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TIP: More hidden features of ITA

Old Jan 21, 2015, 10:55 am
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Last edit by: hillrider
Here are some more hidden features of the ITA software.

The extensions to the itasoftware routing language are accessed by postpending commands after a '/'. There's a wide set of commands available, but there's no description of them available on the ITA web site. Unfortunately, each command applies only to one part of the trip, so they must usually be entered in each box.

EXCLUDE SPECIFIC AIRLINES
Command is "-airlines XX ..."
Ex: prohibit jetBlue or Delta
from: BOS ::/ -airlines B6 DL
to: LAX ::/ -airlines B6 DL

LIMIT TO SPECIFIC AIRLINES
Command is "airlines XX ..."
Ex: consider only jetBlue or Delta
from: BOS ::/ airlines B6 DL
to: LAX ::/ airlines B6 DL

LIMIT TO A SINGLE ALLIANCE
Command is "alliance star-alliance|oneworld|skyteam"
Ex: oneworld carriers only
from: BOS ::/ alliance oneworld
to: LAX ::/ alliance oneworld

EXCLUDE CODESHARES
Command is "-codeshare"
Ex: prohibit jetBlue or Delta
from: BOS ::/ -codeshare
to: LAX ::/ -codeshare

LIMIT DURATION OF ITINERARY, IN MINUTES
Command is "maxdur XXX"
Ex: no more than 5hrs for each part of trip
from: BOS ::/ maxdur 300
to: LAX ::/ maxdur 300

EXCLUDE OVERNIGHT STOPS, AIRPORT CHANGES, REDEYES, PROPELLER PLANES, TRAINS, HELICOPTERS, ANY KIND OF SURFACE TRAVEL
Commands are "-overnight", "-change", "-redeye", "-prop", "-train", "-helicopter", "-surface"
Ex: no overnight stops, no airport changes, no redeyes, no propeller planes
from: BOS ::/ -overnight, -change, -redeye, -prop
to: LAX ::/ -overnight, -change, -redeye, -prop

SET MINIMUM OR MAXIMUM TIME FOR CONNECTIONS, IN MINUTES
Commands are "minconnect XX", "maxconnect XX"
Ex: no less than one hour, no more than two hour connections
from: BOS ::/ minconnect 60, maxconnect 120
to: LAX ::/ minconnect 60, maxconnect 120

EXTRA CONNECTION TIME
Command is "padconnect XX"
Ex: require at least 20 minutes more than airline specified minimum connection time
from: BOS ::/ padconnect 20
to: LAX ::/ padconnect 20

PUTTING LOTS OF THINGS TOGETHER
Separate with commas.
Ex:
from: BOS :: UA UA / f bc=l|bc=y, -redeye, -prop
to: LAX :: UA+ / f ua.bos+lax.yup, padconnect 20, -overnight
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TIP: More hidden features of ITA

Old Jan 3, 2016, 10:41 am
  #466  
 
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Originally Posted by Calchas
You can use multicity if you like. The pricing engine will find the best way to price it, using a round trip pricing unit comprising two mirror-image fare components but with stopovers, or as a multi component circle trip comprising numerous fare components, or with end-on-end components, or even multiple pricing units, whatever works out cheapest (and the fare rules mutually allow). The way you input your itinerary does not really seem to affect the method the Matrix uses to compute the price.

If you let us know more about your itinerary maybe someone here can have a go at setting it up.
Thanks. Playing around with multi-city is showing results. I was just hoping to be able to do it with a broader calendar search as I could go whenever. The itinerary would be DTW- CDG/AMS/FCO (full day layover)-SVO- CDG/AMS/FCO (full day layover)-ATL-DTW. Obviously either of CDG/AMS/FCO are the connection points in Europe since it is a Skyteam itinerary, and I will be getting off at ATL and throwing away the final leg to DTW. At one point last night I was actually able to get DTW-CDG(full day layover)-AMS (12 hour layover)-SVO on the return, as the fare rules look to allow 2 connections but no stopovers.
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Old Jan 4, 2016, 12:12 pm
  #467  
 
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Is there any way to search with only a minimum of 2 connections?
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Old Jan 4, 2016, 12:24 pm
  #468  
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Originally Posted by BThumme
Is there any way to search with only a minimum of 2 connections?
"x x+" in the advanced routing codes box
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Old Jan 4, 2016, 12:47 pm
  #469  
 
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Originally Posted by Zorak
"x x+" in the advanced routing codes box
Worked great! Thanks!
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Old Sep 21, 2016, 2:16 am
  #470  
 
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I'm not doing something right with the "-change" option. I can use any nearby airport near LA on my multi-city route, so I specified LAX, LGB, BUR, SNA, ONT using "AA+ / -change" for the advanced routing. I still get airport changes (e.g. SNA/LAX). What am I doing incorrectly?
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Old Sep 21, 2016, 8:28 am
  #471  
 
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Don't really understand the fare basis codes.

Trying to do a mileage run on China Eastern but avoid the fare codes that DON'T get any mileage credit on Delta (particularly avoid the Q fare that keeps coming up on the PVG-JFK return leg).

How do I do that? Looks like I'm really just trying to avoid Q fare on MU.
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Old Sep 21, 2016, 9:19 am
  #472  
 
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Originally Posted by melrowgo
I'm not doing something right with the "-change" option. I can use any nearby airport near LA on my multi-city route, so I specified LAX, LGB, BUR, SNA, ONT using "AA+ / -change" for the advanced routing. I still get airport changes (e.g. SNA/LAX). What am I doing incorrectly?
Remove "-change" from your advanced routing, instead uncheck the box (Allow Airport Changes) under "Extra Stop" on the main page.
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Old Sep 21, 2016, 9:23 am
  #473  
 
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Originally Posted by dk240t
Don't really understand the fare basis codes.

Trying to do a mileage run on China Eastern but avoid the fare codes that DON'T get any mileage credit on Delta (particularly avoid the Q fare that keeps coming up on the PVG-JFK return leg).

How do I do that? Looks like I'm really just trying to avoid Q fare on MU.
You can try something like this, / airline MU; f ~bc=q.
"~" or tilde acts as a negation, or you can just specify which booking classes you want, e.g., /f bc=y|bc=b|bc=q
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Old Sep 21, 2016, 11:28 am
  #474  
 
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Originally Posted by zoqfotpik
Remove "-change" from your advanced routing, instead uncheck the box (Allow Airport Changes) under "Extra Stop" on the main page.
D'oh. Didn't see that. Thanks much.
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Old Sep 24, 2016, 9:05 am
  #475  
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How would I do / alliance oneworld and -codeshare to hide all the codeshares?

Can't quite get it to work
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Old Sep 24, 2016, 10:10 am
  #476  
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Code:
 / alliance oneworld; nocodeshare
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Old Sep 24, 2016, 3:24 pm
  #477  
 
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Is there was a way to code a request such that there is at least one stop in the route, but exclude airports in a particular country for the stop(s)? For example, I'd like to do a trip from the US to PVG, returning with a stop in a 3rd country to eliminate the need for a visa. I know I can code in specific cities like NRT, but I wondered if I could just let the system choose for me. Or am I making this too complicated?
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Old Sep 24, 2016, 8:14 pm
  #478  
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Originally Posted by melrowgo
Is there was a way to code a request such that there is at least one stop in the route, but exclude airports in a particular country for the stop(s)? For example, I'd like to do a trip from the US to PVG, returning with a stop in a 3rd country to eliminate the need for a visa. I know I can code in specific cities like NRT, but I wondered if I could just let the system choose for me. Or am I making this too complicated?
Maybe you can build off of this. A brief test seems to indicate that this successfully showed flights with a connection not in NRT (~ is negation).
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Old Sep 24, 2016, 8:43 pm
  #479  
 
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Originally Posted by jackal
Maybe you can build off of this. A brief test seems to indicate that this successfully showed flights with a connection not in NRT (~ is negation).
Thanks jackal. I had tried a similar test just to see if that would work for a particular airport before posting, but I couldn't figure out how to do it for a whole country (e.g. the US). If this isn't a possible option, I suppose I could negate all of the likely cities one would travel through in the US en route to PVG. I'm thinking that would include LAX, DFW, SFO and maybe PHX, HNL, DEN.

Last edited by melrowgo; Sep 24, 2016 at 9:28 pm
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Old Sep 24, 2016, 9:11 pm
  #480  
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Originally Posted by melrowgo
Thanks jackal. I had tried a similar test just to see if that would work for a particular airport before posting, but I couldn't figure out how to do it for a whole country (e.g. the US). If this isn't a possible option, I suppose I could negate all of the likely cities one would travel through in the US en route to HKG. I'm thinking that would include LAX, DFW, SFO and maybe PHX, HNL, DEN.
I doubt ITA even knows what a "country" is. It probably knows airport codes and nothing else. I've never seen any reference to being able to specify a country in the routing language.

Are you looking for a particular airline? If so, you can specifically search for flights on, say, UA and then you'd only have to exclude cities that UA flies to HKG from (SFO, ORD, and EWR, I believe?) and you wouldn't have to bother excluding other cities like PHX, DFW, etc. as UA doesn't fly to HKG from those cities.
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