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<Rant>

ITA was founded from a bunch of guys at MIT. Nerds. Brilliant guys. Revolutionized the way the world searched for airfare. Hacker culture.

Google too was once a company of nerds. The smartest guys in the field. They recruited by putting up posters on the T (specifically the Red Line, for obvious reasons) with challenging (impossible?) puzzles on them. You sent your answers to their HR department. They really wanted to get the smartest people to solve the hardest problems.

So what happened? Did the lawyers and MBA's get in the way of producing really cool stuff? Is Google succoming to the Groupon-ization of the world where everything has to exist in big type, with shiny colors, and use AJAX or some other stupid web technology just because everyone else does it?

The new matrix makes me sick. Suck a step backward.

</Rant>

Indeed, this is just another regrettable case of a useful tool being dumbed down (and gussied up) to increase mass user acceptance.

(But what do I know? I still fondly remember using Eaasy SABRE on the CompuServe Information Service. )

I am new to this. 1 month at it. After reviewing both versions as a complete newbie, I went with the newer site which now is the only one standing. I have been very profficient with all the codes for about a week now.

However, the last 3-4 days, since the old system when down (and the farecompare tool) the new matrix has been SUCKING. Like literary being horrible.

Even when baby feeding it itineraries, step by step, I'm getting ridiculous $6,000 fares or messages about no flights being found.

The worst travel sites are giving me correct fares and ITA is just messed up.

Anybody else that has only used the new matrix been struggling as well?

Here are a few of the threads that have helped me the most dealing with Matrix2. Most of it worked with Matrix1, others are only good in one of them.

How to specify the fare basis code

How to specify the booking code

More hidden features on ITA

The new matrix likes semicolons (";") instead of commas (","). I'll open a bug to make either one work, but for now try making the substitution.

Worked, thank you!

YES. I searched with the filter of CO,US,UA, and I didn't get all the fares for those airlines. Removed, the filter, and a whole new CPM reality presented itself for CO,UA,US. Hmm.

So I'm running with no filters.

I really wish I had some time on matrix1. Sounds like it was quite the beloved tool.

Seeing a friend using Eaasy Sabre on CompuServe was what made me go out the next morning to buy my first computer and get online back in 1994. It was amazing to find a $199 r/t a/i SFO-HNL and then dictate the exact itin and fare code to my TA who first quoted over $400 as the cheapest option.

The most awesome thing was the ability to insert/remove segments in the middle of an itin without having to retype everything. Not even matrix1 would do that.

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I don't mind the new Matrix functionality so much, but complex itineraries crash Safari on the iPad. It's the only site I've visited that crashes the iPad browser.

I noticed that feature yesterday but today it does not seem to be showing live availability.

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