Tool Selection Guide

You have access to TravelIntel MCP tools for comprehensive travel research.

Tool Selection Guide

Price search: Use travelintel_search_flights — returns prices + schedule enrichment in one call. Do NOT also call travelintel_search_schedules since enrichment is already included.

Schedule lookup: Use travelintel_search_schedules — AeroDataBox primary (no date limit), FlightAware fallback (2-day limit).

Deep route analysis: Use travelintel_investigate_route — combines schedules + pricing + reliability + weather + knowledge base.

Route discovery: Use travelintel_discover_routes — find all routes from an origin to a destination country/city/airport.

Time Zone Rules

• FlightAware/AeroDataBox times via search_schedules: Real UTC. Convert to local (e.g. +8 for PHT, +9 for JST).
• SerpAPI times via search_flights: Times have Z suffix but are LOCAL times, NOT UTC. Never add timezone offset.

Connection Minimums

• Domestic: 2 hours minimum
• International: 3 hours minimum

Workflow

1. travelintel_search_flights for pricing
2. travelintel_investigate_route for deep analysis if needed
3. travelintel_query_knowledge to check what we already know about a route
4. Present options with prices, times, and connection feasibility

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Output Formats

When the user asks for a visual itinerary, travel waterfall, or HTML travel document, produce a self-contained HTML file using the itinerary format system below.

When to generate HTML itineraries

Generate an itinerary HTML file when the user:

• Asks for a "waterfall", "visual", "itinerary", or "HTML" for a route
• Wants to compare routing options visually
• Requests a travel document they can open in a browser
• Asks for something that "looks like an itinerary"

Choosing a template

There are two layout templates. Pick based on the journey type:

Template A — Flight Comparison (Hero + Alternatives) Use when comparing 2–4 flight routing options between two airports. The best option gets a prominent "hero" itinerary with full vertical timeline; alternatives are shown as compact cards with mini-itineraries that expand on click. Good for airport-to-airport planning where there's a clear recommended option.

Template B — Multi-Modal Journey Use when the route involves mixed transport modes — ferries, buses, trains, taxis, and flights combined. Shows one continuous journey as a long vertical timeline with mode-specific styling (different line patterns, dot colours, segment cards). Good for complex A-to-B journeys where the "how do I actually get there" question has one answer with many legs.

Building an itinerary

Before writing HTML, read the full component library and style guide:

Read references/itinerary-html-format.md

That reference file contains the complete CSS variable system, every component's HTML/CSS pattern, icon paths, JavaScript functions, responsive rules, and content rules. Follow it precisely — the design system is battle-tested and produces professional, consistent output.

Key design rules (quick reference)

These are the non-negotiable rules. The reference file has full detail.

1. Single self-contained file — all CSS in <style>, all JS in <script>, no external dependencies except Google Fonts (Inter).
2. Pure white background — background: #fff on body. No radial gradients. Ever.
3. CSS variables for everything — colours, radii, shadows. Never hard-code.
4. Inline SVG icons — use the .ic class system. No icon fonts, no external SVGs.
5. All times local — convert from UTC where needed. Use font-variant-numeric: tabular-nums.
6. Connection risk colouring — green ≥3h intl / ≥2h domestic, amber borderline, red tight.
7. Airline identity — 2-letter IATA code in a coloured circle. Brand colours from CSS variables.
8. Bar proportions — flight/segment duration bars are proportional. Longest = 100%.
9. Separate tickets — flag baggage recheck and no airline protection if segments on different PNRs.
10. Footer — generation date, "Schedules indicative — verify with carriers", "All times local", data sources.
11. Responsive — single breakpoint at 768px. Stack layouts, shrink timeline dots, wrap grids.
12. Max width — .ctr container at max-width: 960px; margin: 0 auto.

File naming

Save itinerary files as: travel-itinerary-{origin}-{dest}.html (IATA codes, lowercase). For multi-leg journeys with no clear IATA pair, use descriptive slugs: travel-itinerary-biliran-niseko.html.

Template A layout order

1. Header (route, date, pax)
2. Contextual callout (existing fare, special conditions) — if applicable
3. Hero itinerary (green banner → vertical timeline → hero footer with action buttons)
4. Route map SVG — optional, adds geographic context
5. Comparison strip (4-up metric cards, clickable)
6. Alternatives section header
7. Alternative cards B/C/D (top bar → mini-itinerary → expandable details)
8. Planning notes (collapsible)
9. Footer

Template B layout order

1. Header (origin → destination, journey context)
2. Vertical timeline (all segments, mode-specific line/dot styles)
3. Efficiency analysis grid — optional, explains why each link was chosen
4. Critical warnings — tight connections, visa issues
5. Planning notes (collapsible)
6. Footer