Building a flight management system requires robust search capabilities. In my MERN stack project, I implemented a scalable flight search module using Express.js and the Amadeus API. Here’s a breakdown of the key features:

1. Secure Endpoints
All routes use authenticateWithRefresh middleware to validate JWT tokens, ensuring only authenticated users can access flight data.

2. Flexible Flight Search
The /search endpoint accepts 10+ parameters:

router.get('/search', authenticateWithRefresh, async (req, res) => {
  // Parameters: origin, destination, dates, passengers, class, etc.
  if (!origin || !destination || !departureDate) {
    return res.status(400).json({ message: 'Required fields missing' });
  }
  // ... Amadeus API call
});

Key features:

• Dynamic query building (optional params like maxPrice or nonStop)
• Automatic currency defaulting to USD
• Clean error handling for API failures

3. Airport Autocomplete
The /airports endpoint provides IATA code-based search with lightweight responses:

const airports = response.data.map(airport => ({
  iataCode: airport.iataCode,
  name: airport.name,
  city: airport.address.cityName 
}));

4. Best Deals Optimization
The /best-deals endpoint extends the search with budget-focused parameters like duration and maxPrice.

Lessons Learned:

• Third-party API integration requires careful parameter validation
• Normalizing API responses improves frontend consistency
• Middleware centralizes authentication logic effectively

This implementation balances flexibility with maintainability. I am thinking of adding caching for frequent routes and pagination, but I’m maybe overthinking it.

Next step: frontend UI for the search module.

View the full code on GitHub/Link!