Not good and very annoying.

Having the same problem. I'm concerned that United is blocking KVS tool but not sure how since it just uses our log-in. I am travelling abroad so thought it might be an IP issue but with others complaining, this is clearly something more systemic.

Please note that the [Awards-Upgrades/UA] Method is currently unavailable.

any time estimate on the fix?

My guess while UA could easily block EF due to searches being initiated from EF's servers, it has taken UA longer to develop a detector for a KVS driven (a signature) search. Appears UA has now been successful and we may have a cat and mouse game for awhile. To be blunt, probably the beginning of the end unfortunately.

My view is a little different and a little less pessimistic. With screen-scraping approaches, every time the provider (in this case UA) changes the process for clicking through to find rewards there has to be a corresponding change made to the software that does the screen scraping. I suspect that this is what's happened. It will just be a matter of KVS bringing their end up to date.

It is quite difficult for the likes of UA to deny access permanently to screen scrapers.

Aside from any technical difficulty of blocking KVS, denying customers who are using their own login credentials and KVS as an access method is effectively stating that COdbaUA will only serve certain types of browsers but not others, even though no concession is required on the CO end to allow access. Although this is certainly within their "rights" it would be (yet another) amazingly open, in-your-face customer unfriendly gesture.

Yup - assuming this is the case, United's War on Elites (and Information) continues :td:

Hope KVS finds a workaround:confused:

Not only did KVS remove reference to the UA upgrade and extra award classes from the User Guide page but the screen shot of the method has also been removed from the Screenshots page. The Fare Listings via [FC] screen shot is even still there and that method was removed from the app a while ago. Looks like UA upgrades aren't coming back anytime soon.

Very disappointing that the company is devoting resources to limiting access to information its customers need while failing to fix other major problems such as the upgrade wait list operation.

How do you know that's what they are doing? It's extremely common for screen-scraping approaches to fall over from time to time when the company providing the information (in this case UA) changes something. The screen-scraping company (in this case KVS) needs to modify their implementation.

Occam's Razor - they did it with EF (and other sites), what else is it likely to be?

This is an airline that has shown a severe inability to grow topline revenues, so instead they focus on the margins, on the revenue side (ancillary fees) but more dramatically on the cost side (ever-diminishing soft product, clawing back miles, going after information sources, etc.)

I just hope KVS can find another work-around like it did last year.

To understand this you need to understand how the technology works. I have tried to explain and have perhaps failed. I gave it my best shot.

While I understand a "technology change" can change things...there's been no observation of anything different with the web site and the like, nor any service disruptions, etc.

Plus, given the removal of some of the UA language from the KVS site, past efforts by UA to shut these 3rd party sites down, plus a general ongoing "attack" on it's most loyal / frequent customers...it's simply the most logical explanation that it's deliberate.

I hope to be proven wrong however...

And add to that the almost complete silence by KVS here (other than saying it is currently unavailable)....

I also would be delighted to be shown wrong, and I very clearly understand the idea that some change on UA's site could inadvertently have created the problem. However, as others have noted, there is reason for pessimism. KVS's silence makes me wonder if it has received legal correspondence and of course UA monitors this board and could clarify the situation readily if it wished to do so.

KVS I have a question. Can I see custom point of sales unlike EF? I'll like to know if I can accurately display availability for Venezuela. Thanks.

Here's hoping that KVS shares some more info regarding the Awards-Upgrades/UA situation...at $75/year, the least that they could do is keep us informed.

+1, I was thinking the same thing as I was going to this thread this AM

I think most of us are thinking the worst here - we don't need to know all the issues, but a simple "it's a technical issue" vs. "I'm having *discussions* with UA" would suffice for now.

My subscription runs out in another month and a half but if they don't give an update on the United situation there's no way I'm going to be renewing. Has anyone here requested a partial refund for this new development?

I'm still waiting to hear something official. I think we all suspect what is wrong but nothing official from KVS yet so let's give them a few more days. Makes things hard for now but hope they can find a workaround.

If I'm checking Availability/FS is there a way to change the POS - it's greyed and set to US. There's often a difference between UK and US availability.

Thanks.

Would someone with KVS be kind enough to see if there is any availability for a business saver award on ANA from HKG to TYO (HND or NRT) on April 15th or 16th? I want to use United miles but United.com doesn't show anything.

I was just about to subscribe for access to UA upgrades but now will hold off to see how this plays out...

There are currently 2 POS options in the KVS Tool for Regular Availability:

• US for [Availability/FS]
• JP for [Availability/ETR]

There is currently no Award Availability on or around those dates:

[KVS Availability Tool 7.3.5/Diamond - Awards/StarAlliance-7D]

Would someone with KVS be kind enough to see if there is any availability for 3 economy award on Aer Lingus from CDG to/from ORK 04/19-04/30, Thank you so much!

Which airline FF program are you using?
Have you checked the program's award site?

I will use BA avios to redeem, current I have 0 points but will transfer from SPG if spot is available, Thanks!

UA/Awards no longer available?
 

Is this now permanent?

If it was a technical error, I'm sure KVS would have come aboard and said so. Judging from KVS' silence, I'm betting that KVS can't talk about it (yet?). I'm sure you can thank UA for that one.

Agreed on all counts. Really hoping we get an update soon. I forgot how incredibly tedious searching on the UA site is.

As posted on their home page:

[Awards-Upgrades/UA] Method 27 Mar 2014
Please note that this Method is no longer available.

That was really the only reason I purchased KVS subscription. Makes that last month of the subscription a little worthless.

Yup. Still some value in searching OW & *A for me...but losing UA is a killer & possible deal-breaker.

OK KVS. Are you planning to offer refunds to the UA flyers who paid you expecting useful service?

I believe your quarrel is with United Airlines. KVS sold you a product that they clearly labeled as a specialty web browser, used to access data provided by others. Surely we all knew that the database with upgrade and award availability belongs to UA, not KVS. It appears United has taken steps to block access to parts of its data base when this browser is used. Do you blame Microsoft or Mozilla when Internet Explorer or Firefox cannot successfully connect to a web page that the owner has removed, even though your software works as designed?

It would be really NICE to get official word from KVS. Their webpage is updated so it's look like getting UA data is done for now, but why and what can we do?

Is it even possible for one to check for R-class availability on CO.bomb? :confused:

I have 4.5mo on my subscription left which are now rendered worthless.

If I recall, when you sent an HTTP request, you can manually specify any browser type. I had thought that KVS looks like IE. And you are using the browser from your own computer accessing the same pages that we manually do. So I don't think UA can specifically block KVS technically. Maybe by sending a threatening letter to them telling them to remove the feature.