May 18, 2014, 11:08 am
Last edit by: JDiver
Using the Search Feature on FlyerTalk: the Definitive Thread
The moderators did a great job of re-organizing this discussion pertaining to the use of the Search function available on FlyerTalk after it was moved from its original forum — posted long before there was an Information Desk forum.
However, the functionality does change over the years — and you can help keep information regarding the functionality updated by contributing to this WikiPost.
Please contribute your helpful tips, tricks and suggestions on how fellow FlyerTalk members can improve the results of searching for anything which has been posted on FlyerTalk.
Thank you.
Regards,
Canarsie
_______________________________
This long-overdue thread is intended to contain all of the information you need to know pertaining to how to successfully search for information on FlyerTalk. This thread also assumes that you possess basic knowledge pertaining to how to navigate around the FlyerTalk Internet web site.
The vision I have for this thread is not only to simply give instructions on how to perform every kind of search possible on FlyerTalk, as well as how to search for information without using the FlyerTalk search engine, but it is also open to questions about how to perform specific types of searches, as well as give tutorials on how to do all types of searches on FlyerTalk. Be as creative as you can be in having the FlyerTalk search engine perform the most efficient search for information for you and post your questions in this thread!
Although I will do my best to help, I do not intend to be the only person assisting other FlyerTalk members with the FlyerTalk search function. I encourage other knowledgeable FlyerTalk members to also participate in and contribute to this thread not only by helping other FlyerTalk members, but also by posting tips and tricks to help harness the power of the FlyerTalk search engine and use it as efficiently as possible.
This thread is NOT for asking about technical issues regarding the Search feature for FlyerTalk, such as “Search is not working today — what is the problem?”. Please post your questions and comments regarding technical issues pertaining to the FlyerTalk search engine separately in this forum.
Thank you in advance for your assistance and for your patience.
The following are quick links to take you directly to the specific infomation which you are seeking:
Basic Uses of Search
- Basic Search on FlyerTalk in General
- Basic Search Within a Forum on FlyerTalk
- Basic Search Within a Thread on FlyerTalk
Advanced Uses of Search
- Search Using Two or More Key Words
- The Wildcard Search: Asterisk You Take...
- Advanced Search Functionality: Specific Forums or FlyerTalk in General
- Advanced Search Functionality: Specific Threads
- How to Customize Search to Your Specifications
- Searching Multiple Forums — or Fora, if you prefer...
Searching for Information Without Using Search
- Look for “Sticky” Threads in Your Favorite Forum
- Using Display Options to Search Instead of Using the Search Feature
- Go to the Internet Web Site of Your Favorite Frequent Travel Loyalty Program to Find Information
Tips and Tricks for Searching for Information on FlyerTalk
_________________
Please add more links to the above list when you add your own tips and tricks to this discussion. Thank you in advance.
Using the Search Feature on FlyerTalk: The Definitive Thread
Jun 10, 2007, 5:45 pm
#31
Moderator: Hilton Honors forums
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Marietta, Georgia, United States
Posts: 24,997
You may want to search more specifically for information on FlyerTalk in general or within a specific forum on FlyerTalk using advanced criteria.
To access the Search Forums area to execute an advanced search for information:
Search in Forum(s) allows you to choose one or more FlyerTalk forums in which the search is to be performed. You may also activate Also search in child forums if you want to search in the sub-forums of a forum. A sub-forum is known as a child forum, while the main forum is known as a parent forum. For example, if you chose to search under Global Airline Alliances for your information, choosing Also search in child forums will search the oneworld, SkyTeam and Star Alliance forums. Similarly, choosing to search under Airline Programs for your information with Also search in child forums activated will not only search every airline forum such as the US Airways Dividend Miles forum, but also its America West FlightFund (Discontinued Program) and US Airways Dividend Miles (Pre-FlightFund Merger) sub-forums, or child forums, as well.
After choosing the desired settings in how the search should be performed, one must click on the Search Now button in order to activate the results.
To access the Search Forums area to execute an advanced search for information:
- Begin your search by accessing either by searching FlyerTalk in general or searching within a specific forum on FlyerTalk. As a result in either scenario, a box with the same functionality will appear, whether it is called Search Forums or Search this Forum.
- Click on the words Advanced Search at the bottom of the box.
Search in Forum(s) allows you to choose one or more FlyerTalk forums in which the search is to be performed. You may also activate Also search in child forums if you want to search in the sub-forums of a forum. A sub-forum is known as a child forum, while the main forum is known as a parent forum. For example, if you chose to search under Global Airline Alliances for your information, choosing Also search in child forums will search the oneworld, SkyTeam and Star Alliance forums. Similarly, choosing to search under Airline Programs for your information with Also search in child forums activated will not only search every airline forum such as the US Airways Dividend Miles forum, but also its America West FlightFund (Discontinued Program) and US Airways Dividend Miles (Pre-FlightFund Merger) sub-forums, or child forums, as well.
After choosing the desired settings in how the search should be performed, one must click on the Search Now button in order to activate the results.
Jun 10, 2007, 7:58 pm
#32
Suspended
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Metro Detroit
Programs: DL Plat, NW Plat
Posts: 708
Canarsie,
If this board is built on a similar platform at other boards, I think there might be a MUCH easier way. I would need to know the number associated with a forum to test it out. Can you tell me the forum number for OMNI (as an example)?
If this works, the correct url format would be:
http://flyertalk.com/forum/search.ph...clude=xx,xx,xx etc. where xx or xxx or x is equal to the forum number.
If you can provide one to test, I'll let you know how it works.
Thanks.
If this board is built on a similar platform at other boards, I think there might be a MUCH easier way. I would need to know the number associated with a forum to test it out. Can you tell me the forum number for OMNI (as an example)?
If this works, the correct url format would be:
http://flyertalk.com/forum/search.ph...clude=xx,xx,xx etc. where xx or xxx or x is equal to the forum number.
If you can provide one to test, I'll let you know how it works.
Thanks.
Jun 10, 2007, 8:40 pm
#33
Moderator: Hilton Honors forums
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Marietta, Georgia, United States
Posts: 24,997
Canarsie,
If this board is built on a similar platform at other boards, I think there might be a MUCH easier way. I would need to know the number associated with a forum to test it out. Can you tell me the forum number for OMNI (as an example)?
If this works, the correct url format would be:
http://flyertalk.com/forum/search.ph...clude=xx,xx,xx etc. where xx or xxx or x is equal to the forum number.
If you can provide one to test, I'll let you know how it works.
Thanks.
If this board is built on a similar platform at other boards, I think there might be a MUCH easier way. I would need to know the number associated with a forum to test it out. Can you tell me the forum number for OMNI (as an example)?
If this works, the correct url format would be:
http://flyertalk.com/forum/search.ph...clude=xx,xx,xx etc. where xx or xxx or x is equal to the forum number.
If you can provide one to test, I'll let you know how it works.
Thanks.
Anyway, all you have to do is click on the forum to get the URL, which contains the forum number. For example, the Delta forum number is 489:
http://flyertalk.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=489
Good luck, jcherney!
Jun 10, 2007, 8:55 pm
#34
Suspended
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Metro Detroit
Programs: DL Plat, NW Plat
Posts: 708
It works!
Essentially, you need to replace the x, or xx, or xxx in the following URL to search all new posts and exclude whatever forum you don't want to see. The x, or xx, or xxx is the forum number. For instance:
http://flyertalk.com/forum/search.ph...clude=x,xx,xxx........ you can add as few or as many forums as you choose. As an example:
http://flyertalk.com/forum/search.ph...ew&exclude=457 will do a new posts search and exclude the OMNI forum. Using http://flyertalk.com/forum/search.ph...de=457,445,380 will exclude OMNI, American Advantage, and CommunityBuzz!
Here is a list of the forum numbers to make it easy for everyone:
MilesBuzz! 370
Mileage Run Deals 372
S.P.A.M. 2
Airline Programs 374
Air Canada Aeroplan 375
Air New Zealand Air Points 440
AirTran Airways A+ Rewards 441
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan 442
All Nippon Airways Mileage Club 443
American AAdvantage 445
Asiana Club 614
bmi diamond club 486
British Airways Executive Club 446
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles 487
Continental OnePass 488
Delta SkyMiles 489
El Al Matmid 610
Emirates Airlines Skywards 490
Flying Blue (Air France & KLM) 594
Air France Frequence Plus 376
KLM Flying Dutchman 493
Frontier Airlines EarlyReturns 491
Hawaii-based Airlines 447
JAL Mileage Bank 513
JetBlue TrueBlue 492
Korean Air Skypass 621
Midwest Airlines Midwest Miles 496
Miles & More (Lufthansa, Austrian, Swiss, and other partners) 495
Swiss International Airlines 502
Northwest WorldPerks 497
Qantas Frequent Flyer 498
SAS EuroBonus 499
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer 500
Southwest Rapid Rewards 501
Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus 503
United Mileage Plus 504
US Airways Dividend Miles 612
America West FlightFund (Discontinued Program) 444
US Airways Dividend Miles (Pre-FlightFund Merger) 505
Varig Airlines Smiles 514
Virgin flying club 506
WestJet "Passenger Perks" 606
Other Asian, Australian and South Pacific Frequent Flyer Programs 470
Other European Frequent Flyer Programs 469
Other Middle East and Africa Frequent Flyer Programs 471
Other North & South America Frequent Flyer Programs 472
Global Airline Alliances 391
oneworld 411
SkyTeam 412
Star Alliance 413
Hotel Programs 389
Best Western Gold Crown Club International 416
Hilton HHonors 417
Hyatt Gold Passport 418
InterContinental Hotels: Priority Club & Inter-Continental Ambassador 426
Marriott Rewards 427
Radisson goldpoints plus 428
Starwood Preferred Guest 429
Wyndham ByRequest 430
Other Hotel Programs 431
Credit Card Programs/Partners 390
American Express Membership Rewards 410
Diners Club Club Rewards 414
Other Credit Card Programs 599
Car Rental Programs/Partners 392
Avis 420
Budget 421
Dollar 422
Hertz 423
National 424
Thrifty 425
Other Car Rental Programs/Partners (ie. Alamo, Enterprise, Sixt) 595
Other Travel Programs/Partners 394
Amtrak Guest Rewards 399
iDine/Rewards Network 400
LatinPass/GlobalPass 494
Discontinued Programs/Partners 395
(daughter forums not included due to lack of post interest)
Travel&Dining 161
TravelBuzz! 176
FlyerTalk Reviews 592
DiningBuzz! 371
Travel Technology 169
Newsstand 178
Free Travel Contests and Sweepstakes 223
Travel Safety/Security 222
Travel Bidding 204
Luxury Hotels 220
Cruises 179
Budget Travel 597
Special Interest Travel 618
Travel&Dining: Destination >> United States 437
Travel&Dining: Destination >> The World 438
Community 367
CommunityBuzz! 380
FlyerTalk Live! (chat) 473
Itineraries 381
Coupon Connection 373
Blogs@FlyerTalk 586
TalkBoard Topics 382
Only Randy Petersen 383
Support&Services 385
Technical Issues 386
Suggestions 387
Misposted Threads 388
OMNI 457
edit: I will add the daughter forum numbers shortly..... more to come.....
Essentially, you need to replace the x, or xx, or xxx in the following URL to search all new posts and exclude whatever forum you don't want to see. The x, or xx, or xxx is the forum number. For instance:
http://flyertalk.com/forum/search.ph...clude=x,xx,xxx........ you can add as few or as many forums as you choose. As an example:
http://flyertalk.com/forum/search.ph...ew&exclude=457 will do a new posts search and exclude the OMNI forum. Using http://flyertalk.com/forum/search.ph...de=457,445,380 will exclude OMNI, American Advantage, and CommunityBuzz!
Here is a list of the forum numbers to make it easy for everyone:
MilesBuzz! 370
Mileage Run Deals 372
S.P.A.M. 2
Airline Programs 374
Air Canada Aeroplan 375
Air New Zealand Air Points 440
AirTran Airways A+ Rewards 441
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan 442
All Nippon Airways Mileage Club 443
American AAdvantage 445
Asiana Club 614
bmi diamond club 486
British Airways Executive Club 446
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles 487
Continental OnePass 488
Delta SkyMiles 489
El Al Matmid 610
Emirates Airlines Skywards 490
Flying Blue (Air France & KLM) 594
Air France Frequence Plus 376
KLM Flying Dutchman 493
Frontier Airlines EarlyReturns 491
Hawaii-based Airlines 447
JAL Mileage Bank 513
JetBlue TrueBlue 492
Korean Air Skypass 621
Midwest Airlines Midwest Miles 496
Miles & More (Lufthansa, Austrian, Swiss, and other partners) 495
Swiss International Airlines 502
Northwest WorldPerks 497
Qantas Frequent Flyer 498
SAS EuroBonus 499
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer 500
Southwest Rapid Rewards 501
Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus 503
United Mileage Plus 504
US Airways Dividend Miles 612
America West FlightFund (Discontinued Program) 444
US Airways Dividend Miles (Pre-FlightFund Merger) 505
Varig Airlines Smiles 514
Virgin flying club 506
WestJet "Passenger Perks" 606
Other Asian, Australian and South Pacific Frequent Flyer Programs 470
Other European Frequent Flyer Programs 469
Other Middle East and Africa Frequent Flyer Programs 471
Other North & South America Frequent Flyer Programs 472
Global Airline Alliances 391
oneworld 411
SkyTeam 412
Star Alliance 413
Hotel Programs 389
Best Western Gold Crown Club International 416
Hilton HHonors 417
Hyatt Gold Passport 418
InterContinental Hotels: Priority Club & Inter-Continental Ambassador 426
Marriott Rewards 427
Radisson goldpoints plus 428
Starwood Preferred Guest 429
Wyndham ByRequest 430
Other Hotel Programs 431
Credit Card Programs/Partners 390
American Express Membership Rewards 410
Diners Club Club Rewards 414
Other Credit Card Programs 599
Car Rental Programs/Partners 392
Avis 420
Budget 421
Dollar 422
Hertz 423
National 424
Thrifty 425
Other Car Rental Programs/Partners (ie. Alamo, Enterprise, Sixt) 595
Other Travel Programs/Partners 394
Amtrak Guest Rewards 399
iDine/Rewards Network 400
LatinPass/GlobalPass 494
Discontinued Programs/Partners 395
(daughter forums not included due to lack of post interest)
Travel&Dining 161
TravelBuzz! 176
FlyerTalk Reviews 592
DiningBuzz! 371
Travel Technology 169
Newsstand 178
Free Travel Contests and Sweepstakes 223
Travel Safety/Security 222
Travel Bidding 204
Luxury Hotels 220
Cruises 179
Budget Travel 597
Special Interest Travel 618
Travel&Dining: Destination >> United States 437
Travel&Dining: Destination >> The World 438
Community 367
CommunityBuzz! 380
FlyerTalk Live! (chat) 473
Itineraries 381
Coupon Connection 373
Blogs@FlyerTalk 586
TalkBoard Topics 382
Only Randy Petersen 383
Support&Services 385
Technical Issues 386
Suggestions 387
Misposted Threads 388
OMNI 457
edit: I will add the daughter forum numbers shortly..... more to come.....
Last edited by jcherney; Jun 14, 2007 at 6:54 am Reason: add, more add
Jun 11, 2007, 2:39 am
#35
Moderator: Hilton Honors forums
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Marietta, Georgia, United States
Posts: 24,997
Excellent, jcherney!
The only suggestion I have is to improve the formatting of what you posted to give a better impression of the parent-child forum relationship on FlyerTalk, such as using indents — or, if you like, I can do the formatting for you.
I appreciate the solution to a problem about which has been asked in the past, jcherney. Thank you for sharing this quick and easy way of searching select forums on FlyerTalk!
Of course, posting additional tips and tricks pertaining to searching for information on FlyerTalk by other FlyerTalk members is welcome in this thread. Please keep them coming!
The only suggestion I have is to improve the formatting of what you posted to give a better impression of the parent-child forum relationship on FlyerTalk, such as using indents — or, if you like, I can do the formatting for you.
I appreciate the solution to a problem about which has been asked in the past, jcherney. Thank you for sharing this quick and easy way of searching select forums on FlyerTalk!
Of course, posting additional tips and tricks pertaining to searching for information on FlyerTalk by other FlyerTalk members is welcome in this thread. Please keep them coming!
Jun 11, 2007, 7:38 am
#36
Suspended
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Metro Detroit
Programs: DL Plat, NW Plat
Posts: 708
Excellent, jcherney!
The only suggestion I have is to improve the formatting of what you posted to give a better impression of the parent-child forum relationship on FlyerTalk, such as using indents — or, if you like, I can do the formatting for you.
I appreciate the solution to a problem about which has been asked in the past, jcherney. Thank you for sharing this quick and easy way of searching select forums on FlyerTalk!
Of course, posting additional tips and tricks pertaining to searching for information on FlyerTalk by other FlyerTalk members is welcome in this thread. Please keep them coming!
The only suggestion I have is to improve the formatting of what you posted to give a better impression of the parent-child forum relationship on FlyerTalk, such as using indents — or, if you like, I can do the formatting for you.
I appreciate the solution to a problem about which has been asked in the past, jcherney. Thank you for sharing this quick and easy way of searching select forums on FlyerTalk!
Of course, posting additional tips and tricks pertaining to searching for information on FlyerTalk by other FlyerTalk members is welcome in this thread. Please keep them coming!
Jun 15, 2007, 9:48 pm
#39
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: PHX and LIH
Programs: AA: 2 MM
Posts: 85,553
Jun 26, 2007, 4:16 pm
#43
Guest
Posts: n/a
MLB* 2007
and would get the results you are looking for.
Jul 28, 2007, 1:21 pm
#44
Join Date: Jul 2004
Programs: NW Gold, '06. Good times.
Posts: 7,363
There is one workaround for this other than google as well, it was mentioned before, but is not explicitly spelled out I don't think, but you can use the wild card for this. So in this case you would search for:
MLB* 2007
and would get the results you are looking for.
MLB* 2007
and would get the results you are looking for.
Every airport code on Earth is three letters long and not every thread contains the airport or city's full name - we FTers do love our shorthand.
Aug 16, 2007, 2:49 pm
#45
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: irvine, ca
Posts: 368
This is due to problems that a 3 character search can cause. Specifically stress on the server. One way to get around this that might be mentioned in the faq is the Google search which can do 3 letter word searches and can be found at:
http://www.flyertalk.com/google_search.php
Thanks,
http://www.flyertalk.com/google_search.php
Thanks,
I don't want to see the 10,000 or so returns if I search for LAX or SNA or xxx.