TNB Tech Minute: Flight-Tracking Platform Sues Kalshi Over Flight Cancellation Bets

Flight-tracking platform FlightAware is suing prediction market company Kalshi, alleging it is using FlightAware’s data without permission to let users bet on flight cancellations. The lawsuit, filed Monday, argues that such bets could create incentives for unsafe tactics to influence cancellations and risk “massive disruption of air travel.” FlightAware says it sent Kalshi cease-and-desist letters that were ignored.

FlightAware vs. Kalshi: The Core Dispute

The complaint centers on whether Kalshi has the right to use FlightAware’s proprietary data to power cancellation-related prediction markets. FlightAware aggregates real-time flight status data from air traffic control and airline systems; Kalshi, a federally regulated exchange, lets users place yes-or-no bets on outcomes like “Will a specific flight be canceled today?” FlightAware’s position is that Kalshi is essentially reselling its data without a license, and doing so in a way that could be dangerous. The suit claims that if someone stands to profit from a cancellation, they might be tempted to interfere with operations — for instance, by calling in a bomb threat or tampering with aircraft — to trigger a cancellation. FlightAware argues this “creates the potential for massive disruption of air travel” and undermines public safety. Kalshi has not yet publicly responded to the lawsuit, but the case raises novel questi