Speed Bump; intentional timeout preventing consecutive searches for flights?
Apr 30, 2020, 1:02 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2018
Posts: 161
Speed Bump; intentional timeout preventing consecutive searches for flights?
Is there an intentional timeout preventing consecutive searches for flights? I noticed recently on both Aeroplan and AC that if I move through the calendar to see availability, after about a dozen consecutive dates both websites will give me an error and not allow further searches for awhile.
Apr 30, 2020, 1:04 pm
#2
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: SFO
Programs: AC SE MM, BA Gold, SQ Silver, Bonvoy Tit LTG, Hyatt Glob, HH Diamond
Posts: 44,331
I've certainly been seeing this on Aeroplan for a while. I haven't done many AC searches lately, but they've definitely been implementing "security" measures that are making it very hard to redeem points and pay money.
Apr 30, 2020, 3:55 pm
#3
Join Date: May 2017
Location: YEG, SFO, VCA, JR JY-13
Programs: hahaha
Posts: 921
I don't know about hidden timeouts, but at one point I was using a web scraper (flightplantool) to find awards, and about a few months after the tool launched, Aeroplan incorporated Google's captchas. This would be after a few hundred inhuman queries. It wasn't an invisible cooldown or anything so if one has been implemented like you describe, then it's certainly new!
Apr 30, 2020, 4:09 pm
#5
Join Date: May 2017
Location: YEG, SFO, VCA, JR JY-13
Programs: hahaha
Posts: 921
I wouldn't blame them. Sorry if me and others ruined the fun for anybody else. :P
Back on topic, how fast are you searching, OP? Is it a consistent rate limit you've encountered for x queries in y time period?
Back on topic, how fast are you searching, OP? Is it a consistent rate limit you've encountered for x queries in y time period?
Apr 30, 2020, 5:15 pm
#6
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: トロント
Programs: IHG Gold
Posts: 4,820
Is there an intentional timeout preventing consecutive searches for flights? I noticed recently on both Aeroplan and AC that if I move through the calendar to see availability, after about a dozen consecutive dates both websites will give me an error and not allow further searches for awhile.
I use Chrome, Edge and Firefox as required.
Apr 30, 2020, 5:34 pm
#7
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2018
Posts: 161
I haven't kept track of specific numbers but it seems to kick me off before I've made it through the 2 week mark. I'm searching end of schedule for CPH to YYZ so I'm flexible on dates and European gateways but would love that non-stop.
Apr 30, 2020, 6:36 pm
#8
Join Date: Feb 2015
Posts: 1,632
I've been running into that problem on the PC.
But I've shifted to doing quite a bit of searching using the app--it is much faster (for me) and it doesn't kick me out.
Though it doesn't give access to as much information as the web-site, it is a good way to search day by day by day.
But I've shifted to doing quite a bit of searching using the app--it is much faster (for me) and it doesn't kick me out.
Though it doesn't give access to as much information as the web-site, it is a good way to search day by day by day.
May 3, 2020, 10:52 pm
#10
Join Date: May 2017
Location: YEG, SFO, VCA, JR JY-13
Programs: hahaha
Posts: 921
I ran flightplan, it supported Aeroplan right out of the gate. I assume others did too, and mass award queries caught Aeroplan's attention.