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The airline-codes package stores data in a Backbone Collection. This page shows you how to access the underlying data in various formats.

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Accessing Model Attributes

Each airline is a Backbone Model with several attributes. Use the get() method to access individual properties: 
const airlines = require('airline-codes');

const delta = airlines.findWhere({ iata: 'DL' });

// Access individual attributes
console.log(delta.get('id'));        // "2009"
console.log(delta.get('name'));      // "Delta Air Lines"
console.log(delta.get('alias'));     // ""
console.log(delta.get('iata'));      // "DL"
console.log(delta.get('icao'));      // "DAL"
console.log(delta.get('callsign'));  // "DELTA"
console.log(delta.get('country'));   // "United States"
console.log(delta.get('active'));    // "Y"
All airlines in the collection have these standard attributes: id, name, alias, iata, icao, callsign, country, and active.

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Converting a Model to JSON

Use the toJSON() method to convert a single airline model to a plain JavaScript object: 
const airlines = require('airline-codes');

const emirates = airlines.findWhere({ iata: 'EK' });
const emiratesData = emirates.toJSON();

console.log(emiratesData);
// Output:
// {
//   "id": "2183",
//   "name": "Emirates",
//   "alias": "Emirates Airlines",
//   "iata": "EK",
//   "icao": "UAE",
//   "callsign": "EMIRATES",
//   "country": "United Arab Emirates",
//   "active": "Y"
// }

// Now it's a plain object
console.log(typeof emiratesData); // "object"
console.log(emiratesData.name);   // "Emirates"

const airline = airlines.findWhere({ iata: 'AA' });
const json = airline.toJSON();

// JSON can be stringified
console.log(JSON.stringify(json, null, 2));

​
Exporting the Entire Collection

Convert the entire collection to a JSON array: 
const airlines = require('airline-codes');

// Get all airlines as JSON array
const allAirlines = airlines.toJSON();

console.log(allAirlines.length); // 6048 (or similar, depending on data version)
console.log(Array.isArray(allAirlines)); // true

// Each item is a plain object
console.log(allAirlines[0]);
// {
//   "id": "1",
//   "name": "Private flight",
//   "alias": "",
//   "iata": "-",
//   "icao": "N/A",
//   "callsign": "",
//   "country": "",
//   "active": "Y"
// }

​
Accessing Raw JSON Data

If you need to access the original airlines.json file directly: 
// Access the raw JSON file
const airlinesJSON = require('airline-codes/airlines.json');

console.log(Array.isArray(airlinesJSON)); // true
console.log(airlinesJSON.length); // 6048 (or similar)

// This is the raw data before Backbone wraps it
console.log(airlinesJSON[15]);
// {
//   "id": "24",
//   "name": "American Airlines",
//   "alias": "",
//   "iata": "AA",
//   "icao": "AAL",
//   "callsign": "AMERICAN",
//   "country": "United States",
//   "active": "Y"
// }
Loading the raw JSON bypasses the Backbone Collection, so you won’t have access to methods like findWhere or where.

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Iterating Over Airlines

Backbone Collections provide several ways to iterate:

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Using forEach

const airlines = require('airline-codes');

airlines.forEach(airline => {
  console.log(`${airline.get('name')} (${airline.get('iata')})`);
});

​
Using map

const airlines = require('airline-codes');

// Create an array of airline names
const names = airlines.map(airline => airline.get('name'));
console.log(names.slice(0, 5));
// ["Private flight", "1Time Airline", "40-Mile Air", ...]

​
Using filter

const airlines = require('airline-codes');

// Filter airlines that have IATA codes
const withIATA = airlines.filter(airline => {
  const iata = airline.get('iata');
  return iata && iata !== '' && iata !== '-' && iata !== 'N/A';
});

console.log(`${withIATA.length} airlines have valid IATA codes`);

const airlines = require('airline-codes');
const fs = require('fs');

// Create a simplified export format
const simplified = airlines.map(airline => ({
  code: airline.get('iata'),
  name: airline.get('name'),
  country: airline.get('country')
}));

// Filter out airlines without IATA codes
const withCodes = simplified.filter(a => 
  a.code && a.code !== '' && a.code !== '-' && a.code !== 'N/A'
);

// Save to file
fs.writeFileSync(
  'airlines-simplified.json',
  JSON.stringify(withCodes, null, 2)
);

console.log(`Exported ${withCodes.length} airlines`);

​
Accessing Collection Properties

The collection itself has useful properties: 
const airlines = require('airline-codes');

// Get the number of airlines
console.log(airlines.length); // Total count
console.log(airlines.size());  // Same as length

// Check if collection is empty
console.log(airlines.isEmpty()); // false

// Get the comparator (sort field)
console.log(airlines.comparator); // "name"

​
Creating Custom Data Structures

Convert the collection to custom formats for your application:

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Create a Map by IATA Code

const airlines = require('airline-codes');

const airlinesByIATA = {};

airlines.forEach(airline => {
  const iata = airline.get('iata');
  if (iata && iata !== '' && iata !== '-' && iata !== 'N/A') {
    airlinesByIATA[iata] = airline.toJSON();
  }
});

// Quick lookup
console.log(airlinesByIATA['AA']); // American Airlines
console.log(airlinesByIATA['BA']); // British Airways

​
Group by Country

const airlines = require('airline-codes');

const airlinesByCountry = {};

airlines.forEach(airline => {
  const country = airline.get('country');
  if (!airlinesByCountry[country]) {
    airlinesByCountry[country] = [];
  }
  airlinesByCountry[country].push(airline.toJSON());
});

console.log(airlinesByCountry['United States'].length); // Number of US airlines
console.log(airlinesByCountry['Japan'][0]); // First Japanese airline
Some airlines may have empty country values. Always validate data before grouping.

​
Working with Attributes Object

Access all attributes at once using the attributes property: 
const airlines = require('airline-codes');

const airline = airlines.findWhere({ iata: 'EK' });

// Access all attributes
console.log(airline.attributes);
// {
//   id: "2183",
//   name: "Emirates",
//   alias: "Emirates Airlines",
//   iata: "EK",
//   icao: "UAE",
//   callsign: "EMIRATES",
//   country: "United Arab Emirates",
//   active: "Y"
// }
Use toJSON() instead of accessing attributes directly. It’s the Backbone-recommended way and provides better encapsulation.

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