Airport Distance in Google Sheets
Formula
Measure airport-to-airport distance by the row. =VERVE("airportdistance", A2, B2) returns miles, km and flight time from IATA codes — Sheets or Excel.
=VERVE("airportdistance", A2, B2)=VERVE.CALL("airportdistance", A2, B2)A2 holds iata1, B2 holds iata2. Arguments go in that order — the same order as the table below.
With literal values
Nothing has to come from a cell — typed values work the same way.
=VERVE("airportdistance", "JFK", "LAX")Inputs
Required inputs are positional, in the order below. Everything else is passed as a "name", value pair after them — the same shape as SUMIFS.
| Input | Type | Where it goes | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
iata1Required | string | argument 2 | The IATA code of the first airport (e.g. JFK) (e.g. JFK) |
iata2Required | string | argument 3 | The IATA code of the second airport (e.g. LAX) (e.g. LAX) |
What lands in your sheet
With no "field" pair the formula spills the whole response as two columns — field name on the left, value on the right — starting at the cell you typed in. Make sure the cells below and to the right are empty.
Pulling one value
Add a "field" pair to get a single cell back instead of a table. The field name is the dot-path from the table below.
=VERVE("airportdistance", A2, B2, "field", "estimatedFlightTime")=VERVE.CALL("airportdistance", A2, B2, "field", "estimatedFlightTime")Available fields
#PREMIUM(field) rather than a value, so a locked field never looks like a real answer.| Use as "field" | Type | Example cell value | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
distanceMiles | number | 2470.23 | Distance in statute miles |
distanceKm | number | 3974.2 | Great-circle distance between the two airports in kilometres |
distanceNauticalMilesPremium | number | 2145.12 | Distance in nautical miles (aviation standard) |
estimatedFlightTime | string | 5h 24m | Estimated flight duration (e.g., 5h 24m) |
timezoneDiffHoursPremium | number | -3 | Timezone difference in hours between airports |
bearingPremium | number | 265 | Compass bearing from airport1 to airport2 (0-360 degrees) |
directionPremium | string | West | Compass direction (e.g., North, Southwest, East) |
isInternationalPremium | boolean | false | Whether the flight crosses international borders |
carbonEstimateKgPremium | number | 543 | Estimated CO2 emissions in kg per passenger (based on ICAO methodology) |
airport1Premium | object | {…} | Details about the first airport |
airport1.namePremium | string | John F Kennedy International Airport | Full name of the origin airport |
airport1.iataPremium | string | JFK | Three-letter IATA code of the origin airport |
airport1.icaoPremium | string | KJFK | Four-letter ICAO code of the origin airport |
airport1.cityPremium | string | New York | City the origin airport serves |
airport1.statePremium | string | New-York | State or region of the origin airport |
airport1.countryPremium | string | US | Country code of the origin airport |
airport1.elevation | number | 13 | Airport elevation in feet |
airport1.latitude | number | 40.63980103 | Airport latitude |
airport1.longitude | number | -73.77890015 | Airport longitude |
airport1.timezone | string | America/New_York | Airport timezone (e.g., America/New_York) |
airport2Premium | object | {…} | Details about the second airport |
airport2.namePremium | string | Los Angeles International Airport | Full name of the destination airport |
airport2.iataPremium | string | LAX | Three-letter IATA code of the destination airport |
airport2.icaoPremium | string | KLAX | Four-letter ICAO code of the destination airport |
airport2.cityPremium | string | Los Angeles | City the destination airport serves |
airport2.statePremium | string | California | State or region of the destination airport |
airport2.countryPremium | string | US | Country code of the destination airport |
airport2.elevation | number | 125 | Airport elevation in feet |
airport2.latitude | number | 33.94250107 | Airport latitude |
airport2.longitude | number | -118.4079971 | Airport longitude |
airport2.timezone | string | America/Los_Angeles | Airport timezone (e.g., America/Los_Angeles) |
Filling a whole column
Hand the first argument a range instead of a cell and the add-in makes one batched call for the lot, then spills the answers down. That is faster than dragging the formula and costs the same credits — one per row looked up.
=VERVE("airportdistance", A2:A100, B2, "field", "estimatedFlightTime")=VERVE.CALL("airportdistance", A2:A100, B2, "field", "estimatedFlightTime")A2:A100 is the column of iata1 values. The result spills down alongside it, one row per input, blanks skipped.
When a cell doesn't fill
A failed lookup returns readable text starting with #ERR rather than a spreadsheet error, because Excel cannot show a custom message on a real error — you would get a bare #VALUE! with no reason. The trade-off is that IFERROR() won't catch it; test with LEFT(cell, 4) = "#ERR" instead.
| Cell reads | What happened |
|---|---|
#ERR Not connected | No API key saved. Open the side panel and connect your account. |
#ERR Replace <name> with a cell or value | The preview formula was copied as-is. Swap the placeholder for a cell reference. |
#ERR No "x" in airportdistance | An option name that this source doesn't take. The message lists the ones it does. |
#ERR No data point "…" | The "field" path isn't in the response. Check the dot-path against the table above. |
#PREMIUM(field) | The field exists but your plan doesn't include it. |
#ERR Out of credits | The month's credits are spent. Usage resets on your billing date. |
Before the formula works
The add-in reads the API key you saved once in the side panel — the key never goes in the formula, so a shared sheet doesn't leak it and a collaborator without access simply sees the last calculated values.
- Install the add-in for Google Sheets or Excel.
- Open the side panel and sign in, or paste a key from your dashboard.
- Type the formula above into any cell.
Other ways to use Airport Distance in Google Sheets
Set up Airport Distance in Google Sheets on VerveSheets, or reach the same source a different way. Your VerveSheets account and credits work on all of them — one key, one balance.
Frequently asked questions
Does Airport Distance in Google Sheets work in both Google Sheets and Excel?
Yes — the same source, the same arguments. Sheets calls it =VERVE("airportdistance", …) and Excel calls it =VERVE.CALL("airportdistance", …); that function name is the only difference.
Do the cells recalculate on their own?
They recalculate when the sheet does — on edit, on open, or on a manual recalc. Each recalculation is a fresh call and spends credits, so for a large static column it's worth copying the results and pasting them as values.
How many credits does a filled column cost?
1 credit per row looked up, whether you drag the formula or pass a range. The range form is one HTTP call instead of many, but the credit count is the same.
Can I share the sheet without sharing my key?
Yes. The key is stored against your account, not in the file. Collaborators see the values already in the cells; formulas only recalculate for someone who has connected their own account.
Why is a cell showing #ERR instead of an error?
So you can read the reason. Excel can't display a custom message on a real spreadsheet error, so the add-in returns the explanation as text on both platforms instead.