Difference in fare results when searching ITA vs LX/LH websites?
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2010
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 546
Difference in fare results when searching ITA vs LX/LH websites?
Hello everyone,
I noticed something strange a few months ago when booking an LX ticket and am seeing the same thing now when searching for NYC-BCN flight on *A. There is no UA direct flight on the dates that I'm considering, so my ITA search has focused on LX, LH, BD, and TP connections. This post is specifically about the LX and LH search results.
Let's work through an example: on ITA, I found EWR-MUC-BCN on LH in S class and BCN-ZRH-EWR in S class for $871. The same flights come up on a Lufthansa.com search in L class for $707. Does anyone know why there is a difference in what ITA sees in their search versus the results that come up from LH? I understand that different fare classes price differently, but I'm wondering why this inventory appears unavailable to outsiders.
In the example that I gave, the LH search results provide an L class fare, which should earn United miles on the LH-operated segments but not the LX-operated segments. Is there a way to force the LH website into a slightly higher booking code (such as T) that would earn United miles on both the LX and LH legs?
Thank you very much!
I noticed something strange a few months ago when booking an LX ticket and am seeing the same thing now when searching for NYC-BCN flight on *A. There is no UA direct flight on the dates that I'm considering, so my ITA search has focused on LX, LH, BD, and TP connections. This post is specifically about the LX and LH search results.
Let's work through an example: on ITA, I found EWR-MUC-BCN on LH in S class and BCN-ZRH-EWR in S class for $871. The same flights come up on a Lufthansa.com search in L class for $707. Does anyone know why there is a difference in what ITA sees in their search versus the results that come up from LH? I understand that different fare classes price differently, but I'm wondering why this inventory appears unavailable to outsiders.
In the example that I gave, the LH search results provide an L class fare, which should earn United miles on the LH-operated segments but not the LX-operated segments. Is there a way to force the LH website into a slightly higher booking code (such as T) that would earn United miles on both the LX and LH legs?
Thank you very much!
#2
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 70
ITA caches leg availabilities
Unfortunately, ITA availabilities are often incorrect as it "adds" flight availabilities rather than quotes O&D availabilities. An example:
EWR-ZRH T9 L9 K9
ZRH-BCN T9 L9 K9
Based on these leg availabilities, ITA would assume EWR-BCN T9 L9 K9. However, these availabilities are based on the two O&Ds EWR-ZRH & ZRH-BCN - not EWR-BCN. It is possible and common that the true O&D availability differs, e.g.:
EWR-ZRH-BCN T9 L9 KC
Most sophisticated airlines use an O&D availability system instead of a leg-based system. Hence, ITA will not display correct availabilities as it caches leg availabilities and adds these to compute the requested O&D availability.
Some airlines (including most American carriers), however, are still stuck in the stone age with simple and basic leg-controlled availability systems. Here, using ITA shouldn't be a problem.
EWR-ZRH T9 L9 K9
ZRH-BCN T9 L9 K9
Based on these leg availabilities, ITA would assume EWR-BCN T9 L9 K9. However, these availabilities are based on the two O&Ds EWR-ZRH & ZRH-BCN - not EWR-BCN. It is possible and common that the true O&D availability differs, e.g.:
EWR-ZRH-BCN T9 L9 KC
Most sophisticated airlines use an O&D availability system instead of a leg-based system. Hence, ITA will not display correct availabilities as it caches leg availabilities and adds these to compute the requested O&D availability.
Some airlines (including most American carriers), however, are still stuck in the stone age with simple and basic leg-controlled availability systems. Here, using ITA shouldn't be a problem.
Last edited by regoc; Jul 16, 2012 at 3:18 pm
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2010
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 546
Thanks for the great explanation!
My impression has always been that you need two things for a valid fare: inventory in a given bucket and a valid fare for that bucket, and I understand how the route-based inventory control takes this one step further. An interesting note is that a search on Orbitz showed the more expensive ITA fare during the search and the cheaper LH website fare at the confirmation screen after flights were selected and the itinerary was repriced.
Does anyone know how to force a booking class on the LH or LX websites without jumping up to the next column of the fare display (on the LX site, for example)?
Thanks again!
My impression has always been that you need two things for a valid fare: inventory in a given bucket and a valid fare for that bucket, and I understand how the route-based inventory control takes this one step further. An interesting note is that a search on Orbitz showed the more expensive ITA fare during the search and the cheaper LH website fare at the confirmation screen after flights were selected and the itinerary was repriced.
Does anyone know how to force a booking class on the LH or LX websites without jumping up to the next column of the fare display (on the LX site, for example)?
Thanks again!
#4
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Berlin
Programs: LH/BA/DL
Posts: 832
Even with simple non-stop flights on LH I haven often had more expensive results on ITA than what I could actually buy on the LH website. LH website had lower fare classes available.
So there must be something else to it.
So there must be something else to it.
#5
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: London, UK and Southern France
Posts: 18,368
Some airlines (including most American carriers), however, are still stuck in the stone age with simple and basic leg-controlled availability systems. Here, using ITA shouldn't be a problem.
#6
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: ZRH/SFO
Programs: A3*G - AZ CFP- HH DIA
Posts: 3,666
Its no new phenomena that LX/LH open up lower booking classes if you book directly on their sites. External booking sites like Expedia, Opodo get only the higher fare bucket available (i.ex. T), while LX offers you on the same flights the cheaper fare i.ex. in K-cl...
#7
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2010
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 546
Its no new phenomena that LX/LH open up lower booking classes if you book directly on their sites. External booking sites like Expedia, Opodo get only the higher fare bucket available (i.ex. T), while LX offers you on the same flights the cheaper fare i.ex. in K-cl...
Thanks again!
#8
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 70
This can be due to the fact that availabilities differ for each point of sale. ITA should, however, diplay the availability for the defined point of sale. Default setting is point of origin.
#9
Moderator: Lufthansa Miles & More, India based airlines, India, External Miles & Points Resources
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: MUC
Programs: LH SEN
Posts: 48,238
ITA shows availability based on the point of sale in the United States. Often you will see availability in cheaper fare buckets for domestic German connections. Thats usually a hint for me to go buy the ticket in a US OTA's webshop.
#10
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2010
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 546
A call to the LX booking center did not yield a T-priceable itinerary, but I did find a way to force the LX legs into T: connect to a flight with T availability only and therefore force the return leg to price into T.
For example, EWR-MUC-BCN on the outbound, and BCN-ZRH-EWR-AAA on the return. EWR-AAA forces the return to price as BCN-AAA in T class. Maybe I'll drive back from city AAA... or accidentally misconnect. Who knows what the weather will be like that day!
For example, EWR-MUC-BCN on the outbound, and BCN-ZRH-EWR-AAA on the return. EWR-AAA forces the return to price as BCN-AAA in T class. Maybe I'll drive back from city AAA... or accidentally misconnect. Who knows what the weather will be like that day!