Yahoo Travel "Best Fares" problem
Feb 11, 2005, 8:10 pm
#1
Moderator: Mileage Run, InterContinental Hotels
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 5,918
Yahoo Travel "Best Fares" problem
I have encountered a very annoying probmem with Yahoo's Best Fares from XYZ function. Frequently I receive the following message when hitting the 'check availability' button:
The fare you have selected has changed since the last time it was published.
This is bad news whenever I get excited about a cheap fare that suddenly increases by 30% (e.g., PDX-OGG $321 changes to $437), but it really sucks when I fail to recognize a good deal (e.g., PDX-MUC is listed at $399, but on travelocity the lowest fare is $312).
Is there anything I can do about this? Thanks for your help!
The fare you have selected has changed since the last time it was published.
This is bad news whenever I get excited about a cheap fare that suddenly increases by 30% (e.g., PDX-OGG $321 changes to $437), but it really sucks when I fail to recognize a good deal (e.g., PDX-MUC is listed at $399, but on travelocity the lowest fare is $312).
Is there anything I can do about this? Thanks for your help!
Feb 12, 2005, 12:06 am
#2
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Seattle, WA
Programs: Marriott Titanium
Posts: 2,861
I too find this annoying BUT this is how it works: Fares change thousands or hundreds of thousands of times per day. Best Fares data is collected relatively infrequently (daily?). So the fares DID exist, but Best Fares is not searched out in real-time, it runs off of data collected hours previous.
Feb 12, 2005, 12:30 am
#3
Join Date: Feb 2004
Programs: AA 'kettle', Marriott Gold, ICH Gld, Hertz 5*
Posts: 5,258
Another annoyance with Yahoo is that the dream maps and fare finders just show the base fare, without taxes and fees. On int'l tix, those can be pretty hefty. I like seeing the dream map to get a fare trend, and then go after the specifics on ITA or Expedia, which show the final price in the search results.
Pat
Pat
Feb 12, 2005, 7:48 am
#4
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: BNA
Posts: 2,076
They also suck because seemingly every time I pick an available date, they say it is no longer available, and they have reconfirmed some alternate dates around it, which then also turn up as unavailable. I hate yahoo travel.
Feb 12, 2005, 10:03 am
#5
Join Date: Mar 1999
Location: Silicon Valley, USA
Programs: AA Exec Plat
Posts: 158
Let me count the ways
The worst is that Yahoo displays fares (to places I really want to visit) almost always not low enough for me. I really really really hate that. Let's all boycott Yahoo Travel because it makes life too hard for us.
Pushpak
PS - And such small portions too.
Pushpak
PS - And such small portions too.
Feb 19, 2005, 3:44 pm
#7
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 2,438
I really dont think anyone here buys from yahoo travel but just uses that low fare finder to see the dates for cheapest travel.
I go to yahootravel, then to ita software, then book directly with the airline. Seems like the best way for me.
I go to yahootravel, then to ita software, then book directly with the airline. Seems like the best way for me.