But did you try on matrix? And if you did, did you try to then buy it on aircanada.com, porting it from matrix.

For random dates and in Y it seems to accept a round trip through ICN with the Asiana flight number for CAD 2180 all in.

I still don't think one should be all fired up on issues like these. Unlikely to be by design; more likely just incompetence somewhere or lack of attention. If you would tlk to the fares desk they would probably get it for you.

I used the matrix tools and made multiple efforts. It did not work.
There is no guarantee that it would work, so I certainly am not angry at matrix.
I called AC ticketing. I insisted the fare was valid and that I could purchase via an OTA. The arrogant fellow who was loudly chewing his cud on the other end said no and laughed at me when I asked him to try.

Your experience is in Y now. My experience was a a few moths ago and was for business class. (Surely you can not expect me to fly in Y? How can I ever hope to catch a glimpse of FT's resident bon vivant in his bedazzled shorts, if I sit in the back?)

This outcome isn't anything new. We all know that the booking options at AC are awful. I am not a sophisticated purchaser of travel like you and I just don't have the time, nor the patience to chase these tickets down. If AC is unable to deliver the goods, I go elsewhere. I prefer the clean efficiency of AF/KLM, Cathay, EVA etc.

Fair enough.

But still I would not allocate to maliciousness what is likely just incompetence.

As to arrogant agents, sometimes depending upon how you handle them, they'll actually be on your side. I really have no cmplaint on that side, expect that occasionally you can tell the guy is not really trying.

Best I had, I first got nowhere with an agent, who insisted in quoting precisely the same I was finding on aircanada.com. I next booked a Y fare to a random China destination that was not really what I wanted but the price was OK. I called again and asked to switch PEK for CAN. That did it, the guy could not do it and sent to the desk fare. Which came back the following day. Wondering, why did I book Y when a cheaper B fare existed (equally upgradeable), and that included NRT-CAN on NH? Which aircanad.comwould not offer. Which the agent would no offer.

Truth is, these fare games can get so arcane that programming them right 100% of the time is nearly impossible. And I suspect it's not just AC.

But I alssosuspect that oif you master the technique of transferring from matrix to aircanada.com you'll ended up often making like easier.

In my recent experience, I'll likely get AQDs from tickets I fully expected would have to buy directly from that other airline. Given the new rule that 014 tickets on Star airlines now get you AQDs.

I totally agree.

I've tried to replicate the success of many of the booking and other tips / examples shared on FT and, while most of the time I can get them to work, sometimes I encounter a system issue, timing constraint or simply 'the hand' of someone who can't/won't help.

I sometimes wonder about all of the brainpower that we put in to squeezing what we can out of the 'system' just to get a little more ________ (fill in the blank). Be they R games, CC games, room upgrade games or whatever, it's all a game in the end and with variable rules. But sometimes I think the challenge is half of the reward. At least that's what I tell my spouse.

The challenge is definitely half the fun.

And if they want to call me a bottom feeder, so be it.

I think Stranger should set up an ITA Matrix Do....exclusively for Air Canada members ... :cool:

Via WebEx of course, since we wouldn't want to fly.

Is there a TL;dr on how to copy something from Matrix to ac.com? Or does it involve using the phone like a savage?

It involves clicking a link.

I believe instructions are somewhere on FT. They work.

I generally agree with that statement, but much of what's talked about in this thread hews closer to malice than incompetence. For instance, AC's ridiculous pricing of codeshare flights on *A partner metal. AC clearly thinks it can gouge people and, in some cases, stick them Y even though they're buying business fares. Maybe it works for them with gullible customers in enough cases to make it worth their while, but it doesn't endear them to me as a customer. So I'll use Matrix to force through the booking on the website or buy the ticket from someone else.

Depends on what you're booking. If you're investing dozens of hours to save $20 on a North American trip in Y, probably not worth the while. But some of these the tips here can help save hundreds or thousands on J tickets.

And learning how to book mini-RTWs could provide fabulous value.

All depends on your travel patterns and other constraints (time, dollars, etc).

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/travel-tools/1623427-ita-matrix-powertools-userscript-orbitz-dl-ua-aa-ba-cz-ib-la-lh-lx-tk.html

:mindblown:

Well, now I'm even more concerned about AC IT. Bobby Tables may have me in trouble soon.

I have a similar issue. Attempting to book BOS-TLV r/t in business class. ITA Matrix is showing a fare for about $3000, but the AC website shows about double at $6000. :confused: This is going on for about a month now.

Dates really matter on this route due to tour groups, holidays, school breaks etc

You never mentioned your dates.

I picked some random July dates and this GF link goes directly to AC $3,146 USD

https://goo.gl/flights/Cn0b

.

Dates: 10/20 - 10/27.