The new search engine is virtually useless. Let me give you a quick example. I was trying to point another FlyerTalker to the recent thread in the NZ forum regarding the discontinuation of service between LAX and NAN. The title of the thread is "
Air NZ terminates NAN-LAX." It was started on January 23, 2008. When I used the IB search and search the NZ forum where it is housed and query "NAN" and "LAX" as a title search, this is what I get:
Score Thread / Thread Starter Posted Forum
100%
Quick Review - Air Pacific LAX to NAN on NZ Code Share
Internaut
07/07/2007 23:19:35 Go to last post
Forum: Air New Zealand Air Points
60%
EK studies AKL hub, possible AKL-LAX/SFO/NAN/EZE route
jiml1126
02/22/2004 21:36:00 Go to last post
Forum: Air New Zealand Air Points
60%
How are the 763's on NAN-LAX ?
MAN Flyer
05/28/2004 15:06:11 Go to last post
Forum: Air New Zealand Air Points
60%
anz lax to nan
ualflier
06/12/2005 15:38:32 Go to last post
Forum: Air New Zealand Air Points
60%
LHR-LAX-NAN new interiors?
Frequent flyer 101
07/02/2005 23:02:45 Go to last post
Forum: Air New Zealand Air Points
60%
LAX-NAN arr. 3am? What to do? where to go?
me4tux
04/21/2006 23:52:19 Go to last post
Forum: Air New Zealand Air Points
60%
NZ21 LAX-NAN-AKL via HNL today?
Kiwi Flyer
07/27/2006 18:22:30 Go to last post
Forum: Air New Zealand Air Points
The thread I want is nowhere in the results even though the search query should nail it and it is the most recent thread that should be responsive to that query.
Searching "NAN" in the title, limiting the search to the NZ forum, and asking the results to be sorted by date is no better. The search engine seems to think that the most recent hit is a thread from August 30, 2007, entitled "NAN/RAR route."
Without a useful and credible search engine, maximizing the vast knowledge accumulated and stored in FlyerTalk is a virtual impossibility. It is the equivalent of having an unabridged dictionary with entries that are ordered randomly rather than alphabetically.
