Blue Sky Booking is an airline reservation, operations and revenue management system serving carriers since 2001, with distribution through GDS ticketing, direct connect and API links to travel agents, online travel agencies (OTAs), aggregators and metasearch. Its base skews toward regional and specialty air services, including seaplane and helicopter operators such as Harbour Air Seaplanes and Helijet, where scenic and charter flights are sold as sightseeing product.
Connecting Blue Sky Booking to Ventrata lets you resell products from operators that use Blue Sky Booking as their booking system. Ventrata reads their live availability from Blue Sky Booking, and every booking you take is created directly in the operator's Blue Sky Booking account.
To learn more about Blue Sky Booking, visit blueskybooking.com.
Primary website | |
Tags | Booking / Ticketing System |
Connection features | Availability Sync · Bookings Sync |
Developed by | Ventrata (using Viator Supplier API) |
This operator connection (also called a backend) lets you resell products from operators that use Blue Sky Booking as their primary booking system, with every booking created directly in Blue Sky Booking. Features of this connection include:
Availability Sync – live availability comes from the operator's Blue Sky Booking account.
Bookings Sync – bookings post from Ventrata to Blue Sky Booking, and Blue Sky Booking issues the tickets or vouchers.
Blue Sky Booking's external API used for this connection is a custom API that does not follow the OCTO API standard, which may limit certain functionality and capabilities.
Creating the Blue Sky Booking Connection
🔐 Required Role Permissions: See Operators, Modify Operators, See Products, Modify Products
Before you begin:
You must have a commercial agreement with the operator for their rates and terms.
You must have the API key for the operator. See the steps below.
You must recreate the operator's products in Ventrata. See how to create products. The connection syncs availability, pricing and bookings, but doesn't create products in Ventrata.
Step 1: Configure the Operator in Ventrata
Ask the operator for the API key for your account.
In the Ventrata Dashboard, go to Products → Operators and open the operator. If they don't exist yet, create them as an operator first.
In the Backend Partner section, select Blue Sky Booking and enter the API key.
Press Update Operator.
Step 2: Connect Each Product
Open the operator's product in Products → Products and edit it. Check that Operator is set to this operator.
Tick Backend Connected. Tick Backend Availability to use availability from Blue Sky Booking.
Press Update Product.
Mapping Products to Blue Sky Booking
‼️ IMPORTANT
Mapping tells Ventrata which Blue Sky Booking product, option and units to check availability for and book. If a backend-connected product isn't mapped correctly, its bookings fail. A red highlight across the product row shows an incorrectly mapped product.
In the Ventrata Dashboard, go to Products → Products and open the product.
Open the Mappings tab. It appears once the product is set to Backend Connected.
For each Ventrata option and unit, select the matching Blue Sky Booking product, option and units from the dropdowns, which Ventrata loads from Blue Sky Booking. Don't leave any field empty.
Press Save Changes.
📗 TIP
Make a test booking after mapping, and ask the operator to confirm it arrived in their Blue Sky Booking account.
Managing the Blue Sky Booking Connection
Update the mapping when the operator changes products, options or units in Blue Sky Booking.
Replace the key on the operator if Blue Sky Booking or the operator issues a new one.
Switch Backend Availability or Backend Pricing off on a product to use Ventrata's own availability or prices instead. Bookings still post to Blue Sky Booking.
Connection Features Detailed
This section is for anyone who wants to know exactly how the Blue Sky Booking connection works. Here the direction is the opposite of a reseller connection: Ventrata calls Blue Sky Booking, using Viator Supplier API. For each feature, it explains which calls Ventrata makes, when, and what that means for you.
In short: Ventrata asks Blue Sky Booking for availability whenever someone looks at a backend-connected product, and creates every booking in the operator's Blue Sky Booking account. Blue Sky Booking doesn't send changes back to Ventrata.
Timings are typical for Blue Sky Booking and rounded, and they can change.
Product Mapping | ✅ |
You map each Ventrata product, option and unit to the operator's Blue Sky Booking product in the Ventrata Dashboard. This works as follows:
What this means for you: if something is missing from the dropdown, the operator hasn't made it available to you in Blue Sky Booking. Ask them to. |
Content Sync | ❌ |
Ventrata doesn't import product content from Blue Sky Booking. Ventrata doesn't import product content from Blue Sky Booking. You create and describe the products in Ventrata yourself. |
Availability Sync | ✅ |
With Backend Availability on, Ventrata checks the operator's live availability in Blue Sky Booking. This works as follows:
What this means for you: customers book against the operator's live Blue Sky Booking availability, so you can't oversell a slot the operator has already sold elsewhere. |
Pricing Sync | ❌ |
Ventrata doesn't read prices from Blue Sky Booking. Ventrata doesn't read prices from Blue Sky Booking. Products use the prices you set in Ventrata, and bookings still post to Blue Sky Booking. |
Promotions Sync | ❌ |
Promotions aren't sent to Blue Sky Booking. Promotions aren't sent to Blue Sky Booking. Your Ventrata promotions still apply to the price your customer pays in Ventrata. |
Bookings Sync | ✅ |
Bookings made in Ventrata for a backend-connected product are created in the operator's Blue Sky Booking account. This works as follows:
‼️ IMPORTANT – Bookings sync one way, from Ventrata to Blue Sky Booking. If the operator changes or cancels a booking in Blue Sky Booking, Ventrata isn't notified. Ask the operator to tell you about any changes they make. |
Pickups/Dropoff Sync | ❌ |
Pickup and drop-off details aren't passed to Blue Sky Booking. Pickup and drop-off details aren't passed to Blue Sky Booking. Share them with the operator another way if a product needs them. |
Custom Questions Sync | ❌ |
Answers to your booking questions aren't passed to Blue Sky Booking. Answers to your booking questions aren't passed to Blue Sky Booking. Share them with the operator another way if they need them. |
Extras Sync | ❌ |
Extras and add-ons aren't booked in Blue Sky Booking. Extras and add-ons aren't booked in Blue Sky Booking. Only the main product, option and units are. |
Redemption Sync | ❌ |
Redemptions and other status changes in Blue Sky Booking aren't sent back to Ventrata after a booking is confirmed. Redemptions and other status changes in Blue Sky Booking aren't sent back to Ventrata after a booking is confirmed. |
Pass Walkup Scanning Sync | ❌ |
Pass walk-up scanning isn't available with Blue Sky Booking. Pass walk-up scanning isn't available with Blue Sky Booking. |
Gift Card Sync | ❌ |
Ventrata gift cards aren't passed to Blue Sky Booking. Ventrata gift cards aren't passed to Blue Sky Booking. Gift card payments stay in Ventrata. |
✅ supported · ❌ not supported
Good to know: limits and details of the Blue Sky Booking connection
Good to know: limits and details of the Blue Sky Booking connection
Live availability: availability comes from Blue Sky Booking as people browse.
One-way bookings: changes the operator makes in Blue Sky Booking don't reach Ventrata.
Custom API: Blue Sky Booking's API isn't OCTO, so some features may be limited compared with OCTO backends.
FAQs
I get an error when I save the operator's backend configuration.
I get an error when I save the operator's backend configuration.
The API key or endpoint is most likely incorrect. Check them with your operator. If the issue persists, contact our Technical Support.
There's no Backend Connected box in the product settings.
There's no Backend Connected box in the product settings.
The operator set on the product most likely doesn't have a backend configured. Check the operator's Backend Partner settings and try again. If the issue persists, contact our Technical Support.
The product, option or unit I want to map isn't in the dropdown.
The product, option or unit I want to map isn't in the dropdown.
The dropdowns list what the operator has made available to you in Blue Sky Booking. Ask the operator. If the issue persists, contact our Technical Support.
Bookings fail for a backend-connected product.
Bookings fail for a backend-connected product.
Check the product's mapping first: every option and unit must be mapped. Then check that the slot is still available in Blue Sky Booking. If the issue persists, contact our Technical Support.
Useful Resources
📚 More about Ventrata connections
Partner Information
Blue Sky Booking
Ventrata Partner ID: a470a228-02d7-4957-9564-45cd73047b39