It looks like FareCompare has just upgraded in the last 15 minutes. Pricing now seems to include all fuel surcharges, and taxes. It's more purty too! :D

yes and I don't like it. What is this numbering of cities and then I have to scroll down to the bottom of the page to see the fare :confused: Some parts of this upgrade, e.g. the airline search / compare function will be nice, but standard search take longer for now.

Why all the unnecessary changes? Does rosj work for Yahoo or what?

And yes, I too find the "upgraded" look harder on the eyes, as I now have to make a conscious effort to scan across all the widely-spaced columns on the Flyertalk page.

To all web designers out there: content, not color. Text, not flash, please!

Will be great to see accurate fares rather than those dishonest teaser prices.

Tried a few queries and it looks as if FC is taking a guess at the concealed taxes-and-surcharges for international fares, still that's much better than hiding them.

Fully agree with the remarks about the interface, especially the blockheaded "Search-results" creeping thru all the wrong fares you didn't select. (Maybe there's a way to turn this off?)

I like what they're getting at, and being able to get the dashboard by airline with junk fees loaded in is very valuable.

Still, it must've been fooled for some time by a supposed $99 ATL-MSP RT fare it kept listing as the lowest to anywhere. My guess was it was a misread one-way.

Am also lately getting that stupid error message about the wrong key for the Google Map API - should that really be the end user's problem?

With FC and ITA I also tend to wonder if woes are caused by losing some irreplaceable person who knew how such-and-such works and was the only one who could do so-and-so. Seems like it could happen in an operation like that, but companies never tend to admit it if it does.

Will be great to see accurate fares rather than those dishonest teaser prices.

Tried a few queries and it looks as if FC is taking a guess at the concealed taxes-and-surcharges for international fares, still that's much better than hiding them.

Fully agree with the remarks about the interface, especially the blockheaded "Search-results" creeping thru all the wrong fares you didn't select. (Maybe there's a way to turn this off?)

However, I haven't once found a result even near the "initial" rate shown. It always seem to go from i.e. $128 to a lowest of $300+. The previous version may not have initially shown the all in fare, but at least it had the fare it claimed, before you clicked through.

I find it humorous that FT is littered with thousands of deals in the last year that are directly attributable to the inside knowledge gained from FareCompare.com.


http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=673385
(http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=673385)

And amazingly people that actually take the time to do their research are running across the country side on MRs.

I am pretty sure the airlines highest priority is selling you seats at 1.5 cents per mile on exactly the days that meet your busy schedule ... @:-)

----
rosj

I find it humorous that FT is littered with thousands of deals in the last year that are directly attributable to the inside knowledge gained from FareCompare.com.


http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=673385
(http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=673385)

And amazingly people that actually take the time to do their research are running across the country side on MRs.

I am pretty sure the airlines highest priority is selling you seats at 1.5 cents per mile on exactly the days that meet your busy schedule ... @:-)

----
rosj


Thanks for a dose of reality.

Sigh
----
rosj

Thanks for the great information and all the hard work. You and your site are hall of fame material.

Thanks for all the great memories you have provided myself.

Blank Sheet

And amazingly people that actually take the time to do their research are running across the country side on MRs.
j

Well, you know some people are never happy.

I think the new interface is pretty good, and having an all in price is certainly nice. The Kayak interface for finding prices is okay, however it would be nicer to find the lowest price, without having to find the fare basis out, and then scan day by day to find seats available. IE, give me dates that I could actually fly on.

Then again, going on a Disney cruise with a 6 year old can really wear you out. :)

Before I get too far, I want to say thanks to rosj and to FareCompare. If nothing else, you've provided a very handy tool for those who don't want to do it the "old-fashioned way" and, by and large, has been well received by most of us here.

Now, some points. I'm one in the minority(?) who doesn't like the new Kayak interface and preferred the old one. Perhaps I'm just used to routine, but I was able to get more out of FC than I currently can. However, an interface change is up to you and none of my business since it's offered for free (even though FlyerTalk has been a huge QA department for you guys... ;)). Secondly, I don't want anyone to think that before FC there was nothing. There was, and still are, many good ways of finding and creating mileage runs. We were doing runs before FC and we will be doing runs after FC. And since it looks like FC is ramping up to be aimed more at the general public than the mileage running crowd, we shouldn't forget those tried-and-true methods.

It would be really wonderful if FC had multiple ways to display the same data. Mileage runners are looking for a completely different breakdown of the data than your average lowest-fare seeker is, and all it takes is a second set of code dealing with the same data. Of course, you're not going to get paid by FlyerTalkers to do this, so I realize you're (FC) going to do whatever you think is in the best interest in gaining capital/revenue.

Best of luck to FC, and once again, thanks for the influx of enthusiasm. I can't say I'll be using FC as much as I had in the past, but to each his own, right?

I find it humorous that FT is littered with thousands of deals in the last year that are directly attributable to the inside knowledge gained from FareCompare.com. ----
rosj


Is that slick tool that was PMed to me available in the current version where you could type in departure city and sort by PPM? I have been unable to find it.

Is that slick tool that was PMed to me available in the current version where you could type in departure city and sort by PPM? I have been unable to find it.

Here's the link (http://www.farecompare.com/search/flyertalk.html?departure=DTT&fares=Domestic&carrierFilter=NW&filter=ALL&ppm=9999&savings=99999&distance=0&sortby=ppm&p=1). I found the answer to my question. I LOVE this link.

Here's the link (http://www.farecompare.com/search/flyertalk.html?departure=DTT&fares=Domestic&carrierFilter=NW&filter=ALL&ppm=9999&savings=99999&distance=0&sortby=ppm&p=1). I found the answer to my question. I LOVE this link.
You should really sort by price using that link since FC doesn't calculate mileage the way a mileage runner can/should/does.

I'm glad that this FlyerTalk link still exists, otherwise I'd have no use for FC at all.

I find it humorous that FT is littered with thousands of deals in the last year that are directly attributable to the inside knowledge gained from FareCompare.com.


http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=673385
(http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=673385)

And amazingly people that actually take the time to do their research are running across the country side on MRs.

I am pretty sure the airlines highest priority is selling you seats at 1.5 cents per mile on exactly the days that meet your busy schedule ... @:-)

----
rosj


As the OP for the thread mentioned above, I would like to point out that I am in no way complaining or whining about FareCompare, but instead am quite thankful for its existence. ^

I think farecompare is a great tool, and definitely makes it much easier to find the ultra cheap fares loaded by the airlines. Previously these fares would only get posted if someone happened to randomly search the city pairs involved while the fare was active. With FC (and the alerts), every cheap fare from a major city gets posted pretty quickly, eg the CO $94+ SFO-WAS fare and the recent AA $118+ LAX-WAS fare.

Of course, it isn't perfect but it is very easy to work around it. The old version that showed seat availability was nice, but you know, it still was a pain to click on various dates to find availability. I always used the itasoftware site or some other tool to check for availability. If I couldn't find anything, I didn't think "farecompare is a crock" but understood that airlines often published fares with very little (or sometimes no) availability.

Also, FC isn't the best for "regular" (as opposed to misfiled ;) ) international fares because many airlines (UA & NW for example) have "web only" fares that are only bookable on their website (and apparently FC is prohibited from publishing these fares). However, it is still gives a reasonable overview of what is available.

I notice that the new update also lets you search one-way fares. That is definitely a nice addition! However, I miss the quick summary of the booking code and rules for each of the filed fare (though yes, I know I can get it from other sources).

I think farecompare is a great tool, and definitely makes it much easier to find the ultra cheap fares loaded by the airlines. Previously these fares would only get posted if someone happened to randomly search the city pairs involved while the fare was active. With FC (and the alerts), every cheap fare from a major city gets posted pretty quickly, eg the CO $94+ SFO-WAS fare and the recent AA $118+ LAX-WAS fare.
Good point. The posting style in this forum also changed significantly. It was very rare to see somebody post BEFORE the fare was loaded. Now everybody can do it if you once receive "Deal Alert" from FareCompare ... good or bad.

However, I miss the quick summary of the booking code and rules for each of the filed fare (though yes, I know I can get it from other sources).

I can't say that I've used the new tool too much yet, but you can get the fare code basis, by clicking on the little "I" close to the airline when you're choosing the dates and so forth.

Such as this:

Continental Airlines
Date Filed:
Mar 20, 2007 20:09
Base Price:
$ 345
Total Price:
$ 415
Trip Type:
Roundtrip
Fare Code:
LR0SN

You should really sort by price using that link since FC doesn't calculate mileage the way a mileage runner can/should/does.

I still use Dream Maps for US stuff. I like the PPM on the international stuff.

I agree, for US, is easier to sort by price.

I can't say that I've used the new tool too much yet, but you can get the fare code basis, by clicking on the little "I" close to the airline when you're choosing the dates and so forth.

Such as this:

Continental Airlines
Date Filed:
Mar 20, 2007 20:09
Base Price:
$ 345
Total Price:
$ 415
Trip Type:
Roundtrip
Fare Code:
LR0SN



Thanks for the info! This gives you the fare class pretty easily.

However, it doesn't have the minimum stay requirement/day of travel requirement. Of course you can get the info from other sources, but it was nice to see it in one place with minimal effort.

Thanks for the info! This gives you the fare class pretty easily.

However, it doesn't have the minimum stay requirement/day of travel requirement. Of course you can get the info from other sources, but it was nice to see it in one place with minimal effort.

thanks to FC for providing us with great info over the past year, but the new tool is simply not useful anymore (for me).

thanks to FC for providing us with great info over the past year, but the new tool is simply not useful anymore (for me).

Nor to me. I just removed it from my favorites list. :td:

Dave

I find it humorous that FT is littered with thousands of deals in the last year that are directly attributable to the inside knowledge gained from FareCompare.com.






----
rosj

Yes, thousands in the LAST YEAR. But, with the old version of FC.
Dave

The cost per mile screen (http://www.farecompare.com/search/flyertalk.html?departure=PHX&fares=Both&carrierFilter=CheapestFarePerMarket&filter=ALL&ppm=0.040&savings=99999&distance=0&sortby=Destination) is still available, and the email alerts are one of the most valuable tools out there.

The problems with showing one list of lowest priced cities on the map screen, and then a totally different list of cities once you click on it, is certainly annoying. The Kayak pricing for tickets is obviously the big weak point in the newer upgrade. Seats are rarely available at the low price first mentioned. However, it's that low prices are available, and the fare basis that are the most important piece of data to me.

However, I don't know of any site that gives me as much information, as easily as FC.

Yes, thousands in the LAST YEAR. But, with the old version of FC.I would like to know how related between finding deals and old/upgraded FareCompare. And of course, you know we only have 3 months this year so far and had been using the old version until Mar 15, don't you?

As an longtime FTer, and returning-from-sabbatical mileage runner, I'd like to take this opportunity to extend my most heartfelt appreciation to rosj for the tremendous tool that is FareCompare. I'd like to buy you a drink sometime, my friend. :-:

If something like this had been around after the muchly-mourned demise of easysabre, I might have been an United Million-Miler/Lifetime PE by now. :)

Some of you newcomers have no idea how good you've got it ... @:-)

but the new tool is simply not useful anymore (for me).

Nor to me. I just removed it from my favorites list. :td:

Was this really necessary, folks? :(

Was this really necessary, folks? :(

Should we write 'great, we love the new version' 'bring more such changes'? I clearly wrote that FC was great and we all loved it :)
What I really enjoyed was expanding on the maps and seeing the nearby departure airport options. I just tried to look at some simple things yesterday (not MR related) and it took me forever.
Friendly user critique can help to improve a product, don't you think so?

If someone will take the time to create a list of requirements/specifications that will help the bulk of everyone -- I will build a new tool that closely matches the requirements within reason. This includes any old vs. new issues and the current FT search tool.

----
rosj

I can not believe some of the comments.

ROSJ - please note that the vast majority of us (the silent majority) appreciate everything you have done. Ignore the negative comments!

Thanks!

Nicksterguy

ROSJ - please note that the vast majority of us (the silent majority) appreciate everything you have done. Ignore the negative comments!
I think you (and others) are misinterpreting the comments.

Those of us who haven't just given everything an overwhelming "A+" or are willing to give our first-borns to FC aren't being negative or unappreciative.

On the contrary, many of us do in fact appreciate rosj's and FC's contributions made to FlyerTalk. I, for one, never would have gone to Cyprus or probably ever flown Alitalia. My parents never would have taken such a trip either. Back when FC was in its infancy, there were some mileage runs that were visible to me only because of FC because it was simple to quickly find things during a 5-minute break at work or between checking emails, etc. So, I (and most others) certainly do appreciate everything rosj and the FC team has done. We're just a little concerned (upset?) at the direction we see FC going based on the promising tools we've seen in the past.

Now, as a software developer myself, I can certainly understand some of the choices they've made. It seems clear that FareCompare is gearing up to become a profit-oriented site targeted at the more casual traveler (casual enough that it includes hardly none of FlyerTalk) and that is clearly evident by the introduction of the new Kayak interface, among other things. FareCompare has every right (and perhaps the responsibility to its employees and funding sources?) to drive their product to something they feel is more palatable to the average flying public.

It's just that, as FlyerTalkers, that would essentially create a tool not unlike one we've seen and used before.

For me, there are a few things off the top of my head I can think of that would help the FlyerTalker. Feel free to take any of this with a grain of salt or add/expound on it as you see fit:

1. Maintain two separate branches of development: one for the casual, "targetted' user; a second one for the advanced/FlyerTalk user. Give more controls over the display of the data (lists, sorting, RSS, etc.)

2. Improve the initial display of fares. Display the fare class as early in the process as possible, ideally as early as the fare alert emails.

3. Improve the indication of fares on an airline. More often than not, for example, I'll click on the fare (using the old FlyerTalk fare display page) when filtering by "NW" and find that the fare is actually not offered by NW at the stated price, but offered by UA or AA at the price. NW certainly does have a fare, but it's higher on every day than some other airlines. This happens a lot. Perhaps this is a bug? Or perhaps that page should be tied to availability (so that means getting a list that could change based on which day you're searching?)

4. (Personal Request) rosj, you guys have the data, I know. So just build it. :) A simple page that displays *all* airfare (either from a particular city to *anywhere* by price, or from all cities to all cities listed by price. Simply loading all fares into the view sorted by increasing price. Very simple, and I'm sure you can understand why I'm requesting this. For this, I might even pay a small recurring fee. ;)

There's probably more I can think of later, but that's just off the top of my head right now.

I do *appreciate* FC and rosj's (and team) efforts. I'd just like to see a dual focus on "advanced level" displays and data availability. You don't need to leave the training wheels on for FlyerTalkers like you do for the rest of the traveling public. ;)

I think you (and others) are misinterpreting the comments.



I couldn't agree more with SchmutzigMSP's comments. FC is a great tool and has more than replaced dream maps.

so what I am missing in the new version:

- built in $ amounts on the map with the same 'nearby airport' suggestions. Heck if I can fly out of MHT or PVD for a lot less, screw Logan airport ;) I remember looking into a MR to LAX and found out via the map that flights to ONT from PVD were a lot better; but this is a double change BOS to PVD and LAX to ONT. Great with the old tool, but does it work with the new version?

- show the min/max stay requirements or maybe a link to the full fare rules?

- there used to be some sort of availability filter built into farecompare, such that one could readily see if at least on the outbound the particular fare class was available on the specific carrier and day; right now the link to Kayak is 99% unsuccessful, I never get the fares. Hence I will need to go into a different availability tool and then book somewhere. So you are actually missing out on some commission here.

what I really like:

- select by Airline; any chance to add a 'select by *A, ST, OW'?

I like FC and appreciate what has been created. However the new system of picking a departure day/return day and then pricing is really cumbersome imo.

One idea: change the color of the button when it changes to "Find Flights" to like green maybe. So that your eye notices the change instead it just blends in and looks like nothing changed on the page at all.

Missing Min/Max stay info (after clicking "i" icon) is one of negative changes I dislike. I believe this is important info for both general users AND Mileage Runners in FlyerTalk (note: not all FlyerTalkers). Displaying fare class (actually fare basis code) would give more useful info for advanced travelers. Fare rules? Definitely it's welcome, but maybe this kind info should be paid. Regardless old version or new, the feature I personally like and thought useful was "Advanced Fare Historical Graph". This helps me to understand the market and determine if the fare is post-worthy here. I personally don't use any booking links from FareCompare, which is (I know) not good for them, so there are no comments for kayak/Orbitz links.

FareCompare has every right (and perhaps the responsibility to its employees and funding sources?) to drive their product to something they feel is more palatable to the average flying public.


Agree whole heartedly... I think rosj has done an incredible job and helped FTer's tremendously. ^

This has been done for free to the public... and if it were originally some kind of hobby or fun, it has definitely outgrown that. I think when rosj first came on this board, he had intentions of building the best travel comparison site, using the collective knowledge and input from FT. I believe it's a good partnership.

The data isn't free, so someone has to pay. As SchmutzipMSP points out, they need revenue to support the product and operations, and the average flying public is where the $ is. Most of us on FT are too frugal (or cheap) to pay for additional stuff.

For those who say it is now useless to them, or not worth looking it up, that's fine. Use another site to get equivalent information for free.

1. Maintain two separate branches of development: one for the casual, "targetted' user; a second one for the advanced/FlyerTalk user. Give more controls over the display of the data (lists, sorting, RSS, etc.)It would be nice, however, I am not sure if this is FareCompare's main concern. There is no way to access to the FT dedicated page (http://www.farecompare.com/search/flyertalk.html) from the top page (http://www.farecompare.com/). In other words, majority of users even doesn't know its existence. I consider that page as "a fringe".
Or perhaps that page should be tied to availability (so that means getting a list that could change based on which day you're searching?)I think this is unlikely to happen (or extremely hard to accomplish) since they need to check all possible routing combination to answer your query, even ITA wouldn't do that unless you specify the routing. Look at Travelocity. They only check the availability of single or the most logical connection when you use flexible search and if they cannot find it, the result would be "No Seats", which is not really correct. There are seats many times if you take double/triple connections.

I am still very in love with FC, but am disappointed that the first/business fares have dropped off the display page for each destination. (I'd also still like to see the flyertalk page have a Business/First fare filter as well.)

Is it just me, or did FC change again? Last time I used it, the results came back differently, and it wasn't forcing orbitz down my throat. It had several purchasing options. If I wanted orbitz, I'd go to orbitz. While it is still fairly useful, I have to say it's going downhill. IMO, of course.

Is it just me, or did FC change again?

Well, the searches I've done tonight seem to use Orbitz instead of the Kayak interface. There are certain things about it that are nicer (showing all fares), but the prices certainly seem to be higher than I'm used to. Orbitz booking fees, perhaps?

I am still very in love with FC, but am disappointed that the first/business fares have dropped off the display page for each destination. (I'd also still like to see the flyertalk page have a Business/First fare filter as well.)

There is actually more data on coach and first class fares on the flexible year page. In the bottom right corner of the display you can add rows to the grid with specific airline (or cheapest) in all 3 cabins.

For example:

http://www.farecompare.com/search/year.html?departure=DFW&destination=LAX&tripType=oneway&carrierCabins=-First,AA-Coach,AS-First&alternates=DFWSNA

You can look at the URL and see how to add more to the default display if you want to save a favorite.

tripType={oneway,roundtrip}
carrierCabins={[carrierCode(blank is cheapest)]-[Coach,Busines,First], ...}
alternates=citycode1citycode2

In the past we only had cheapest in each cabin, we now have that plus selection of specific airline in each cabin (it is just not displayed by default)



---

rosj

Well, the searches I've done tonight seem to use Orbitz instead of the Kayak interface. There are certain things about it that are nicer (showing all fares), but the prices certainly seem to be higher than I'm used to. Orbitz booking fees, perhaps?

As mentioned before we are going to be testing several methods including kayak and orbitz. We are also going to bring back the "pursue inventory for a fare feature" in a few weeks, where we look forward and backward for dates of inventory for a fare. We we also be taking feedback like min stay etc on the display and adding that. We want to provide multiple ways for people to get the flow that best suits their needs so be patient :)

You will notice on the orbitz result page over the coming days will be augmented with the star rating and notation on whether the cheapest is available with more to come.

---

rosj

I'm getting quite frustrated with FC today or lately; everytime i search for the low fare and it pops up on the calendar; poof its not there; I pretty much have figured that its not reliable

I havent' read all the threads on this thread but just thought I'd vent it out.. thanks I feel better

I'm getting quite frustrated with FC today or lately; everytime i search for the low fare and it pops up on the calendar; poof its not there; I pretty much have figured that its not reliable

I havent' read all the threads on this thread but just thought I'd vent it out.. thanks I feel better

I guess we need to make it more obvious that the calendar is showing lowest published prices - and isn't an indication of availability.

Wonder why the airlines are filing all these low fares and not releasing seats :))))

I'm getting quite frustrated with FC today or lately; everytime i search for the low fare and it pops up on the calendar; poof its not there; I pretty much have figured that its not reliable

I havent' read all the threads on this thread but just thought I'd vent it out.. thanks I feel better

1) Its not loaded yet on the purchasing sites
2) The airlines are releasing seats on the days you selected

We will shortly provide a pursue seats feature for a fare when the seats are not found on your prefered day.

---
rosj

I think everyone needs to have a bit of patience here. rosj has come through for us big time in the past, and I'm sure that with all our feedback that Fare Compare will keep pumping out the deals in the future.

rosj,

In the course of adding the list of alternates (...&alternatesDFWSNA,DFWBDL etc.), can one specific class or airline? (e.g., could I add a search for DFWBDL on AA in First?)


Thanks,

snorkmaster

There is actually more data on coach and first class fares on the flexible year page. In the bottom right corner of the display you can add rows to the grid with specific airline (or cheapest) in all 3 cabins.

For example:

http://www.farecompare.com/search/year.html?departure=DFW&destination=LAX&tripType=oneway&carrierCabins=-First,AA-Coach,AS-First&alternates=DFWSNA

You can look at the URL and see how to add more to the default display if you want to save a favorite.

tripType={oneway,roundtrip}
carrierCabins={[carrierCode(blank is cheapest)]-[Coach,Busines,First], ...}
alternates=citycode1citycode2

In the past we only had cheapest in each cabin, we now have that plus selection of specific airline in each cabin (it is just not displayed by default)



---

rosj

Have FC vastly enlarged the number of cities a query returns? Or is this something that was there and I - until now - was missing?

Asking for the lowest fares from (in my case BOS) usually brought up perhaps 30 cities. Now the number is over 200. Which is great if I'm ever seized with the idea that a weekend at Ft Leonard Wood, at Saranac Lake, or to Ketchikan would be fun, but mostly not helpful as cities I do want fares for (like LA, San Diego, and San Francisco; you know, places that are off the beaten track) don't even show up on the map until I reach page 4 of prices, by which time it's irrelevant: I'm already looking at the price.

If it is an "upgrade" is it something that could be set to return fewer - and larger - city pairs?

I love FC, but I am not a big fan of the new Orbitz results engine. The Kayak flavor was so much better. It makes me want to avoid getting to the results point in the process.

Cheers,

Adrian

Nevermind my previous comment ... figured out how to do what I wanted :D

I like the current version of the flyertalk farecompare version as well as the farecompare maps. I like the add airline row function. The only thing more I'd like would be email updates for international fares. This version is much better than the one from a month ago.

We rolled out a new results page with filtering capabilities this afternoon,
interested as always in any feedback - both good and bad.





MinetaFlyer - we do international alerts and first class too. If you login via
http://www.farecompare.com/email/index.htm - you should be able to add alerts for intl cities and/or zones.

Thanks gwwallace! I'll try the international alerts, especially useful now that spring and summer fares have risen so much.

I have a FC question. I search and fares show up as X on a certain day. I pick my outbound and return flights and hit Find Fare. Invariably the fares come back as "sold out". Why would this not be represented on the first page (i.e. the lowest fare would be the one that was actually available?). Am I missing something? TIA.

Simple answer:

It is not possible to have last seat inventory for every day of the year and for every combination of city pair.

Longer answer:

It would take a year to query all the flights in the world for every day of the year to know whether they will sell you a seat at the lowest price, 2nd lowest price or 3rd lowest price etc 5 minutes later that years worth of querying could be stale.

About 10% of all travelers fly on the the cheapest published fare, this means 90% are flying on the 2nd, 3rd, 4th ... cheapest fares. The airlines control this on a query by query basis, one minute they might release it another they can take it away for the same flight and date.

There are several things we can do make this easier and we are working on it.

----
rosj

I have a suggestion:

In the farecompare alert emails, would it be posisble to list the airline that the low fares are on?

I really only care about certain airlines, and it takes many, many clicks to figure out which one the low price is on.

I realize most people might not be so airline-specific, but it wouldn't hurt them to have it listed in the email would it?

Great site by the way, I do find it helpful. ^

I have a suggestion:

In the farecompare alert emails, would it be posisble to list the airline that the low fares are on?

I really only care about certain airlines, and it takes many, many clicks to figure out which one the low price is on.

I realize most people might not be so airline-specific, but it wouldn't hurt them to have it listed in the email would it?

Great site by the way, I do find it helpful. ^

I agree. This would be amazingly helpful.

Thanks for all of the great work!!!

Simple answer:

It is not possible to have last seat inventory for every day of the year and for every combination of city pair.

Longer answer:

It would take a year to query all the flights in the world for every day of the year to know whether they will sell you a seat at the lowest price, 2nd lowest price or 3rd lowest price etc 5 minutes later that years worth of querying could be stale.

About 10% of all travelers fly on the the cheapest published fare, this means 90% are flying on the 2nd, 3rd, 4th ... cheapest fares. The airlines control this on a query by query basis, one minute they might release it another they can take it away for the same flight and date.

There are several things we can do make this easier and we are working on it.

----
rosj

Thanks for your answer. And after reading a few posts I realize this has been discussed before. :)

I love the fare listing feature of FC and was wondering whether and when complete fare rules (read: including routing rules) will be avaialble via links from the individual fares listed.

thanks for any update/info on that from the FC crew!

I miss the 2yr historical fare data graphs. :(

kayak only has a monthly graph for SFO-MAD (no MXP) and I had to specify the month. (sigh)

rosj has an interesting link comparing some of the major airlines Best Rate Guarantee. Most of them seem to be a real PITA to use, or you had to submit multiple claims to get anything. I found it pretty interesting.

http://www.farecompare.com/articles/cheapest-airline-guarantees/northwest_airlines_same_day_cheapest_airline_ticke t_guarantees_tested.html

I looks like United was the worst of the bunch, ignoring the request for BRG.

Using this flyertalk farecompare link is there a way to search by fare class or booking code?

http://www.farecompare.com/search/flyertalk.html?departure=LAX&fares=International&carrierFilter=CheapestFarePerMarket&filter=ALL&ppm=9999&savings=99999&distance=0&sortby=ppm&p=1

I like FC, but prefer the older version. It might be user error, but whenever I search for a fare from this page (http://www.farecompare.com/search/flyertalk.html?departure=CHI&fares=Domestic&carrierFilter=AA&filter=ALL&ppm=9999&savings=99999&distance=0&sortby=Price), go through the motions and pick the date with the lowest fare, it always comes up as sold out.

Like I said, it could be my error. If not, it would be a lot more useful if those fares are not displayed on the results page. Since the new version has been deployed, I have not been able to successfully find a discount fare and stopped using it out of frustration.

Kudos to the developers of the tools - as long as some people find the tool useful, that's great.

pick the date with the lowest fare, it always comes up as sold out

The same always happens to me

Like I said, it could be my error. If not, it would be a lot more useful if those fares are not displayed on the results page. Since the new version has been deployed, I have not been able to successfully find a discount fare and stopped using it out of frustration.

It's not your error! I've personally found it to be a much less useful site since their "upgrade"...but I loved the old site.

We will shortly provide a pursue seats feature for a fare when the seats are not found on your prefered day.

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rosj


Has the pursue seats feature been added yet?