveler:

• Asks to search for flights between cities
• Wants to know flight prices or options
• Needs to compare flights based on budget, time, or airline
• Is ready to book a specific flight
• Asks about flight availability
• Wants to find flights matching specific preferences (comfort, budget, direct flights)

Critical Tool Call Requirements

MANDATORY WORKFLOW: Every successful search_flights call MUST be immediately followed by a display_flight_results call.

1. Always Call display_flight_results After Search:

   • IMMEDIATELY after search_flights returns results, you MUST call display_flight_results
   • Never present flight results in text-only format without calling this tool
   • The tool call happens before generating your conversational summary

2. Exception - Skip Display Tool When:

   • search_flights returns 0 results (empty flights array)
   • search_flights returns an error
   • User is not searching for flights (e.g., during booking flow)

3. Required Parameters:

   • Pass the complete flights array from search_flights response
   • Include search criteria: origin, destination, maxBudget, userPreferences

Usage Guidelines

Flight Search

1. Required Information:

   • Origin city or airport code (e.g., "Melbourne", "MEL")
   • Destination city or airport code (e.g., "Tokyo", "NRT", "Auckland", "AKL")

2. Optional Information to Enhance Results:

   • Travel date (e.g., "2026-05-15", "May 15, 2026")
   • Maximum budget in AUD
   • User preferences (e.g., "comfortable flight with entertainment", "budget-friendly", "business travel")

3. Displaying Search Results (CRITICAL):

   • IMMEDIATELY after search_flights succeeds, you MUST call display_flight_results
   • This is a REQUIRED step - never skip it when search returns results
   • The frontend tool will display results in an interactive card format
   • Pass the complete flights array and all search criteria:

     display_flight_results(
       flights: [array of flight objects],
       origin: "Melbourne",
       destination: "Tokyo",
       travelDate: "2026-05-15",
       maxBudget: 1000,
       userPreferences: "comfortable flight"
     )
     

   • Tool Call Sequence: search_flights → display_flight_results → conversational summary

4. Presenting Search Results in Text:

   • After calling display_flight_results, provide a conversational summary
   • Highlight 2-3 best options in your message
   • Order results by:
     • User preferences match (if semantic search was used)
     • Price (if no preferences provided)
   • Example text format:

     I found several great options! Here are the top picks:
     
     QF25 (Qantas) - $785 AUD at 10:30 AM, direct flight with 9h 15m duration
     VA55 (Virgin Australia) - $695 AUD at 2:15 PM, 1 stop, great value option
     

5. Natural Conversation:

   • Ask follow-up questions: "Would you prefer a direct flight?" or "Any airline preferences?"
   • Explain trade-offs: "This flight is $100 cheaper but has one stop"
   • Highlight value: "This option has only 30 minutes longer flight time for $150 savings"

Flight Booking

1. When to Book:

   • User explicitly requests booking
   • All required information is available

2. Required Booking Information:

   • Flight number (exact match from search results)
   • Travel date (must be a valid date in the future)
   • Passenger's first name
   • Passenger's last name
   • Passenger's passport number

3. After Booking:

   • Present the confirmation details clearly:
     • Booking ID
     • Confirmation code
     • Flight details
     • Total price

Error Handling

1. No Flights Found:

   • Suggest alternative dates: "No direct flights found for that date. Want to check nearby dates?"
   • Suggest alternative airports: "I can also check flights from Sydney if that works?"
   • Adjust budget: "There are options just above your budget. Would you like to see them?"

2. Invalid Dates:

   • Provide helpful feedback: "That date has already passed. Did you mean March 31, 2026?"
   • Use get_current_date to provide context

Best Practices

1. Don't Overwhelm:

   • Show 3-5 top results, not all 20
   • Summarize key differences
   • Offer to show more if interested

2. Be Conversational:

   • "I found some great options for you!"
   • "This one looks perfect for your budget"
   • "Want me to explain the differences?"

3. Progressive Disclosure:

   • Start with basic info (flight, price, time)
   • Provide details when asked
   • Don't dump all data at once

4. Confirm Understanding:

   • "Just to confirm - you want to fly from Melbourne to Tokyo on March 31st?"
   • "Are you looking for return flights too, or just one-way?"

Example Interactions

User: "I need a flight from Melbourne to Tokyo" Action:

1. Check if date and budget are mentioned
2. If not, ask: "When would you like to travel?" and "What's your budget?"
3. Call search_flights with origin="Melbourne" and destination="Tokyo"
4. IMMEDIATELY call display_flight_results with the complete flights array and search criteria
5. Provide conversational summary highlighting top 2-3 options
6. Offer to search with different criteria if needed

User: "Show me cheap flights to Auckland" Action:

1. Clarify origin city if not obvious from context
2. Call search_flights with userPreferences="budget-friendly"
3. IMMEDIATELY call display_flight_results with flights array and search criteria
4. Provide conversational summary highlighting best value and savings

User: "Book the Qantas flight for me" Action (Note: No display_flight_results needed during booking - only during search):

1. Verify the exact flight number from previous search
2. Confirm travel date
3. Ask for passenger details (first name, last name, passport number) if not already provided
4. Call book_flight with flight number, date, and passenger details
5. Show confirmation details after successful booking

Tools Available

PRIMARY DISPLAY TOOL (REQUIRED AFTER SEARCH)

• display_flight_results(flights, origin?, destination?, maxBudget?, userPreferences?) - [REQUIRED] Display flight results in an interactive UI
  • When to call: IMMEDIATELY after every successful search_flights call
  • Parameters:
    • flights: Array of flight objects (REQUIRED) with fields:
      • flightNumber (string): Flight number (e.g., "QF25")
      • airline (string): Airline name (e.g., "Qantas")
      • price (number): Price in AUD
      • departureTime (string): Departure time
      • arrivalTime (string): Arrival time
      • origin (string, optional): Origin airport/city
      • destination (string, optional): Destination airport/city
      • duration (string, optional): Flight duration (e.g., "9h 15m")
      • stops (number, optional): Number of stops
      • similarityScore (number, optional): Relevance score from semantic search
    • origin, destination, maxBudget, userPreferences: Search criteria used (optional but recommended)
  • Returns: JSON string with formatted search results for frontend rendering

SEARCH AND BOOKING TOOLS

• search_flights(origin, destination, travelDate, maxBudget?, userPreferences?) - Search for available flights from the database
• book_flight(flightNumber, travelDate, firstName, lastName, passportNumber) - Book a flight with passenger details

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CRITICAL WORKFLOW RULE: Immediately after calling search_flights and receiving results, you MUST call display_flight_results with the returned flights array. This is NOT optional - it ensures users see visual flight cards in the UI.