pbarnette

mnredfox posted it upthread:

http://loyaltylobby.com/2013/10/31/e...de-inventories

ExpertFlyer Voice

As we have previously noted in this thread:

The bloggers assertion is incorrect.

HongKonger

Sorry that doesn't convince me. The blogger presents no evidence. As has been discussed ITT, the exact numbers of OU/RU inventory aren't available on DL.com, so EF cannot have obtained them by screen scraping DL.com. Like most of their other info they got it from the GDS, and DL just doesn't want them to show it anymore.

pbarnette

I never took a position that EF was screen-scraping. In fact, I explicitly said that I had no idea what EF was doing. Frankly, I don't particularly care where they get the information. The issue remains that neither DL nor UA nor AA authorize them to obtain elite upgrade information and/or sell it. Not sure what you need to be "convinced" of or, frankly, what you were thinking my post was in relation to.

For the record, BTW, I was responding to a specific question about whether UA would (like DL) "blame" EF for the loss of the access. To which I noted that UA's response was that EF was doing something that UA didn't authorize and didn't want them to do anymore. Pretty much the exact same situation as with DL.

And, also for the record, the blogger does provide "evidence" for the piece I noted, which was a quote from UA saying that EF didn't have permission to provide the information.

jsmith50

I don't at all disagree with DL's ban on EF using this information, that is their proprietary data. The bigger question to me is, why now? I have been an EF subscriber off and on for at least 3 years now (if memory serves) and this data has been available since I began using their service (and probably much further back than that). No question that UA followed DL's lead here but what suddenly enraged DL to the point of requesting the data be removed, I'd be really interested in hearing.

FWAAA

Exactly.

A couple days ago, before EF was forced to turn off the UA upgrade inventory, I did some random searches on EF for UA upgrade inventory and found some cases where EF showed R9 and RN9 (R and RN are UA upgrade buckets). Interestingly enough, 9 is also the maximum inventory count shown for UA inventory on the various GDS.

Nevertheless, there's a vocal bunch claiming repeatedly that EF was screen-scraping UA's website for this upgrade inventory, as they claim the UA site is the only source for this upgrade inventory. Funny thing, though - the UA site permit searches for up to 8 travelers, but does not permit searches for 9.

My question there (which, of course, the "EF is screen-scraping" advocates can't answer) is how EF is able to show a greater number of upgrade seats than can be found on the UA site?

LAXRuss

While I am disappointed with the loss of the upgrade inventory availability with both DL and UA, it will not prompt me to cancel my Expertflyer account because the fare pricing and normal fare bucket inventory is just too valuable for me.

Still, I would hope that DL and UA realize long term that more information is better for their most frequent fliers and I hope they can find some mutually agreeable way to bring the info back. It is so much easier for me and for the reservation agents when I call the Diamond line if I am proposing the exact flights that I want which also happen to have the upgrade availability I am looking for. Maybe DL saved on bandwidth to withdraw the information, but now I'll be tying up their phone lines in a manner that I did not need to do in the past.

pbarnette

Who, exactly, are these "advocates"?

A few folks are speculating because the competing service (KVS) does screen-scrape, IIRC, and because EF doesn't disclose where they get the info. I don't think we need to start getting into some sort of us-vs-them conspiracy theory.

HongKonger

I was questioning the blogger and DL, not you.

UGATraveler

I went on EF and set an alert for any PMU / SWU upgrade seats for my upcoming Delta Flight in December.. I am confused as to exactly what they are not allowing anymore?

MSPeconomist

This should be fine, at least for now. The change is that free elite upgrade inventory classes OU and RU are no longer being displayed. You need OP or RP, which should still be available on EF, at least for now.

HongKonger

Of they take away OP and RP then goodbye EF and hello LOTS of calls to DL. If that happens I hope I cost them a lot of money.

DLfan

Recently noticed that ExpertFlyer no longer displays RU or RP upgrade inventory (complimentary domestic upgrades and domestic upgrades using miles or certs). Is this change permanent and did Delta block ExpertFlyer from accessing the inventory or is there another explanation?

Thought surely there would be an existing thread on this topic, but can't find it. A link to that thread would be much appreciated.

ShopAround

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/delta...ilability.html

DLfan

Thanks...I am an EF subscriber, but never got that email.