xONEx online tool bugs thread
Jul 30, 2014, 12:06 am
#391
Join Date: Jul 2007
Programs: QFF
Posts: 5,304
The conflict between a US credit card used in the US on the one hand and the origin of the ticket in India on the other hand may be the problem. At least it SHOULD be a problem if AA is policing its market restrictions properly. In principle, ex India fares are for use only by passengers in the Indian market, not the US market. A US credit card should be acceptable, but only if used in India. But I have no idea if oneworld has programmed such restrictions into their software.
I have booked tickets via the tool, from Australia, with an Australian credit card, starting in Japan or Korea. No issue, and charged at the Japan/Korea price (as it should).
Aug 3, 2014, 6:53 pm
#394
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: used to be PER, now it's nowhere/eveywhere
Programs: QFF NB, AA GLD
Posts: 3,467
Aug 6, 2014, 2:27 am
#395
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: London
Posts: 17,007
Why do you assume that some booking a RTW ticket only does so from where ever their payment method happens to be registered?
I have booked tickets via the tool, from Australia, with an Australian credit card, starting in Japan or Korea. No issue, and charged at the Japan/Korea price (as it should).
I have booked tickets via the tool, from Australia, with an Australian credit card, starting in Japan or Korea. No issue, and charged at the Japan/Korea price (as it should).
Taking an ex-ICN DONE3 fare, for instance (and this is a standard restriction in the xONEx fares),
Code:
Sales restrictions
...
WHEN TRAVEL ORIGINATES IN A COUNTRY FOR WHICH
THE SPECIFIC LOCAL CURRENCY FARES IS PUBLISED AND
THE TICKET IS SOLD IN ANOTHER COUNTRY THE FARE
WILL BE THAT PUBLISHED FOR THE COUNTRY OF ORIGIN
CONVERTED TO THE CURRENCY OF THE COUNTRY OF SALE
AT THE BANK SELLING RATE.
THE RESULTANT FARE MUST NOT BE LOWER THAN FROM
THE COUNTRY OF SALE.
EXCEPTION-
NOT APPLICABLE WHEN BOTH TRAVEL ORIGINATES AND
SALES ARE MADE WITHIN EUROPE.
Were you charged in JPY/KRW or AUD? If it was the earlier then the country of sale was the country of origin, which is fine. Maybe that loophole was closed and they now pin your country of sale to your card billing address?
Most of the fare rules are not validated for autopricing so probably the GDS+online tool cannot validate this without human intervention. Speculating, an easy way around that would be for the website to reject cards having a billing address in a different country. Although from your experience that is obviously not implemented properly, it might be in place for certain countries. Another speculation would be that the tool is trying to process the rule now and it just gives up when it realizes the pricing was wrong.
Last edited by Calchas; Aug 6, 2014 at 2:32 am
Aug 6, 2014, 3:29 am
#396
Join Date: Jul 2007
Programs: QFF
Posts: 5,304
I don't think that's in line with the fare rules.
Taking an ex-ICN DONE3 fare, for instance (and this is a standard restriction in the xONEx fares),
I read that as, if the ex-SYD price (say) is higher than the ex-ICN price, and you book out of the SYD office (virtually or otherwise), you will be charged the ex-SYD price.
Were you charged in JPY/KRW or AUD? If it was the earlier then the country of sale was the country of origin, which is fine. Maybe that loophole was closed and they now pin your country of sale to your card billing address?
Most of the fare rules are not validated for autopricing so probably the GDS+online tool cannot validate this without human intervention. Speculating, an easy way around that would be for the website to reject cards having a billing address in a different country. Although from your experience that is obviously not implemented properly, it might be in place for certain countries. Another speculation would be that the tool is trying to process the rule now and it just gives up when it realizes the pricing was wrong.
Taking an ex-ICN DONE3 fare, for instance (and this is a standard restriction in the xONEx fares),
I read that as, if the ex-SYD price (say) is higher than the ex-ICN price, and you book out of the SYD office (virtually or otherwise), you will be charged the ex-SYD price.
Were you charged in JPY/KRW or AUD? If it was the earlier then the country of sale was the country of origin, which is fine. Maybe that loophole was closed and they now pin your country of sale to your card billing address?
Most of the fare rules are not validated for autopricing so probably the GDS+online tool cannot validate this without human intervention. Speculating, an easy way around that would be for the website to reject cards having a billing address in a different country. Although from your experience that is obviously not implemented properly, it might be in place for certain countries. Another speculation would be that the tool is trying to process the rule now and it just gives up when it realizes the pricing was wrong.
The tool assumes you are in the country of origin and send the fare to the first marketed carrier's (or to AA in the case of JL, LA, RJ and a few others) local ticketing office.
That silly rule has always been there for as long as I've been getting tickets. There used to be a rule allowing tickets to be sold in Canada at the price of the country of origin converted to CAD. That rule was removed ~2 years ago.
The tickets I have been getting recently are xONE3's - which do not exist for travel from/via South West Pacific, South America or Africa.
I have always been charged in JPY/KRW with the bank doing the conversion.
I have used the tool to book DONE3's from JP/KR for 3 of the 4 I've booked. The 4th was issued via an agent in Toronto when the Canadian Exception was still around because the tool wasn't working (the tool has always been buggy).
I am in the process of getting a ticket issued over email with CX Tokyo.
Aug 6, 2014, 5:24 am
#397
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: London
Posts: 17,007
By email? That's a good service. ^
Aug 6, 2014, 6:27 am
#398
Join Date: Jul 2007
Programs: QFF
Posts: 5,304
QF Japan had problems charging my card due to a per day card limit I didn't know about. They saw that the billing address was in Australia and had QF Sydney contact me.
Once I worked out what the problem was and lined everything up with the bank, I contacted QF Japan via QF Sydney and it all went through - still at the Japan price and charged to the card in JPY.
The country of origin vs country of sale rule existed at the time, and QF still charged the JP price knowing full well that I was in Australia at the time (though I ended up paying more due to currency fluctuations and the delay in getting it all worked out).
Aug 16, 2014, 4:52 am
#399
Join Date: Jul 2007
Programs: QFF
Posts: 5,304
>_< I hate this tool so much.
Looking at JFK-CLT in mid Oct. Expert Flyer reports 6 ex JFK and 2 ex LGA flights with the required fare class available (x2 for US/AA codeshares, all A6 or more).
Tool offers 1 flight.
It still refuses to show codeshares that exist and are available (eg, AA7974 [QR722]).
Looking at JFK-CLT in mid Oct. Expert Flyer reports 6 ex JFK and 2 ex LGA flights with the required fare class available (x2 for US/AA codeshares, all A6 or more).
Tool offers 1 flight.
It still refuses to show codeshares that exist and are available (eg, AA7974 [QR722]).
Aug 16, 2014, 7:40 am
#400
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: London
Posts: 17,007
>_< I hate this tool so much.
Looking at JFK-CLT in mid Oct. Expert Flyer reports 6 ex JFK and 2 ex LGA flights with the required fare class available (x2 for US/AA codeshares, all A6 or more).
Tool offers 1 flight.
It still refuses to show codeshares that exist and are available (eg, AA7974 [QR722]).
Looking at JFK-CLT in mid Oct. Expert Flyer reports 6 ex JFK and 2 ex LGA flights with the required fare class available (x2 for US/AA codeshares, all A6 or more).
Tool offers 1 flight.
It still refuses to show codeshares that exist and are available (eg, AA7974 [QR722]).
In principle the fare class availability can differ by sales city but in practise it doesn't change much, especially far out.
Aug 16, 2014, 3:05 pm
#401
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: SFOSJCOAK
Programs: AA-EXP & 1MM+, AS, MR-LTT, HH Gold
Posts: 7,581
Wanted to add 1 more pax to a recently "validated by the tool" xONEx itinerary. Click save change. This is what I got for the last 15 minutes. 
Re-confirming flight availability. Please wait...
16 of 16
Anyone had this experience?
Should I kill it and restart? Guess so (answering my own Q).
Re-confirming flight availability. Please wait...
16 of 16
Anyone had this experience?
Should I kill it and restart? Guess so (answering my own Q).
Aug 16, 2014, 5:45 pm
#402
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: SFOSJCOAK
Programs: AA-EXP & 1MM+, AS, MR-LTT, HH Gold
Posts: 7,581
Aug 16, 2014, 8:39 pm
#403
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: used to be PER, now it's nowhere/eveywhere
Programs: QFF NB, AA GLD
Posts: 3,467
See Rule 4(k) in the rule sheet
So that's why you cannot have two non-stops
However, the tool does seem to be having problems showing US flights (and AA flights that are codeshares on US flights). I cannot get it show the AUA-PHL non-stop.
Aug 20, 2014, 3:03 am
#404
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: LAX/SYD
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, AA EXP, QFF WP, HH D, SPG G, Hertz PC
Posts: 245
Latest version of the Oneworld Explorer rule sheet (dated August 1st) has added both Phoenix and Pittsburgh to the list of cities for which only one transcontinental flight is allowed
See Rule 4(k) in the rule sheet
So that's why you cannot have two non-stops
However, the tool does seem to be having problems showing US flights (and AA flights that are codeshares on US flights). I cannot get it show the AUA-PHL non-stop.
See Rule 4(k) in the rule sheet
So that's why you cannot have two non-stops
However, the tool does seem to be having problems showing US flights (and AA flights that are codeshares on US flights). I cannot get it show the AUA-PHL non-stop.