Jan 21, 2015, 10:55 am
Last edit by: hillrider
Here are some more hidden features of the ITA software.
The extensions to the itasoftware routing language are accessed by postpending commands after a '/'. There's a wide set of commands available, but there's no description of them available on the ITA web site. Unfortunately, each command applies only to one part of the trip, so they must usually be entered in each box.
EXCLUDE SPECIFIC AIRLINES
Command is "-airlines XX ..."
Ex: prohibit jetBlue or Delta
from: BOS ::/ -airlines B6 DL
to: LAX ::/ -airlines B6 DL
LIMIT TO SPECIFIC AIRLINES
Command is "airlines XX ..."
Ex: consider only jetBlue or Delta
from: BOS ::/ airlines B6 DL
to: LAX ::/ airlines B6 DL
LIMIT TO A SINGLE ALLIANCE
Command is "alliance star-alliance|oneworld|skyteam"
Ex: oneworld carriers only
from: BOS ::/ alliance oneworld
to: LAX ::/ alliance oneworld
EXCLUDE CODESHARES
Command is "-codeshare"
Ex: prohibit jetBlue or Delta
from: BOS ::/ -codeshare
to: LAX ::/ -codeshare
LIMIT DURATION OF ITINERARY, IN MINUTES
Command is "maxdur XXX"
Ex: no more than 5hrs for each part of trip
from: BOS ::/ maxdur 300
to: LAX ::/ maxdur 300
EXCLUDE OVERNIGHT STOPS, AIRPORT CHANGES, REDEYES, PROPELLER PLANES, TRAINS, HELICOPTERS, ANY KIND OF SURFACE TRAVEL
Commands are "-overnight", "-change", "-redeye", "-prop", "-train", "-helicopter", "-surface"
Ex: no overnight stops, no airport changes, no redeyes, no propeller planes
from: BOS ::/ -overnight, -change, -redeye, -prop
to: LAX ::/ -overnight, -change, -redeye, -prop
SET MINIMUM OR MAXIMUM TIME FOR CONNECTIONS, IN MINUTES
Commands are "minconnect XX", "maxconnect XX"
Ex: no less than one hour, no more than two hour connections
from: BOS ::/ minconnect 60, maxconnect 120
to: LAX ::/ minconnect 60, maxconnect 120
EXTRA CONNECTION TIME
Command is "padconnect XX"
Ex: require at least 20 minutes more than airline specified minimum connection time
from: BOS ::/ padconnect 20
to: LAX ::/ padconnect 20
PUTTING LOTS OF THINGS TOGETHER
Separate with commas.
Ex:
from: BOS :: UA UA / f bc=l|bc=y, -redeye, -prop
to: LAX :: UA+ / f ua.bos+lax.yup, padconnect 20, -overnight
The extensions to the itasoftware routing language are accessed by postpending commands after a '/'. There's a wide set of commands available, but there's no description of them available on the ITA web site. Unfortunately, each command applies only to one part of the trip, so they must usually be entered in each box.
EXCLUDE SPECIFIC AIRLINES
Command is "-airlines XX ..."
Ex: prohibit jetBlue or Delta
from: BOS ::/ -airlines B6 DL
to: LAX ::/ -airlines B6 DL
LIMIT TO SPECIFIC AIRLINES
Command is "airlines XX ..."
Ex: consider only jetBlue or Delta
from: BOS ::/ airlines B6 DL
to: LAX ::/ airlines B6 DL
LIMIT TO A SINGLE ALLIANCE
Command is "alliance star-alliance|oneworld|skyteam"
Ex: oneworld carriers only
from: BOS ::/ alliance oneworld
to: LAX ::/ alliance oneworld
EXCLUDE CODESHARES
Command is "-codeshare"
Ex: prohibit jetBlue or Delta
from: BOS ::/ -codeshare
to: LAX ::/ -codeshare
LIMIT DURATION OF ITINERARY, IN MINUTES
Command is "maxdur XXX"
Ex: no more than 5hrs for each part of trip
from: BOS ::/ maxdur 300
to: LAX ::/ maxdur 300
EXCLUDE OVERNIGHT STOPS, AIRPORT CHANGES, REDEYES, PROPELLER PLANES, TRAINS, HELICOPTERS, ANY KIND OF SURFACE TRAVEL
Commands are "-overnight", "-change", "-redeye", "-prop", "-train", "-helicopter", "-surface"
Ex: no overnight stops, no airport changes, no redeyes, no propeller planes
from: BOS ::/ -overnight, -change, -redeye, -prop
to: LAX ::/ -overnight, -change, -redeye, -prop
SET MINIMUM OR MAXIMUM TIME FOR CONNECTIONS, IN MINUTES
Commands are "minconnect XX", "maxconnect XX"
Ex: no less than one hour, no more than two hour connections
from: BOS ::/ minconnect 60, maxconnect 120
to: LAX ::/ minconnect 60, maxconnect 120
EXTRA CONNECTION TIME
Command is "padconnect XX"
Ex: require at least 20 minutes more than airline specified minimum connection time
from: BOS ::/ padconnect 20
to: LAX ::/ padconnect 20
PUTTING LOTS OF THINGS TOGETHER
Separate with commas.
Ex:
from: BOS :: UA UA / f bc=l|bc=y, -redeye, -prop
to: LAX :: UA+ / f ua.bos+lax.yup, padconnect 20, -overnight
TIP: More hidden features of ITA
Nov 18, 2017, 6:14 am
#527
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: SE England
Programs: AF-KL Platinum, ALL Platinum
Posts: 755
ITA Matrix searching both airline and booking class?
Hi,
Please move this if I have posted in the wrong place. I cannot find the information anywhere.
In ITA Matrix how is it posible to seach for multiple destinations with the criterion of both an airline alliance and some cabin classes? The image shows that I can enter an airline alliance but it will then not allow me to enter a range of cabin classes. So either it is not possible ot I have the wrong syntax.
I have a free weekend in Feburary and trying to find the cheapest AF/KL business class LHR-CDG/AMS-somewhere less than 750 miles return and ideally fit within those a AF/KL return via CDG/AMS to somewhere else less than 750 miles so the schedule would be:
Thanks
Please move this if I have posted in the wrong place. I cannot find the information anywhere.
In ITA Matrix how is it posible to seach for multiple destinations with the criterion of both an airline alliance and some cabin classes? The image shows that I can enter an airline alliance but it will then not allow me to enter a range of cabin classes. So either it is not possible ot I have the wrong syntax.
I have a free weekend in Feburary and trying to find the cheapest AF/KL business class LHR-CDG/AMS-somewhere less than 750 miles return and ideally fit within those a AF/KL return via CDG/AMS to somewhere else less than 750 miles so the schedule would be:
- LHR to CDG or AMS to (for example) FRA
- FRA to CDG or AMS to (for example) MAD
- MAD to CDG or AMS to FRA
- FRA to CDG or AMS to LHR
Thanks
Jan 9, 2018, 3:56 pm
#531
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: Somewhere
Posts: 1,178
Jan 9, 2018, 10:49 pm
#532
Join Date: Mar 2014
Programs: 1K
Posts: 220
You can search using multi-cities. Enter date and DRO-DEN on your first flight. Then for your second segment, enter DEN-IAD, date and add routing code for booking class you want. See screenshot below for example. Make sure you select the cheapest available cabin, so you can get the cheapest cabin (which is normally economy) on DRO-DEN, while your DEN-IAD will search for the cheapest P or Z available.
Mar 20, 2018, 10:13 pm
#533
Join Date: Mar 2010
Posts: 1,748
I have looked everywhere and can't find a simple answer to this. I want to know if it is possible to do a search with a LONG stopover (say, four weeks) instead of the usual day or so expressed in minutes. There are some great deals where I really want to get out and stay in the penultimate destination and then simply go to the final stop, turn round and head straight home but I can't see how to do this. For example: LHR-HKG-SYD (Stay here for four weeks) - WLG. Then WLG-SYD-HKG-LHR.
If I put in a trip to SYD, then a second trip to WLG, then the third trip back to LHR it costs far more than searching for simply two trips.
If I put in a trip to SYD, then a second trip to WLG, then the third trip back to LHR it costs far more than searching for simply two trips.
Mar 20, 2018, 11:54 pm
#535
Join Date: Mar 2010
Posts: 1,748
Possibly, however I still want to know if there is a way to get ITA to do a long stopover. That is, not putting in minutes but some other form of entry?
Mar 21, 2018, 2:46 am
#537
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: London
Programs: Mucci. Nothing else matters.
Posts: 38,644
Don't forget that for your query (assuming that is the kind of route that you're looking for), it may be just as well for you to search for LHR-HKG-SYD//WLG-SYD-HKG-LHR and then buy a standalone SYD-WLG in between. With a four-week stop in SYD and then a further stop in WLG before you begin your journey back to London, there is no technical advantage to having SYD-WLG on the same ticket and therefore there's no point getting hung up on whether you can find a fare that allows the long stop.
Mar 21, 2018, 3:03 am
#538
Join Date: Mar 2010
Posts: 1,748
If you want a stopover in the region of 4 weeks, then the multi-city approach is also the only one that I know of. If there are valid fares, they should be returned using that search input; it ought to make no difference whether you were searching via the multi-city approach or using some code (which doesn't exist) to specify a stopover of that length.
Don't forget that for your query (assuming that is the kind of route that you're looking for), it may be just as well for you to search for LHR-HKG-SYD//WLG-SYD-HKG-LHR and then buy a standalone SYD-WLG in between. With a four-week stop in SYD and then a further stop in WLG before you begin your journey back to London, there is no technical advantage to having SYD-WLG on the same ticket and therefore there's no point getting hung up on whether you can find a fare that allows the long stop.
Don't forget that for your query (assuming that is the kind of route that you're looking for), it may be just as well for you to search for LHR-HKG-SYD//WLG-SYD-HKG-LHR and then buy a standalone SYD-WLG in between. With a four-week stop in SYD and then a further stop in WLG before you begin your journey back to London, there is no technical advantage to having SYD-WLG on the same ticket and therefore there's no point getting hung up on whether you can find a fare that allows the long stop.
Mar 21, 2018, 3:12 am
#539
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: London
Programs: Mucci. Nothing else matters.
Posts: 38,644
It was in response to a suggestion of a cheap J fare to Oz during December which involved a positioning flight to begin in CAI and then ending in WLG, via SYD where a long stopover was allowed. So the ticket really needed to end in WLG to enable the cheaper fare. If I used the multi city and made the second flight SYD-WLG, the price shot up, whereas if the assumption was a flight where the SYD stopover was the MCT, the price was extremely good.
You can test this using any fare which you know allows a stopover. Price it using the different search approaches; you should get the same result.
Of course, with that specific fare that you mention, if it really was that cheap then one option would have been to fly all the way to WLG, and then just fly straight back to SYD. It's only a 3˝ hour flight ...
Mar 21, 2018, 4:28 am
#540
Join Date: Mar 2005
Programs: Mucci, BA-GGL, LH-Sen
Posts: 2,241
It was in response to a suggestion of a cheap J fare to Oz during December which involved a positioning flight to begin in CAI and then ending in WLG, via SYD where a long stopover was allowed. So the ticket really needed to end in WLG to enable the cheaper fare. If I used the multi city and made the second flight SYD-WLG, the price shot up, whereas if the assumption was a flight where the SYD stopover was the MCT, the price was extremely good.
