Thanks for the information and quick response. As I am new to this, can you tell me why SQ's QMJFKNS does not appear to work?

According to the fare rules, the ticket must be issued in Area 1 (North America) and travelling to Area 2/3, CHECK.
The flight must be transatlantic on SQ 25 or SQ 26. CHECK

Just trying to find the cheapest flight from NYC to BKK between 11/30 and 12/12.

Then, what is the best way to search for these fare classes? Going direct to some of the airlines does not allow you to input the fare class. Any good options for this?

On a separate note, are there any good ways to find cheap mileage runs?

All of the help is appreciated again.

If you are decisive enough to see the difference between 89 min and 90 min connections, I admire that but very few of us are like that. :)

Sure, but consider the flip side of the same coin: what if one was searching Y and didn't discover that J was available for 4 GBP more? :)

This is certainly true as far as it goes. However, the entire field of programming exists because it is not easy to translate simple human needs and desires into computer code.

Do I want J or Y? Well, usually Y because experience has taught me to assume that I can't afford J, but I would surely prefer J when the difference is very little and affordable.

Similarly, do I want a 15-hour nonstop to some Asian city or 22 hours with a connection? The answer may seem obvious till you consider the details. For example, the nonstop arrives at 1AM forcing me to get a hotel or sit in some plastic chair in the arrival hall till my next flight at 10AM; in contrast, the connecting flight allows me to spend the extra time in a first class lounge somewhere with shower and food, followed by 7AM arrival and a comfortable forward connection.

These are real example, such things do happen. There isn't a software package written that will allow us to "widen search" in all ways that are meaningful to human needs.

ExpertFlyer Confusion
 

Hey guys,

Little confusion about ExpertFlyer. Looking at YUL-MIA... in "available classes" it shows "J0 D0 I0 Y0 B0 H0 K0 M0 L0 W0 V0 G0 N0 S0 O0 Q0" which from my understanding shows that there are 0 flights available.

http://i58.tinypic.com/j0bk03.png

However, when I click the "seat gadget", I see that some seats are available.

http://i58.tinypic.com/z8y7q.png

Why is this? I am trying to understand all the intrinsic features about ExpertFlyer but this has me :confused:

If you look at the seats, All but 2 (11 E&F) either require a premium seat fee, Full Fare, limited to elites, Handicapped or completely blocked. I assume none of those without assignments have gone on to claims the 2 seats open to everyone

The icon key should be at the top right above the seat map showing which seats qualify as:

Available
Premium Only
Handicap-Accessible
Paid & Premium
Occupied
Blocked
Lavatory
Paid

Thanks for the help guys! A+

That is why it says "at least" Y. Although Y is best avoided. :p

But the crux is that the software is widening your search and it is making decisions for you. And it does it in a way that we don't understand. Sure you have picked very easy edge cases. But what if it was 23 hours with a connection? 28 hours? 48 hours? Someone has to make a choice about which of those is acceptable. And the choice should be done by you, not by the machine. By including random options right now, you might think "oh look it has cleverly realized I will take a 87 minute connection [even though I said 90 minutes] to get in J, I'll buy that"---but for all you know, there was an 88 minute connection in F that for reasons unknown it excluded.

So when all that EF is doing is packaging the same information into a prettier format, why is it suddenly all EF's fault?

A publisher is liable for the fault in his reproduction. ;)

A very useful place for questions like this, loaded with information, is in thevTravel Tools Fourm: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trave...sk-thread.html

Remember, seat charts merely show seats that have been assigned, and seats that are blocked for various reasons from crew rest to you name it. Some passengers don't select / obsess over seats, and in some cases there may be groups (e.g. cruise passengers, etc.) without seat assignments.

When you see F0, J0, Y0 you can be pretty sure the airline is unwilling, unable to sell more seats, and in fact might be oversold.

Thanks JDiver - I wasn't aware of that thread!

Threads now merged.

<redacted by moderator> [I don't] understand why it's such a big deal to ignore the subsequent lines that are obviously not direct flights.

It is being delivered.

I could understand the complaint if you asked for non-stop BA flights, and all you got was connecting itineraries on other airlines.

But you're getting everything you ask for here. You're also sometimes getting some more, laid out in a way which does not confuse. That's why I find it impossible to understand why this should be considered anything more than a minor bemusement.