pandaperth: I didn't mean to impugn the entire forum or its membership; it's just a feeling I've gotten that as fare information becomes harder to come by, the forum has, over time, become a less useful resource than it once was for overcoming the pricing opacity OneWorld prefers for these products.

Long ago, before there even was an online booking tool, this forum was a hive of activity, with members working together to piece together fares as best we were able. For example, recall spreadsheets by WearyBizTrvlr (2005-2008) or Sagy (2009-2012). When OneWorld stopped publishing the fares online (around 2012, I think), the tools stopped working... but also, it seemed that the information exchange in the forum also slowed.

Sure, there were excellent threads on the fares you mentioned (as well as ex-KRT, and others). And to be sure, my remarks weren't to take away from those positive examples.

But I think Gardyloo may be on to something... I guess it was around 2011/2012 when travel blogging really exploded as a mainstream thing, and the rapid dissemination of good deals perhaps led to more circumspect posting of same.

Whatever the cause, surely you'd agree there's less robust discussion now than, say, five or ten years ago...

Anyway, what set off my rant was the suggestion that if I wanted centralized information, there were places I could pay to get it (EF, or KVS). That's certainly true - but demoralizingly transactional.