jonnye

Well ExpertFlyer (which offers the closest to what MyFlights was offering) website seems to have crashed now, not doubt to the overwhelming demand for their system now!

In all seriousness though - until MyFlights comes back online (which i sincerely hope it does), for $9.99 per month, you can receive alerts on Aircraft Changes, Seat Alerts, as well as the usual Fare Alerts/Availability etc.

All of these alerts can be pushed via Email etc. which is helpful, the only downside being that it's not connected to your PNR, so you would have to set up everything manually.

fourspoons

Is there a risk (or even the reason for their current problems) that ExpertFlyer's ability to access the relevant data in Amadeus will be revoked as MyFlights was?

msm2000uk

I fail to comprehend why Amadeus, through the CMT App, have not included some of the basic info that would be useful to the general public, opposed purely to FTers.

The lack of aircraft information and fare class would be exceptionally useful.

Perhaps they will update the App to include the info.

However, failing that, I'd happily put money into the paid MyFlightsApp if it can be sanctioned.

crazy8534

Yeah, that's the problem: myflights was a 'name + PNR' and we'll take care of it job.

Frankly, if Amadeus had any sense at all they would be employing schofs or have bought his app or possibly both of those things, any of the big silicon valley companies would tell you that the best way to lose money and alienate customers is to try re-inventing the stone wheel instead of buying the already available diamond-edged 19" alloys...

And while we're at it is it still so impossibly impossible for BA to send 1 email when they decide to change your seat assignment or change your flight time, especially seeing as they can usually manage 4 separate emails when you log in using your own password and change seats yourself.

//RANTING

henkybaby

How annoying (not in the last place for schofs of course)... Although the app had its shortcomings (KLM flights not loading etc) I was happy. Mostly because it fixed the major flaw that BA seems to have: inform me when a flight changes. Other airlines do that anyway, but BA less so. Maybe they can buy the app and integrate it into their own...

headingwest

BA seems much more interested in ramming 'Book a flight' in my face, rather than keeping me informed about equipment changes and such. Why they think that I'm interested in booking a holiday every time I start up the app is beyond me!

The MyFlights app was quite simply a brilliant tool for giving us all the information we need to know AND KEEPING US INFORMED. Why can't the alliances put their heads together and come up with something similar. Or if Amadeus felt MyFlights was a threat, they should have bought it out.

jonnye

Maybe its worth someone from this forum to get schofs and BA App Official together and have them work something out!?

BA has the 'access' and MyFlights has the 'technology' - simple?

obduro

Sad news.

armouredant

This is a great, great idea. I expect, though, that there might be 'business reasons' for not notifying or exposing general pax to the detailed info (like equipment changes) that MyFlights did. I would love to be wrong about this.

MPH1980

I doubt BA would really go down that road - they have a developer API and they've actively discontinued the flight status API - they are far more interested in new routes to market than providing status or booking information.

https://developer.ba.com/

You'd also have to query whether the BA reservation system would be able to access a FinnAir or other booking reference.

MyFlights might actually be better off if it was redeveloped into a screen scrape of the checkmytrip site. I've done a quick scan of the T&Cs and provided a) it didn't make money and b) it secured permission from the end user to do the scrape - it looked like there was nothing to stop it (until they change them of course).

But this is all very sad and depressing that it's come to this. Still - when you have a duopoly on reservation systems and there's little choice - they can kinda do what they like.

Calchas

It is not the same product or even really a competitor. It offers, via a roundabout way, some of the information that My Flights does, about equipment changes. You can guess if you were seat-shifted but only if the seat remains free long enough for EF to catch it and issue an alert. But it doesn't tell you whether your seat is changed due to a blocked seat, whether your booking has been properly re-ticketed, whether your waitlist was confirmed, or anything else useful. It is not practical to setup manually equipment alerts for each segment one has on the calendar.

I am a happy EF premium subscriber, but I do not expect it to perform these functions.

EF uses Galileo, not Amadeus. The risk remains, for instance Delta now block all access to any DL information through EF.

BA and AY use the same reservation system (Amadeus).

atmorris

Always sad to see the demise of a truly cool bit of travel technology.

Unfortunately as is becoming more and more common, the gate keepers of data, don't like others using their data, or charge extortionate fee's which price the minnows out of the game..

Phaze

Scumbags. Hope they get their just deserts. Not going to be easy getting by without this app.

SFOTraveler1984

Very bad news indeed, thanks schofs for your efforts!
MyFlights was one of the best apps I have ever used!
Hope it comes back!

Globaliser

It looks like the EF outage was, in the end, only temporary. There has been no obvious reduction in serviceability since it came back. And so, one guess is that it may have been linked to the restoration of most DL information: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/26707497-post1029.html

That gives one a little cause for optimism in relation to MyFlights. AIUI, DL's reason for blocking EF was linked to its desire to drive traffic through particular channels (ie DL's own website in that case), but it has obviously been persuaded that there is a case for disseminating this information through alternative channels that are used both by frequent travellers and the frequently curious. It may be that Amadeus could end up being persuaded of the same.