Well I have always been able to get Matrix itineraries ticketed via a TA. AC often doesn't show the routing that I want. Calling in, AC says they can't see availability. So off to the TA it goes to get ticketed.

I saw a previous post on the AC forum which suggested telling the call centre agent to turn their "connection arrows" on (what does that even mean? :confused::confused:). Supposedly that makes Matrix prices work... (see: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/air-...ed-prices.html)

I have seen some strange itineraries on Matrix though. For example, P fare basis but allowing Z on one of the segments. Matrix shows it, but never tried to ticket it.

From my experience (i.e. this is me inferring things from what agents have said; I have no inside information), agents can explicitly specify segments as connections. However, that's never affected pricing for me. It just affects how they're grouped on the website (one group of three flights YYJ-YVR-YYC-SFO or three groups of one flight each). But I don't know much more than that.

Some fares allow or require ticketing other segments in certain fare classes.

I had booked YQM-YHZ-YUL-YOW-YYZ-SFO in V or something like that. Then I realized making it P (YQM-YHZ was single-cabin) was only $190 more, so obviously I called to do that.

It took forever to explain this to the agent. "There is no business class on YQM-YHZ" etc. "Right, it needs to be M." "Why would you want to pay for M if V is available? Leaving this segment alone and moving the rest to P will cost you $600." "No, I want YQM-YHZ in M, and the rest in P." "Fine I'll try it.... oh wow it's only asking for a $190 upcharge now."

That one made more sense than a P fare allowing/requiring Z, but ITA should only show things that are valid. I've never been unable to ticket an itinerary found through Matrix or Google Flights by calling in, at a price within 50 cents of what I saw online.

AC will sometimes alter the availability of future segments based on segments already booked.

For example, consider the following itinerary that a passenger wants to book:

26 APR YOW-YYZ-LAX
01 MAY SFO-YVR-YYZ

The passenger will make their own arrangements to get from LAX to SFO, so that's not important here.

Searching independently, you will see availability like this :

However, once you 'sell' the seats for YOW-YYZ-LAX and redisplay for SFO-YVR-YYZ, you will now see this:

The T and S inventory is now zeroed, G has gone to 2 (from 9), and P and Z to 4 (from 5).

ITA struggles to deal with situations like this.

So does "ITA struggles to deal with situations like this" mean that these ITA fares are wrong and cannot be ticketed?

Can't this example just be booked as two O/Ws on a single PNR provided that there are no fare rules limiting combinability?

From what D582 posted, what I understand is that the inventory AC is willing to sell to a pax originating in X will be different than what is offered to a pax originating from Y.

So in his case, you would have to book two separate PNRs, which has different implications (but I think most FTers understand this and live with it).

But I wonder if this is an in house AC logic, or if it's actually viewable by TAs. Cause if it's the latter, then ITA should pick up on that, no?

The fares themselves are not 'wrong', but the inventory ITA thinks is available is not actually available for the given itinerary.

The example is for booking two "one-ways" on a single PNR.

In this example, if you had 3 people travelling and wanted to book G class Flex fares, you could not book them on one reservation as 3 G seats are no longer available on the return once the outbound seats are booked.

You could book this example on two separate PNRs, but then the return fare would be higher as it would a US fare origin, and you may have to deal with double change fees if you needed to change the entire trip.

If you are looking at an itinerary involving round-trip fares, then it obviously has to be one PNR.

The logic is from AC's OD revenue management system that returns availability based on the a) segments being searched and b) segments currently booked in the PNR.

A travel agent can see both a) and b) as the PNR is built.

ITA can see a) in its searches of inventory, but have issues with b) as it does not actually build a PNR.

Makes sense ^

Now what I'd also like to know is if you've ever seen issues with the way ITA combines fares and booking codes. Especially with codeshares and interlines.

Just like AP's search engine hides true availability. So does AC's res II/III/Whatever system.

It might not be intentional though. Rather, issues with the system/software.

Not too long ago, flying back from Spain, AGP to YYC through FRA with an overnight at FRA, I could not get aircanada.com to show the FRA-YYC leg on the non-stop. Would only show earleir flights through YYZ and possibly YUL or YOW. P fsre but that's not the point, it just would not show that option. I call them to have this changed. Initially the agent could not find it either. After some insistence on my part, not sure what he/she did, but they managed to do it.

In another case, there was a codeshared leg on LH that would price in Y on a P itinerary. Using the LH flight number instead, gave us P, same price. I had to call, again.

Here is one so far I have not found a way to do online.

Itinerary: P fare to a city in Brazil served by O6. Domestic Brazilian legs on O6 only feature Y. AC codeshares on most of these.

Matrix and aircanada.com will price OK an itinerary to that place through GRU, and a return from either that place or GRU, no problem.

But I am trying to add a stopover at GRU on the way back. aircanada,com won't price an itinerary with a domestic leg in other countries, period. As to matrix, it prices using other airlines that feature a business class, with at least one stopover for that leg, and at an absurd price.

Incidentally if I price that leg alone on O6 on matrix and pass it over to aircanada.com, it prices all right. I suspect if I tried to buy, aircanada.com would hiccup when reaching payment/ticket issuing?

Must be in another thread that someone was speculating that Air Canada would not issue a ticket that includes no leg on air canada.

I just booked two of these. Constructed on matrix, then passed on to aircanada.com.

Siple itineraries. One single leg, second, two legs. Worked like a charm. I guess we'll get AQDs on these. Not that it was a big deal, one was 100 bucks, the second, about 300. :D

Did either of them have AC flight numbers?

One of them at least exists as an AC codeshare, but I booked as the actual, not the codeshare. (Matrix would not price the codeshare.)

[QUOTE=canadiancow; I've never been unable to ticket an itinerary found through Matrix or Google Flights by calling in, at a price within 50 cents of what I saw online.[/QUOTE]

The double negative was a bit confusing, but try this on for size;
YYZ-ICN-BKK-HKG-YYZ - AC wanted $2200 more than Flight Network.

Our good friends at AC attempted to sell me the more expensive OZ segment ICN-BKK as an AC code share. They refused to sell as OZ. I went to Flight Network and purchased the lower airfare. I then used the savings on another airline as I wanted to share the some loyalty to AC as AC had shown me.

One of the many reasons why I support any legislation or regulation that will smack AC