I had some very high hopes for the FareCompare site and unfortunately, I find it totally useless for most of the trips that I've made recently. My most recent example is TPA - LAS - trip in April. Shows $168 availability on NWA. Can't book it. NWA.com cheapest is nearly $400. Other travel sites are no cheaper either. Can't seem to book any of the 'advertised' fares on farecompare.com out of TPA...perhaps my location.

Given my difficulty, I thought that I'd poll the rest of the FT community to see what experiences have been had...both successful and unsuccessful on being able to actually book the flight shown on farecompare.com.

Mods - not sure if this is the correct forum for this thread, but I couldn't find one more appropriate since most people seem to use the site for MRs.

Thanks

I had some very high hopes for the FareCompare site and unfortunately, I find it totally useless for most of the trips that I've made recently. My most recent example is TPA - LAS - trip in April. Shows $168 availability on NWA. Can't book it. NWA.com cheapest is nearly $400. Other travel sites are no cheaper either. Can't seem to book any of the 'advertised' fares on farecompare.com out of TPA...perhaps my location.

Given my difficulty, I thought that I'd poll the rest of the FT community to see what experiences have been had...both successful and unsuccessful on being able to actually book the flight shown on farecompare.com.

Mods - not sure if this is the correct forum for this thread, but I couldn't find one more appropriate since most people seem to use the site for MRs.

Thanks

I have found several routes ex NYC.Many I did not buy, some I did. Sometimes the system is slow and sometimes it sees availability when there's none. Beware that sometimes fares pop-up on farecompare but are not bookable for some hours because they have not hit the online booking engines.

EWR-CGN for $198 is one of the flights I've found.Some NYC-ORD and ORD-MSP too.

I had some very high hopes for the FareCompare site and unfortunately, I find it totally useless for most of the trips that I've made recently.

I've found it to be completely useless lately as well. Fares are listed, I select them, but when it navigates to the new (Kayak?) booking page, the fares quoted as available are significantly (hundreds of dollars, in the case of all recent European destinations) higher than the ones listed on the farecompare site itself.

When it first began, I found it extremely useful and I booked several trips as a result of the information it provided. (I usually found the fare I wanted, but then booked it directly on aa.com rather than any of the site links it offered. I did book one trip through its link to expedia, however.)

I've still been checking the site regularly, but I'm about ready to tell them to cancel my alert emails and delete their link from my browser. It's a shame - it was such a wonderful tool at first, but the apparent difficulty they're having with the recent transition has made it useless for me lately too. :(

I believe that this issue was raised before and the conclusion is that, just because the fare is there showing does not make the fare bookable. Sometimes Inventory Management Department publishes a fare, but does not release any avaiability. If this is the case, then FC is not really at fault.

Also, once you choose your departure date, pay attention to the right-hand side of the screen. A box will indicate the restrictions of the fare. If the low fare is available but your return date or routing violates the fare rules, then you will be bumped to the next higher fare bucket in which your itinerary complies with the fare rule. Under this circumstance, FC is not really at fault either.

However, it has been pointed out (by several other members and by members from FC) that sometimes the fares posted are old fares. A member from FC just pointed out that they are doing some upgrading work in these couple of weeks and we should expect to see improvements in the near future. ^

Finally, I have successfully booked a couple of really cheap fares using FC. I recently booked two 7.1K EQM mileage run with only $175.xx (PHL-IAD-DEN-PDX-SEA-SFO-IAD-PHL) that comes down to 2.6 cents per EQM and 1.3 cents per RDM on UA :eek: . When my dates fare flexible, FC really does an excellent job for $$$. ^

IMO, FareCompare is a disappointment.
Neither the site or streaming feeds are being updated. For domestic fares, Yahoo fares or dream maps seem to have more recently updated info(never thought I would say that). International fares are inconsistent at best and never bookable at the prices listed.
Most recent success stories for me were San/Fll in early January, but current fares are out of date.

Also, keep in mind that sometimes fares get released for a couple of hours and then the Inventory Management Department retracts it :mad:

The most recent example was 1-2 weeks ago, around 9:00 pm, I received an email indicating $160 fare available on UA on EWR-SEA. I got onto UA's website and realized that the fare was bookable. However, I was too tired that day and decided to construct a sickening mileage run the next morning. After I woke up, the fare's gone. :mad:

Subscribing to the alert on FC might help you sometimes, but you will have to deal with 3 extra emails per day... :cool:

I've found it to be completely useless lately as well. Fares are listed, I select them, but when it navigates to the new (Kayak?) booking page, the fares quoted as available are significantly (hundreds of dollars, in the case of all recent European destinations) higher than the ones listed on the farecompare site itself.

When it first began, I found it extremely useful and I booked several trips as a result of the information it provided. (I usually found the fare I wanted, but then booked it directly on aa.com rather than any of the site links it offered. I did book one trip through its link to expedia, however.)

I've still been checking the site regularly, but I'm about ready to tell them to cancel my alert emails and delete their link from my browser. It's a shame - it was such a wonderful tool at first, but the apparent difficulty they're having with the recent transition has made it useless for me lately too. :(

IMO, FareCompare is a disappointment.
Neither the site or streaming feeds are being updated. For domestic fares, Yahoo fares or dream maps seem to have more recently updated info(never thought I would say that). International fares are inconsistent at best and never bookable at the prices listed.
Most recent success stories for me were San/Fll in early January, but current fares are out of date.

Given that it is free, why don't you just stop using it if you don't think it is worth it?!? I mean, the tools are there, learn to play with them, together, and you'll see that nice things can come up!

I'm not happy with them using Kayak now. Kayak sees fares that most of the times are not there any longer and you keep on clicking on the fare only to see that the fare is no longer available and so you start clicking on the next available fare.:td:

FareCompare Success Stories??? Are there any?I know of at least one :): http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=544622

This topic has already been discussed at http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=623660

90% of so-called "disappointments" with FC come from one's lack of understanding of how things work, combined with an unwillingness to learn ...

I've been able to get 3 different low fare guarantees with the FC advance warning, but I too, am not happy with the Kayak connection.

Sometimes a step backwards is a step ahead. A vote for the old system.

I used to love FC, especially the FT enhanced search, but now it's useless. The new "FareCompare FIRST" just bugs the heck out of me with the new Kayak interface.

I agree... I am not happy with them using Kayak now...

I'm not happy with them using Kayak now.

I cannot agree more! ^
However, I am wondering if there is some kind of Idiot's guide for using FC. If anyone knows about it, please provide some reference. That would be awesome! ^


90% of so-called "disappointments" with FC come from one's lack of understanding of how things work, combined with an unwillingness to learn ...

I am not trying to judgmental, but I guess our attention spans are extremely short :eek: . Starting from YYZ-LCA, YYZ-BUH, YYZ-YYT, $109 United fare sale, DEN-SJO.... Why go into history, just look at the MRs or fares posted on the first page, they are all based on FC input.

It might not be perfect, since the inventory management is not in their hands, but the results are extremely insightful. The regular International fares are a bit iffy due to fuel surcharges and other flaky stuff but the domestic fares are spot on ^ . Some of the international fares are ^ ^ ^ I would have never visited Cyprus, Italy, Romania, St. Johns CA, Costa Rica if it not were for FC

Lets give them credit for giving us this 4 hr head start for free. All my MRs ever since the YYZ-LCA fare has been based on FC input. Not sure what I will do without it.


90% of so-called "disappointments" with FC come from one's lack of understanding of how things work, combined with an unwillingness to learn ... Agree 100%

This is the attitude and the reason why Travelocity took down its fare listing for international and hid the domestic fares. Fares are a very complex and one must learn about all the dynamics involved. As others have pointed out, availability must exist and it just may not exist. A carrier can easily publish a fare then zero out the aspirate fare buckets.

The fault does not rest on merely providing erroneous information, but rather not taking account of the entire complexity of airfare. A fare could be available on certain flight numbers, only during certain times, and only on certain days. Furthermore certain blackout days may exist. So just because you see a fare on Fare Compare that says something like $108 for your city pair that absolutely does not mean that you can just pull up $108 on any old day and time. One should study the fare basis, the booking code, and look for the complete rules.

In the case of domestic fares, one can find the fare rules free of charge on Travelocity.com. These fares can also be found on Marriott.com, the other various sites and the carriers own sites. One should pay very close attention to such things as advance purchase requirements, minimum stay requirements. Are you traveling on the dates specified to travel? Are their specific blackout dates?

I took a job during my college years in Nashville at a telephone based travel service. This was in the 90's when the internet was in its infancy. This was the company that is now known as Cheaptickets.com. I worked on the native Sabre system during my college days. I am glad I had such a background so when I hear certain terms on FT, I know what they are. I therefore am thankful for such resources as Fare Compare, and welcome such resources. I only wish I knew about FT when I had access to a Sabre terminal.

To recap:
Let's say you see a low $108 fare, but all you are coming up with is a $400 fare, why is that? FC is a load of crap.

* Did you check minimum stay requirements, such as Saturday night stays?
* Did you check for blackout dates?
* Did you check the seasonality dates?
* Are their any specific flight number restrictions?
* Any time of day restrictions?
* Any day(s) of travel restrictions?
* What is fare basis code and is their any availability of that fare basis on
the flights that you have selected, fare buckets?
* Are you trying to make an "illegal" connection, i.e. trying to book a connecting flight on a one way only restricted fare, or vice-versa?
* Do you have the correct lead time, meet the advance purchase requirements or are you trying to purchase a 7-day advance purchase fare with just 3 days before departure?

IMO the quality of fare information worsened when AA changed their fare calculation methods, a couple weeks ago. Before that, FareCompare more or less worked for me. Transparency of fares is not in the airlines' best interest.

This is the attitude and the reason why Travelocity took down its fare listing for international and hid the domestic fares. Indeed :(: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showpost.php?p=6683369&postcount=35

However, I am wondering if there is some kind of Idiot's guide for using FC. If anyone knows about it, please provide some reference. That would be awesome! ^There is a step-by-step guide at http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?p=2804880#post2804880

To recap:
Let's say you see a low $108 fare, but all you are coming up with is a $400 fare, why is that? FC is a load of crap.

* Did you check minimum stay requirements, such as Saturday night stays?
* Did you check for blackout dates?
* Did you check the seasonality dates?
* Are their any specific flight number restrictions?
* Any time of day restrictions?
* Any day(s) of travel restrictions?
* What is fare basis code and is their any availability of that fare basis on
the flights that you have selected, fare buckets?
* Are you trying to make an "illegal" connection, i.e. trying to book a connecting flight on a one way only restricted fare, or vice-versa?
* Do you have the correct lead time, meet the advance purchase requirements or are you trying to purchase a 7-day advance purchase fare with just 3 days before departure?

^ ^ ^

I wouldn't lambaste FC just like that. There have been countless deals which I've benefited from, JAX-SEA, PDX-SJO just to name a few. Granted FC does have some quirks but then which web site doesn't? And heck, it's bloody free.

It'll be guys like you who shall start whining the moment FC shuts down..

Thank you [IMG HEART]
^

There is a step-by-step guide at http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?p=2804880#post2804880

Geez, can I have some cheese with all this whine? ^

Personally, FC was very useful to me until they changed to the Kayak thing. I used to be able to find real availability, sadly no more.

Using the alert system, I booked a BWI-HNL trip for $400 in Nov for a Jan 2007 trip.

That said, I think the current system using kayak is really useless. Don't tell me I am not checking the fare conditions. Now I can never find a fare (using that crazy kayak thing) that is even close to the fare that originally came up even after adding taxes.

I referred a number of friends to farecompare and they are asking me what's up....The answer is...I hope it gets better.

First, I'm not an idiot (as many of these posts imply) :rolleyes: I do read the fare rules and originally, found the fares to be readily bookable. I have found that since moving to Kayak, as others have, that fares don't seem to be bookable. :td:

My main issue is that when you select a route, it gives you dates that a fare is available. Once you select the date and airline, it gives you potential return dates along with fares on those dates. If a fare isn't available or it's a violation of the rules, then why will it give you fares and dates? The fares presented for the return should already have those rules embedded. This isn't a question of taking time for the fares to load. Perhaps it is inventory based, but every time I have searched for a trip to certain locations, I can never seem to book it. This occurs all the time and apparently I'm not the only one with this problem.

I get the updates and even the updates seem to be screwy...I've received email updates with domestic fares for $2000+. Just got another one for:

New Low Roundtrip Prices (loaded in 1-6 hours on purchasing sites)
************************************************** ****************

Tampa, FL to Charleston, SC from $738 - Save $649
http://www.farecompare.com/search/click.html?market=TPACHS&date=2007-02-22-20-00

Tampa, FL to El Paso, TX from $1084 - Save $19
http://www.farecompare.com/search/click.html?market=TPAELP&date=2007-02-22-20-00

Sorry, but TPA-CHS is not normally $1400 and can easily be booked for $300+/- (just did a quick search on expedia for a weekend in April and it's $307).

How are these "Low Roundtrip Prices"???

My initial post was my answer to the question posed by the OP. I flew more than 200K miles last year which I planned and routed. To further clarify my post, I have had previous success with FareCompare and I believe it was a more valuable tool prior to its alighment with Kayak. My disappointment with FareCompare is related to the last month, its failure to update information and its diminishing value as a resource.

I still use FareCompare to get some picture of fare availability. Generally, I have more success getting the fares using Expedia or Orbitz rather than Kayak given that the former sites have the ability to better target the search.

Farecompare is a great tool, if you know what you're doing. Sure, there are lots of frustrations, and the addition of the Kayak function didn't improve ease of use. Just use Farecompare to check for new fares, then check Expertflyer for availability (and fare rules, if necessary), and you're good to buy.

Farecompare deserves a big ^ not just because of its role in identifying "mistake" fares, but also because of the email alerts, which are priceless ... again, if you know what you're doing.

YES!!!!!

I have found (and booked!) great fares on FC. And some I am quite sure I would have never been able to find good routings on without FC. Especially with UA.bomb!

Useless..

I've found great fares on FareCompare also in the past and am greatful to them. You know farecompare is doing well when the minibus driver from the airport to downtown in Seattle talks to you about it. :D

Unfortunately, Kayak has ruined it for me. What used to be great with the 'old' farecompare was that you could quickly see where a fare was available and not. Kayak is just a waste of time and renders FareCompare useless. :(

I hope they go back to how it was before as it really was an excellent tool.

I don't really bother with the kayak part, I just look to see which airlines are offering the fare and just try find it on my own.

I believe that this issue was raised before and the conclusion is that, just because the fare is there showing does not make the fare bookable.

And maybe if people continue to raise the issue then it will get fixed. Farecompare is more or less useless, it wasn't bad before but is terrible with Kayak.


In response to the post quoted below: Farecompare is littered with hundreds of unbookable fares... sure there is sometimes a diamond in the rough but mostly has become worthless. Why doesn't farecompre actually check availability (read:bookability) before publishing the fare? If the dates don't fit the fare rules (blackout dates, incorrect minimum stay, etc) then it shouldn't show the fare. If I click on March 15th and the fare shown doesn't support a March 16th return then it shouldn't underneath the March 16th return box, rather it should show only on the return dates the fare is valid and available for.

Before any claims that FC is free so we should expect more, well I would gladly pay for a service that would work accurately and consistently. If I could select dates and an origination airport and let FC (or another site) find relevant fares that are bookable from there then I would gladly pay for that.

As others have pointed out, availability must exist and it just may not exist. A carrier can easily publish a fare then zero out the aspirate fare buckets.
To recap:
Let's say you see a low $108 fare, but all you are coming up with is a $400 fare, why is that? FC is a load of crap.

* Did you check minimum stay requirements, such as Saturday night stays?
* Did you check for blackout dates?
* Did you check the seasonality dates?
* Are their any specific flight number restrictions?
* Any time of day restrictions?
* Any day(s) of travel restrictions?
* What is fare basis code and is their any availability of that fare basis on
the flights that you have selected, fare buckets?
* Are you trying to make an "illegal" connection, i.e. trying to book a connecting flight on a one way only restricted fare, or vice-versa?
* Do you have the correct lead time, meet the advance purchase requirements or are you trying to purchase a 7-day advance purchase fare with just 3 days before departure?

I get the updates and even the updates seem to be screwy...I've received email updates with domestic fares for $2000+. Just got another one for:

New Low Roundtrip Prices (loaded in 1-6 hours on purchasing sites)
************************************************** ****************

Tampa, FL to Charleston, SC from $738 - Save $649
http://www.farecompare.com/search/click.html?market=TPACHS&date=2007-02-22-20-00

Tampa, FL to El Paso, TX from $1084 - Save $19
http://www.farecompare.com/search/click.html?market=TPAELP&date=2007-02-22-20-00

Sorry, but TPA-CHS is not normally $1400 and can easily be booked for $300+/- (just did a quick search on expedia for a weekend in April and it's $307).

How are these "Low Roundtrip Prices"???
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but those are from the First Class email alert citing new lows for first class fares. You probably want to sign up for the coach alerts. ;)

Check the TPA-ELP example below and you'll see the price/fare you quoted above is listed as a first class fare. The coach fares are $178+ for much of the year. :)
http://www.farecompare.com/search/year.html?departure=Tampa%2C+FL+%28TPA%29&departure_hidden=TPA&destination=El+Paso%2C+TX+%28ELP%29&destination_hidden=ELP&x=41&y=7

Using the alert system, I booked a BWI-HNL trip for $400 in Nov for a Jan 2007 trip.

BWI-HNL r/t for $400?!? I booked mine for $237 a/i. :p

Farecompare is fine...I liked it better before it tried the kayak thing though.. they should either lose the kayak or make it an option.

In my opinion usefulness of a tool is defined as

"What you see is what you get".

Any tool that does not allow you to get (book) what you see (fares) is a crock of .... and is a complete waste of time. If one time on their hands that they don't know what to do with in this extremely time-sensitive age, please go ahead and waste time on farecompare.

The problem of checking for availability exactly is combinatorial.
If you can solve that problem with limited time and resources, then you will be super rich.

Why doesn't farecompre actually check availability (read:bookability) before publishing the fare?

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but those are from the First Class email alert citing new lows for first class fares. You probably want to sign up for the coach alerts. ;)

Check the TPA-ELP example below and you'll see the price/fare you quoted above is listed as a first class fare. The coach fares are $178+ for much of the year. :)
http://www.farecompare.com/search/year.html?departure=Tampa%2C+FL+%28TPA%29&departure_hidden=TPA&destination=El+Paso%2C+TX+%28ELP%29&destination_hidden=ELP&x=41&y=7

Oops...my mistake. Probably should have read the title of the email a little closer. :eek: :eek: Already have the coach alterts as well...thanks.

I like the fare alerts. There are some wild goose chases due to dates and conditions, but the heads-up lead time is good. Until, of course, when it isn't and the fare is either pulled or turns out to be "pie in the sky" what with $300 taxes and surcharges, etc.

I like the ease of the maps and summaries, even as I see the data (compared to Yahoo's dream maps) can be outdated. Funny FC has fares first and (sometimes) loses 'em last.

I hate the Kayak link. I didn't like Kayak as a stand-alone. The "bookability" ought to be addressed by the date selection page. It's not. Also, it doesn't matter to me that Royal Air Maroc or Singapore have published fares on a route I'm looking at. I don't care. Somebody might, but that somebody is not me.

But I'm having a problem that hasn't been mentioned here; perhaps AA specific as they're my preferred carrier. FC will sometimes show no availability on a sale fare, and AA.com will: limited to be sure, but AA's own website has combinations that FareCompare does not, leading me to think either FC has a flaw or there's data they aren't getting from the airline(s.) And yes, I am fairly careful to both check the rules and try it six ways to Sunday before deciding that what I see isn't what I can - or cannot - get.

Also, keep in mind that sometimes fares get released for a couple of hours and then the Inventory Management Department retracts it :mad:

The most recent example was 1-2 weeks ago, around 9:00 pm, I received an email indicating $160 fare available on UA on EWR-SEA. I got onto UA's website and realized that the fare was bookable. However, I was too tired that day and decided to construct a sickening mileage run the next morning. After I woke up, the fare's gone. :mad:

Subscribing to the alert on FC might help you sometimes, but you will have to deal with 3 extra emails per day... :cool:

You cannot blame UA for signing up to FareCompare as well ...;)

Any tool that does not allow you to get (book) what you see (fares) is a crock of .... and is a complete waste of time. If one time on their hands that they don't know what to do with in this extremely time-sensitive age, please go ahead and waste time on farecompare.

Well, clearly, if you value your time so highly, you'll be better off just checking one travel website (or even using a TA). It's highly likely that they will find you the best price available for your date(s) of travel, and you're done with it. Nobody forces you to waste your time with Farecompare.

It used to work fine... by fine I mean that if you selected an outbound date, it would tell you up-front if there were seats available. Now it makes you go through 3 long steps to see if there are even seats. The seat availablity check needs to go back to happening at every step.

rosj explained in the other complaint thread that they had to pay for every inquiry, and that they were losing money on it. So it's not likely to come back anytime soon.

FC saved me $230 per ticket for an LAX-LHR trip this April/May. Setting up alerts helps a lot if you are looking for certain routes in particular. I don't use them yet for actual booking, just as the research portion, then I go to the carrier's site to do my purchase. I've also found them to reply to my email inquiries very promptly and thoroughly.

Cheers,

Adrian

FareCompare and rosj have saved me alot of money and the cost of the service can't be beat.

FareCompare is great for finding me cheap fares. But booking through FC has always been beyond me. I book elsewhere, often on the airline site. I'd like to give FC the business, but it has to get a lot easier than it is now. I just can't get it to work simply and easily.

I believe that this issue was raised before and the conclusion is that, just because the fare is there showing does not make the fare bookable. Sometimes Inventory Management Department publishes a fare, but does not release any availability. If this is the case, then FCC is not really at fault.

Not to split hairs but Pricing publishes fares and Yield (or Inventory) Management releases the inventory. Many times one hand does not know what the other is doing.

CRP-TPE on AA last fall for $78+, LAX-JFK on UA for $115 inclusive in October, CPR-HNL on AA for $387 inclusive (upgraded on both legs due to EXP), and many others. FC is a great tool if you have patience, flexibility and you do not get hanged up on one fare only.

Let me state a few things before I begin to defend our honor (such as it is :rolleyes:)

1) Since Q2-2006 there have been over 1.8 million "Free" queries to the FT tool
2) Since Q3-2006 there has been countless email alerts sent
3) Catching fare mistakes before FareCompare was pure luck

Ok so for those who are complaining, I will agree that we haven't modified the tool since Q2-2006. The reason is simple economics and time. Without being able to monetize, it has been on the bottom of very lengthy list. Although I do find it quite interesting when I see postings for fares in threads that haven't shown up anywhere but FC yet

[stepping up on soap box]

For those of you who want to chase inventory for a fare, no problem, would you like to pay our cost of $5 to check the outbound and inbound inventory for the next 180+ days and would you like to do that a few times a day since inventory can and does change frequently. ITA has the most comprehensive "free" inventory cache in th world, give it a whirl and see how accurate it is for international and for the lowest price buckets domestically. Oddly enough they depend on the airlines just like everyone else.

I find it interesting that our Kayak integration test for the past month is getting such harsh words (and its soooo much easier to find things on Expedia and Orbitz). For one Kayak uses ITA and Orbitz under the covers and also queries many of the airlines (most of the US based airlines) directly. So if you go to those sites you are getting the same exact date based query results as Kayak. hmmmmm. And yes the current site interface is not optimized to chase/find MR's, oddly enough most travel consumers are trying to find a decent price and the shortest flight...

Ok, I get it, in a perfect world i get a fare alert or do some research to find a good MR candidate fare (including alliances, metal, booking code to points ratios, etc), analyze its routing for maximization of miles, cross check against any FF specials that might be had, check flight schedules and inventory for the next N days to find the perfect flight time (if it exists) and off you go... Sounds so easy, can you point me to that tool (BTW, for those experts in MR I skipped about 20 other variables that should be checked as well).

This "mythical" tool can be created, no question, but it won't be free.

[stepping off soap box]

Ok, so here is the latest.

We will be releasing a new tool in the coming weeks which coincides with the release of maps on our site that include the following new items:

1) Travel period as part of the query
2) Estimated out the door price based on the most common flight routing (not the best MR routing)
3) Cross check against flight schedules to make sure fares listed are flyable.
4) Carrier and Alliance filters

Now, for those who want to participate with me in creating the perfect MR tool I invite you to PM me directly. It can be done, it will require an ongoing associated cost and the key components can be completely automated. The bigger the group the less the cost because of overlap. I want to create a true specification that we can work from.

For those who still want to punch dates into Expedia or airline site, good luck to you.

---

rosj

Thank you for your response to all, rosj.

I have been posting MR fares for years and nowadays it's hard to see the fares don't come from other than FareCompare. I am still tring to pick a few private fares, which don't show up on FC, but most of deals are viewable on your site. It is extremely helpful to identify existing fares and you have been successful on MR forum since last April. Unfortunately, I have to admit that the booking part is a little weak as many people noticed. I don't care it personally until FC starts charging fees for use.

To those who are complaining, why don't you post your difficulty here instead of bashing? I believe some (or most) are still misunderstanding the fare rules and restrictions, which are out of their control. In additionon, we should remember that FC is not only for MRunners who want to maximize miles at the lower cost (see rosj's post above). Although this page (http://www.farecompare.com/search/flyertalk.html) was created for FlyerTalkers, not all FTs are MRunners.

First of all, I would like to say I am not complaining. FC is the BEST general source for cheap fares by FAR today!

I observe that I do not use the fare booking tools because I find that they are difficult to use and difficult to find low fares. This also makes me feel guilty because FC should get the economic benefit of booking these low fare tickets.

Lastly, I just want to point out what I DO, and what works for me.

I find the fares on FC.

I then go to itasoftware, usually on the 30 day search, because I really care about price, and don't care about dates.

Once I see the cheap fares, I usually go to the airline website to do the actual booking, assuming that the airline site has the cheap fare. Otherwise, I go wherever the low fare is.

This way I never have to worry about fares. ITA does all the fare work for me, and Hands me a list of what is available. Works for me!

Rosj, FC really really really is quite important to us. But FC is MUCH better at some things than others. So I use the good part, and avoid the difficult parts.

I have only just recently been using FC (1 month) based on reading about it here at FT. I have had great success in the past month and found two fares that I couldn't find using normal searches.

Frontier SMF-SJD $96 one way plus taxes (which I booked)

Delta AUS-OAK one way $87 plus tax which I booked. (I was just about to book a one way SWA flight for $300 minutes before finding this one so it was a substantial savings)

That said, I've also had the same experience mentioned by many of it showing a cheap fare for a market and then having that fare not be found and being hundreds more. I'd say in the past month about 50% of the advertised "cheap" fares weren't actually available. Of course the two examples above which I actually booked make up for this shortfall for me.

Bigshaker

Thanks for correcting :cool: ^

Not to split hairs but Pricing publishes fares and Yield (or Inventory) Management releases the inventory. Many times one hand does not know what the other is doing.

Thanks for the quite well worded response rosj.

While I understand that people are using the FC tool to construct mileage runs, my queries have been largely to try and find the cheapest fare between point A and B, regardless of the routing. In that sense, you can consider these to be more like your typical consumer.

My starting this thread stemmed from a number of weeks trying to find a decent fare from TPA to LAS. First FC showed it at around $250, unable to book on any airline and any routing for less than $400. Then, the fare came down to $212, then $168 on FC. However, every time I tried to book the fare regardless of date, the cheapest I could typically land would be still in the neighborhood of $400. I'm still unable to book any of the cheap fares that are shown on FC.

Hence, I was curious to see what success others have had using the FC tool.

My starting this thread stemmed from a number of weeks trying to find a decent fare from TPA to LAS. First FC showed it at around $250, unable to book on any airline and any routing for less than $400. Then, the fare came down to $212, then $168 on FC. However, every time I tried to book the fare regardless of date, the cheapest I could typically land would be still in the neighborhood of $400. I'm still unable to book any of the cheap fares that are shown on FC.

Your complaint is based on ease-of-use, not fare availability. The fares you were unable to find using the Kayak function were most likely there. There are several $109+ each way fares available now, and all of them are bookable.

Did you go on Expertflyer to find out fare rules and class? And look up availability? If you're willing to put in that kind of work, you'll do very well with Farecompare. Otherwise, just use the "flexible date" search option on Travelocity or Orbitz.

then $168 on FC. However, every time I tried to book the fare regardless of date, the cheapest I could typically land would be still in the neighborhood of $400. I'm still unable to book any of the cheap fares that are shown on FC.The fare 'being there', and the airline actually letting you book it, are two completely separate things:

[KVS Availability Tool 2.8.0/Platinum - Sabre: Fares/DotRes/CA/USD] (http://KVS.UnrealNetwork.com/Tool/?R)
TPA Tampa Int'l FL US [KTPA]
LAS Las Vegas Mccarran Int'l NV US [KLAS]
WED 04 Apr 2007 / TUE 10 Apr 2007 / RT

Carrier From To Fare Cur Fare Basis
--------- ------ ---- --------- ---- --------- ---- ---- ----------
UA TPA LAS 156 USD LE141NNX
NW TPA LAS 164 USD K14R1QNV
CO TPA LAS 184 USD L14M1BVN


Looking at a few dates, there is simply no K-class availability on NW:

[KVS Availability Tool 2.8.0/Platinum - WSpan: ITN/US-TAP] (http://KVS.UnrealNetwork.com/Tool/?R)
TPA Tampa Int'l FL US [KTPA]
LAS Las Vegas Mccarran Int'l NV US [KLAS]
SUN 01 Apr 2007

Carrier Flight From Depart To Arrive A/C St Availability
--------- ------ ---- --------- ---- --------- ---- ---- ------------
NW 437 TPA 07:30 MSP 09:56 757 0 K0
-> NW 777 MSP 11:40 LAS 13:08 757 0 K0
NW 479 TPA 08:10 DTW 10:54 757 0 K0
-> NW 1199 DTW 12:08 LAS 13:39 320 0 K0
NW 491 TPA 09:36 DTW 12:20 757 0 K0
-> NW 1195 DTW 15:23 LAS 16:52 320 0 K0
NW 443 TPA 11:00 MSP 13:26 757 0 K0
-> NW 779 MSP 14:26 LAS 15:46 757 0 K0
NW 443 TPA 11:00 MSP 13:26 757 0 K0
-> NW 773 MSP 15:26 LAS 16:51 757 0 K0
NW 435 TPA 13:55 MSP 16:22 757 0 K0
-> NW 781 MSP 17:25 LAS 18:48 757 0 K0
NW 485 TPA 15:27 DTW 18:12 757 0 K0
-> NW 1189 DTW 19:37 LAS 21:09 757 0 K0
NW 881 TPA 17:39 MEM 18:45 D95 0 K0
-> NW 525 MEM 19:50 LAS 21:33 320 0 K0

[KVS Availability Tool 2.8.0/Platinum - WSpan: ITN/US-TAP] (http://KVS.UnrealNetwork.com/Tool/?R)
TPA Tampa Int'l FL US [KTPA]
LAS Las Vegas Mccarran Int'l NV US [KLAS]
MON 02 Apr 2007

Carrier Flight From Depart To Arrive A/C St Availability
--------- ------ ---- --------- ---- --------- ---- ---- ------------
NW 437 TPA 07:30 MSP 09:56 757 0 K0
-> NW 777 MSP 11:40 LAS 13:08 757 0 K0
NW 479 TPA 08:10 DTW 10:54 757 0 K0
-> NW 1199 DTW 12:08 LAS 13:39 320 0 K0
NW 491 TPA 09:36 DTW 12:20 757 0 K0
-> NW 1195 DTW 15:23 LAS 16:52 320 0 K0
NW 443 TPA 11:00 MSP 13:26 757 0 K0
-> NW 779 MSP 14:26 LAS 15:46 757 0 K0
NW 443 TPA 11:00 MSP 13:26 757 0 K0
-> NW 773 MSP 15:26 LAS 16:51 757 0 K0
NW 435 TPA 13:55 MSP 16:22 757 0 K0
-> NW 781 MSP 17:25 LAS 18:48 757 0 K0
NW 485 TPA 15:27 DTW 18:12 757 0 K0
-> NW 1189 DTW 19:37 LAS 21:09 757 0 K0
NW 881 TPA 17:39 MEM 18:45 D95 0 K0
-> NW 525 MEM 19:50 LAS 21:33 320 0 K0

[KVS Availability Tool 2.8.0/Platinum - WSpan: ITN/US-TAP] (http://KVS.UnrealNetwork.com/Tool/?R)
TPA Tampa Int'l FL US [KTPA]
LAS Las Vegas Mccarran Int'l NV US [KLAS]
TUE 03 Apr 2007

Carrier Flight From Depart To Arrive A/C St Availability
--------- ------ ---- --------- ---- --------- ---- ---- ------------
NW 437 TPA 07:30 MSP 09:56 757 0 K0
-> NW 777 MSP 11:40 LAS 13:08 757 0 K0
NW 479 TPA 08:10 DTW 10:54 757 0 K0
-> NW 1199 DTW 12:08 LAS 13:39 320 0 K0
NW 491 TPA 09:36 DTW 12:20 757 0 K0
-> NW 1195 DTW 15:23 LAS 16:52 320 0 K0
NW 443 TPA 11:00 MSP 13:26 757 0 K0
-> NW 779 MSP 14:26 LAS 15:46 757 0 K0
NW 443 TPA 11:00 MSP 13:26 757 0 K0
-> NW 773 MSP 15:26 LAS 16:51 757 0 K0
NW 435 TPA 13:55 MSP 16:22 757 0 K0
-> NW 781 MSP 17:25 LAS 18:48 757 0 K0
NW 485 TPA 15:27 DTW 18:12 757 0 K0
-> NW 1189 DTW 19:37 LAS 21:09 757 0 K0
NW 881 TPA 17:39 MEM 18:45 D95 0 K0
-> NW 525 MEM 19:50 LAS 21:33 320 0 K0

[KVS Availability Tool 2.8.0/Platinum - WSpan: ITN/US-TAP] (http://KVS.UnrealNetwork.com/Tool/?R)
TPA Tampa Int'l FL US [KTPA]
LAS Las Vegas Mccarran Int'l NV US [KLAS]
WED 04 Apr 2007

Carrier Flight From Depart To Arrive A/C St Availability
--------- ------ ---- --------- ---- --------- ---- ---- ------------
NW 437 TPA 07:30 MSP 09:56 757 0 K0
-> NW 777 MSP 11:40 LAS 13:08 757 0 K0
NW 479 TPA 08:10 DTW 10:54 757 0 K0
-> NW 1199 DTW 12:08 LAS 13:39 320 0 K0
NW 491 TPA 09:36 DTW 12:20 757 0 K0
-> NW 1195 DTW 15:23 LAS 16:52 320 0 K0
NW 443 TPA 11:00 MSP 13:26 757 0 K0
-> NW 779 MSP 14:26 LAS 15:46 757 0 K0
NW 443 TPA 11:00 MSP 13:26 757 0 K0
-> NW 773 MSP 15:26 LAS 16:51 757 0 K0
NW 435 TPA 13:55 MSP 16:22 757 0 K0
-> NW 781 MSP 17:25 LAS 18:48 757 0 K0
NW 485 TPA 15:27 DTW 18:12 757 0 K0
-> NW 1189 DTW 19:37 LAS 21:09 757 0 K0
NW 881 TPA 17:39 MEM 18:45 D95 0 K0
-> NW 525 MEM 19:50 LAS 21:33 320 0 K0

[KVS Availability Tool 2.8.0/Platinum - WSpan: ITN/US-TAP] (http://KVS.UnrealNetwork.com/Tool/?R)
TPA Tampa Int'l FL US [KTPA]
LAS Las Vegas Mccarran Int'l NV US [KLAS]
THU 05 Apr 2007

Carrier Flight From Depart To Arrive A/C St Availability
--------- ------ ---- --------- ---- --------- ---- ---- ------------
NW 437 TPA 07:30 MSP 09:56 757 0 K0
-> NW 777 MSP 11:40 LAS 13:08 757 0 K0
NW 479 TPA 08:10 DTW 10:54 757 0 K0
-> NW 1199 DTW 12:08 LAS 13:39 320 0 K0
NW 491 TPA 09:36 DTW 12:20 757 0 K0
-> NW 1195 DTW 15:23 LAS 16:52 320 0 K0
NW 443 TPA 11:00 MSP 13:26 757 0 K0
-> NW 779 MSP 14:26 LAS 15:46 757 0 K0
NW 443 TPA 11:00 MSP 13:26 757 0 K0
-> NW 773 MSP 15:26 LAS 16:51 757 0 K0
NW 435 TPA 13:55 MSP 16:22 757 0 K0
-> NW 781 MSP 17:25 LAS 18:48 757 0 K0
NW 485 TPA 15:27 DTW 18:12 757 0 K0
-> NW 1189 DTW 19:37 LAS 21:09 757 0 K0
NW 881 TPA 17:39 MEM 18:45 D95 0 K0
-> NW 525 MEM 19:50 LAS 21:33 320 0 K0


and so on...

I think all the comments on Farecompare are so we can all rely on it and use it for booking. It is definitely much better at highlighting possible fares, the frustration came to a lot of folks who thought they could easily and quickly book those fares.

If the enhancements you discuss will allow that, I will book from a farecompare link!

I'm a big fan of FC and use it daily to check for MR possibilities. Like others mentioned before it saved me a lot of money and helped me book some great mileage runs.

ROSJ if you read that, here is my wish list for FC:

Fare Alerts: I personally do not consider fares with $ 0.70 and more per eqm worth an email alert, even if I can save $ 6.50. Please modify you alert system and let people specify a max eqm for their fare alerts.

Again, thanks for a great tool.

The fare 'being there', and the airline actually letting you book it, are two completely separate things:

I guess in a very long-winded way, that's my point :D

But I'm having a problem that hasn't been mentioned here; perhaps AA specific as they're my preferred carrier. FC will sometimes show no availability on a sale fare, and AA.com will: limited to be sure, but AA's own website has combinations that FareCompare does not, leading me to think either FC has a flaw or there's data they aren't getting from the airline(s.) And yes, I am fairly careful to both check the rules and try it six ways to Sunday before deciding that what I see isn't what I can - or cannot - get.
I'd be very, very surprised if FareCompare is getting private data. Thus private fares, stuff like web specials, e-fares, etc, will show up on carrier websites but not on FareCompare.

We are working on getting private fares from the airlines. Our software processes over 30 million private fares but we are bound by our licensing agreement that restricts us to only show it to those who are coded on the fares.

99% of these private fares are corporate and consolidator fares. A small number are web specials, e-weekenders etc which are normally only on the carrier site or on those GDS and OLTA's that have special agreements.

Received an alert for ORD-GLA (Glasgow) at $298. Mar, April.

Not sure if this is the fraud-teaser-price they allow the crooks to promote over here, or whether it's the price you actually pay. Suspect the former, as every attempt to check for availability spits out a price of about $800.

Not sure if this is the fraud-teaser-price they allow the crooks to promote over here, or whether it's the price you actually pay. Suspect the former, as every attempt to check for availability spits out a price of about $800.Latter (sigh..), did you try to check the availability with ITA/KVS? I am seeing $480-ish all-in fare.

Yes ORD-AMS-GLA and back on NWA available in V class out Mar 13 05:30 (sic) return Mar 20 17.30 (fare is VLSL15 on NWA, those flights permitted).

FC shovels me to airfare.com, total price $583

Maybe the $298 fare hasn't hit the booking systems yet? If that's the price you pay, it's not bad.

The cheapest itinerary I am seeing is all KL metal. This is fare breakdown from ITA:
Fare (A1): NW CHIGLA VLSL15 fare (rules) $149.00
Fare (A2): NW GLACHI VLSL15 fare (rules) $149.00
Tax: US September 11th Security Fee $2.50
Tax: US International Departure Tax $15.10
Tax: US Passenger Facility Charge $4.50
Tax: United Kingdom Passenger Service Charge £10.90
Tax: United Kingdom Air Passengers Duty £40.00
Tax: US International Arrival Tax $15.10
Tax: The Netherlands Security Service Charge €8.22
Tax: The Netherlands Noise Isolation Charge €4.00
Tax: The Netherlands Passenger Service Charge €9.12
Tax: US Customs Fee $5.00
Tax: US Immigration Fee $7.00
Tax: USDA APHIS Fee $5.00
Total for 1 adult passenger: $480.20

Yes that looks like the one, "base" price 149 + 149 = $298 as alerted by FC, the actual price you pay is $480. Ugh.

This is a deal killer.
United Kingdom Air Passengers Duty £40.00

This is a deal killer.
United Kingdom Air Passengers Duty £40.00Yes, agreed and thanks for looking those up.

OT - not keen on the lowball teaser prices, even though your post shows that the airline gets none of the extra. Nevertheless, half the economy is government these days so it's not surprising if half the ticket cost is tax.

But would your plumber, for example, be allowed to quote $30 per hour for his time but when presenting his bill add $15/hr to pay his income tax, $10/hr for his social security, $5/hr for hs IRA, $5 towards his car-tax etc?

But would your plumber, for example, be allowed to quote $30 per hour for his time but when presenting his bill add $15/hr to pay his income tax, $10/hr for his social security, $5/hr for hs IRA, $5 towards his car-tax etc?

If he showed up on time and did the job right the first time, I'm sure he could. Wait a minute, the airlines do none of this :D

Seriously, if shops were unbundling their rates into base and surcharges, I'd do the same to stay competitive. Otherwise, my rate would look grossly overpriced when advertised. Fortunately, such insanity hasn't taken over the machine shop industry as of yet. We do have our own pecadillos to deal with, however ;)

On topic, I've used FareCompare from its inception and have always been familiar with its shortcomings. However, every single mileage run and mistake fare I've flown since then has started there. Can't argue with that kind of success. If they could've rolled their metrics, historical data and search capability into a subscription service which presented the features and GDS access that EF and KVS offer, I'd subscribe in an instant, even for twice the price of EF premium service.

Pat

Almost all of my travel in the past year has started with an alert of a low price from farecompare. I found the UA fare burp last July (when they were pricing transcons as low as $109+ rt for a few hours) there and booked NYC-SEA for $141 all in and NYC-OAK for $155 all in. I found the NYC-ORD $78+ fare sale there. I found a LGA-SFO flight on CO for $158 via them, and when JFK-SFO fares were wildly fluctuating was able to save $100 by grabbing an AA fare on a day they matched another carrier's sale.

For my needs it's a useful tool - I've saved a lot.

Today I have been having awful luck trying to get FC to load. Is it just me?

Beta site functions as normal for me as of this post time...

Pat

For those of you who want to chase inventory for a fare, no problem, would you like to pay our cost of $5 to check the outbound and inbound inventory for the next 180+ days and would you like to do that a few times a day since inventory can and does change frequently.

How about a premium version of FC that does this? I'd pay.