^ Yes please, show us the url that we can replicate using any other web browser to get the routing rules such that we can determine if we are violating T&Cs or laws with the data we are obtaining with our PCs.

That doesn't make it much more useful for easy access. You still have to click on every fare to find out what it is. As a bonus, since they're sorted by price and one cannot specify booking class anymore, different cabins are now mixed within the results, for example a Z fare is between a cheaper economy fare and a full Y fare. Very convenient.

Better still, sometimes we cannot get any business class or first class fares for some airlines and city pairs with this method.

So can someone please fill me in on what GTC credentials are and how to get them? I'm trying to do some availability searches

I have the same problem. For NA itins there are so many fares loaded, even with an airline specified, that the 40 lowest fares that are displayed don't include J or F. For a Europe - NA itin with one airline specified I was able to get it to include J or F. For many routes it remains impossible to get premium fares though.

As noted in the KVS Tool User Guide, the [Fares/GOL] Engine does support domestic Fares, except those within US/CA.

Could you please provide a specific example?

This must be a Fare-specific issue -- what are the Fare details?

So are you complaining that it does or does not validate/filter Fares? :confused:

There is definitely no filtering by Availability/Booking Class taking place.

Please provide specific example(s), where the rules that should be validated are not being validated.

Unfortunately, it is a limitation of the [Fares/GOL] Engine itself as it does not support requests for a specific Cabin Class.

However, you can still retrieve details for any Fare (including any Business or First Class Fare) using the [Other Fare] option and entering the Fare Basis Code, even if that Fare is not shown in the displayed list.

And how, exactly, am I supposed to look up the details of a Fare Basis Code if the code itself isn't shown? To use the Other Fare feature you need the fare code. I usually use KVS to find fares. If I already know what they are, it kind of defeats the purpose.

GTC is getthere.com, an online travel agent who several large organisations use.

One of these organisations foolishly let an internal document on to the internet.


The KVS company then suggested you use this document to get an account with getthere.com

This page included a username and password that could be used to get a getthere.com account. That password has since been changed for obvious reasons.

There are other ways to get the credentials - if you work for a specific corporation or university that pay for getthere.com usage.

It was then confirmed by a getthere.com representitive that this method was against the getthere.com policies and must not be used with KVS and similar tools.

However the method still exists.

Basically if you want flight availablity via KVS Availability Tool, you have to (fraudulently or not) get a getthere.com account, and then, in direct contravention of the getthere policies, use KVS to scrape the webpages.

If you weren't aware, the reason that the old method of availability did not work was because flightstats.com, who had offered availability for free, and perhaps being fed up with KVS using their sevices, and costing them money, without any return from the adverts on that site, removed the service.

I'm not sure if this is all in breach of criminal law, rather than just civil, but I wouldn't want to be a KVS user and find out.

In the mean time, if you want access to availability, fares, and other data, you should send your money to a company that pays for legitimate access to this data. There are several tools in existence that does this, but as each search tends to cost a few cents, these tools aren't free.

You may be under the impression the money you pay each month for KVS goes towards providing the data. It doesn't. You may be under the impression you are buying a tool which will give you flight availability. You aren't. You are donating to the upkeep of a "web browser", with no guarantees on the return. That's all.

... is an unusual entity, if indeed it (a "company") exists. We have no way of knowing.

The entity has a "Company Representative" here on FlyerTalk -- and uses the first person plural (the "royal we") -- but doesn't publish the real world contact details that would make it easier for injunctions to be taken out or "cease and desist" notices to be served.

Very curious.

The [Other Fare] option is useful for Round-The-Wold Fares (as described at http://Help.KVSTool.com/#RTW), when you already have a ticket, or when you are about to purchase one and the booking source (e.g. telephone res agent) does not provide detailed Fare Information.

Is there a list of those tools somewhere?

FIFY. Based on this deficiency, it does not replace the method available when we paid.

Can you add a RSS to the User Guide as it seems to be changing daily and the history is often left without trace?


ORD LIM AA Nov 7th-JAN 12th
KVS: QLE0MCQ1 = $491
Actual Best: QLE2MCQ1 = $287

Same fare: QLE0MCQ1



You can see above it is filtering based on advanced purchase requirement.

Good luck getting any sort of refund out of KVS. A long time ago I paid for access to the 'Availability Tool' until one day when, similar to what recently happened, a certain set of data became unavailable. Lo and behold, a short time later the same data (from an end user perspective it was the same) became available again -- only this time it was at the cost of more money. That was when I learned the truth about how KVS operates and that all I had paid for (according to KVS) was a 'browser'. A few of us were in the same position -- we'd paid for access to something and were now being asked to pay more to get what we had been told we already had access to. Then, as now, people were offered additional access at no/low cost if we'd either stop posting about the matter or delete our posts. I forget all of the details, but the story is the same. S:rolleyes:me things never change.

CAVEAT EMPTOR!

That's probably because it never actually happened.

Indeed, people have been imagining things since the beginning of time.

Mr or Ms KVS - Please check your eMail box . . . .

I signed up for your service last night, and the mobile app worked fine. Today, the login & password are NOT working and I need it for my morning flights.

Thanx.

DT

Your Permanent Membership Credentials have been issued a few minutes ago. Please check your Inbox & Spam/Junk folders and try again.

Click his username and put him on your "Ignore" list.

To be fair to KVS. He did refund my contribution (USD75) today. So case close. I am uninstalling KVS.

The only one left that has flight availability/fare class inventory and real fare tariff data for all markets with the fare basis codes is ExpertFlyer.com as they buy the data and don't screen scrape it.

Thanx. All is good again . . . for now.

:)

You're welcome.

{Reference to now redacted post removed by moderator}


I will also repeat my previous suggestion which may have been missed:

Suggestion
As the KVS Availability Tool purports to be a "Specialized Web Browser application", can the URL/domain used for each type of search be clearly shown before users are required to click 'Go' rather than an obfuscated/truncated code such as 'Availability/FS'?

That way users know the website(s) they will access and have a chance to confirm (if they wish) that they are meeting any 'User Agreement' or T&C's of that website.

Alternatively, a popup of the terms of the website(s) they are accessing through their 'Specialized Web Browser application'. Just as you request users to "Please review the terms of the KVS Tool User Agreement that you have accepted when installing the KVS Tool."

Your suggestion has been noted.

Silence?

The format of the User Guide would not be suitable for an RSS feed.
However, we are considering adding an RSS option to the Key News section.

QLE2MCQ1 has a 21-day Advance Purchase requirement.

It appears that this Fare Basis Code has been filed recently so it may take some systems a bit of time to get fully updated.

As noted in the KVS Tool User Guide for the [Fares/GOL] Method:

So, in summary, all excuses for reduced functionality compared to the previous scrapped website.

Do you deem this functionality satisfactory or are you pursuing a new website that has this equivalent functionality to when we made our purchase?

Moderator action has removed the references to the fraudulent use of the academic institutions login credentials - thanks for that.

Has there been any moderator action to the FT Company Representative that provided these instructions in the first place?

There have been several specific requests for transparency to ensure other T&C of the sites is not being violating with the scraping.. Is this not a reasonable and appropriate request to require specific answers, especially given the FT Company Representative status?

As stated previously, we did not provide such instructions.

As also stated previously, this thread is about the KVS Tool, a Specialized Web Browser. Discussions about Screen Scrapers should take place in their own separate thread(s).

The answers have already been provided. While a limited number of members may not like them, it would not be appropriate to force any FT member, regardless of their status, to provide different ones.

Indeed, Regular Availability is currently accessible via the KVS Tool Mobile Companion.

The question was for the moderators because you have a demonstrated a habit of avoiding answering the questions, even with very specific. I look forward to their response.

Good example, you address this post by myself (directed at the moderators) but ignore the preceding post questioning functionality of your product (which had a direct question to yourself).

Please avoid these specific questions:
1) Does KVS Tool have the authorization of Amadeus through the use of wftc2.e-travel.com to provide schedule information?
2) Prove instructions to replicate access to schedule information with any other web browser [don't worry, I know you can't, because real web browsers have no method to generatre the http post commands required to provide the information as Amadeus provides no linked access to that server]
3) Define Web Scraper [hint: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_scraping]

Time to redefine the KVS Availability Tool?

Well my subscription expires tomorrow, KVS, what next?

Are you going to publish an adjusted price list now that the key feature is gone?

For what its worth I have been a regular subscriber for 10+ years now. I know its just a tool that scrapes the websites for the information and am happy to pay him for developing and updating it.

I really hope you can find a way to provide us availability searches again as I really don't want to go over to EF due to the lack of software and variety of award searches. The main reason why I stick with you is the ease and speed at which we can get the results.

Why is this (only) availability search function not integrated into the tool?

Same for me after 10 years.
RTW directly: finished
availability: only with companion
fares: no booking class directly, obliged to double-click each price!!! a shame.
I have always recommended KVS vs EF but now, with no general explanation for the future by the kVs representative...I think that does not worth the price.
ITA and google flight give me more and faster for free.

What are my options as I do not use a cell/mobile phone -

flight stats no longer offers flight availability?

On my PC, the Availability/GTC tool requires site membership and password?


What is GTC?

Can one of your tool customers get GTC membership and password for free - esp for a Diamond KVS tool member like myself?

I am probably repeating the post - by how do I search fares for a particular cabin only - for a given airline or group of airline? I use a PC to use your tool; I do not carry a cell/mobile phone.

Right now, all fares show up - and if the first page is filled with fares (let say most of the economy fares), then the rest of the economy and all of the business and first class fares will not display.

The current fare tool (Fares/GOL) does not give fare basis to each fare, nor state which cabin the fare is associated with. One has to click on each fare to get fare basis, and one still has to guess which cabin is that fare basis associated with.

KVS Mobile will work in your normal web browser.

Which begs the question, is KVS Mobile still a web browser? A web browser inside a web browser? If it isn't a web browser, then what is it? Why can't the KVS web browser browse to KVS Mobile companion?

Flights stats is done currently. We can speculate as to why. A business decision nevertheless. When KVS web scrapped the website the images where not downloaded which means the advertisers were not paid. Draw your own conclusions.

KVS has provided a backdoor method to members to obtain GTC credentials through methods unintended for KVS or our use. KVS will disavow all knowledge of this.

Is KVS a registered company in any country and/or does it have a registered address?