American Airlines hack at SXSW produced 15 apps

How long does it take to get to the airport, and where are all those passengers waiting to fly standby?

These things were part of the focus of the AirPing app, which took top honors at a South by Southwest hackathon last weekend that saw American Airlines open its travel API for the first time to outside developers.

More than 60 developers worked to create 15 apps, which also used an AT&T API. They had 30 hours of coding time to create the apps.

Here's American Airlines' descriptions of the winning apps:

First Place – AirPing: Won $10,000 to split amongst the team and 25,000 AAdvantage miles for each member.

AirPing provides users with live updates for flight changes or delays, and estimated travel time to the airport. The app also provides the airlines with real-time information on the whereabouts of its passengers to better determine how many seats can be provided to customers on standby.

Second Place – Mokiico: Won $3,000 to split amongst the team and 25,000 AAdvantage miles for each member.

Mokiico gamifies air travel by giving customers points for completing certain travel activities such as checking in for their flight by a certain time or visiting preferred American Airlines merchants and retailers. Points can be redeemed for rewards, such as American Airlines miles.

Third Place – Round Trip: Won $1,000 to split amongst the team

Round Trip assists travelers from their point of origin to their destination, helping them plan the best route to the airport, obtain weather updates, monitor traffic and even reserve a post-flight rental vehicle. The app also automatically sends alerts to family and friends when the traveler’s destination has been safely reached.

American Airlines previously stated it would review the apps after the hackathon to determine if there were features the company might seek to use.