Availability in real-time?
 

To what extend the EF availability is real-time?
Here is an example: The availbity for QR170 DOH-MCT 20Dec showed 9s for most of the classes (some 4 hrs before the departure). At the same time a friend was told by QR customer service in DOH that the flight was 45 pax oversold.

It's all real-time from the airline reservation systems, we don't cache any data. QR is especially accurate as it participates in the highest level of connectivity with the reservation system we use.

That however is not the issue. The Flight Availability numbers reflect what the airline is willing to sell, not how many seats are unsold. If the flight is really oversold by 45 pax, then QR is basically willing to sell a seat to anyone who wants one, regardless of if there is one, and therefore the "available" inventory stays high. If you look at the First fare classes, you'll see they have more realistic values. Either way, that's what QR is showing to every travel agent around the world.

I happen to agree with aktchi on this one.

AA Flight Availability Listings
 

As an FYI to our subscribers, because of this: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ameri...eement-aa.html, AA flights may not show for Flight Availability searches unless AA is specified as one of the airlines in the search. All other search functions, including Awards & Upgrades, are unaffected by this. Thank you for your understanding.

Good to know, thanks - AA is my default preference, so as long as we can still access the data, I'm happy.

Not all fares displaying?
 

I'm trying to figure out the routing rules for my fare for a trip OKC-STL coming up. Using the fare information tool, I plug in the depart/arrive/date, but my fare code isn't coming up. Now, the fare I have is a 14-day advance purchase, so I understand that might be an issue. I thought by deselecting "validate fares", EF would show fares that aren't available for purchase. Also, my trip isn't two married fares, so I don't think that's an issue either.

What else should I be doing to find my fare? Thanks!

Please email the airline, dates, and the fare code you are looking for to [email protected] and our support team will help you out.

Delta Seat Map Improvements
 

As of today, all of the outstanding Delta Seat Map issues appear to be fixed by our reservation system provider.

If you come across any new issues, please send an email to [email protected] and let us know.

BA Awards?
 

Any progress (or reasonable hope) for BA award searches?

Any update on new routing rules implementation (which include announced extended Sabre fare information)?

One more New Year wish: please REMOVE the validation for POS (country, particularly) when searching for fares as results are sometimes incomplete (ie SQ fares ex IST and CAI).

We can't comment on specific airline relationships however expanding our availability of airline award data is always something we're working on.

We're working on it now, when it is ready we will let everyone know.

That's unfortunately a basic function of how GDSs work and not something we have control over or can change.

However, not all GDSs work the same with POS restrictions and as part of the upcoming update, we'll be able to specify additional GDSs to use for Fare Information searches in certain cases, which in the case of SQ, appears to mitigate the problem you mention.

(Please email any further examples to [email protected] so we can have them all in one place, thanks.)

Improved Fare Information Search
 

Today we released several additions and improvements to the ExpertFlyer Fare Information search:

• *The ability to specify a Ticketing Date in the fare search
• *Historical Fare searching - You can now view historical fares, rules and routing for up to 1 year in the past by specifying a past Departure/Ticketing date.
• Improved Fare Rules/Routing Rules for most fares, with the routing rules now including Ticketed Point Deduction information where applicable
• The ability to search for all fares regardless of travel dates in addition to existing validation options.

* These are ExpertFlyer exclusive features

Here is a screen shot of the new search form: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/membe...are-search.png and the improved Routing Rules: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/membe...ting-rules.png


A few notes about using this new features:

• The new Ticketing Date and Show All Fares options, as well as the previously available Class Code and Fare Basis Code fields can be seen by clicking the Show Advanced Options button (this preference setting is remembered).
• Some searches may use an information source that doesn't include fuel surcharges in the price of the fare. If that's the case, it will be noted at the top of the results page.
• When using the option to show fares for all travel dates, for fares that have multiple seasonality date ranges, only the first date range will be shown in the list of fares. View the Seasonality category of the Fare Rules to see the rest. (This is a GDS bug that we've asked them to fix.)

We hope that these improvements make ExpertFlyer even more useful. If you come across any issues, please email us at [email protected]

Excellent! I'm using the fare info. quite a lot recently and the Historical fare info is very interesting!

If I do a search for C availability for LHR-GIG via JFK for today Feb 3rd I get the following:

1 Connections

AA (BA) 6142 0 LHR
02/03/11
1:35 PM JFK
02/03/11
4:25 PM 777
Daily
76% / 72m Business - AAnytime Award J 7



AA () 255 0 JFK
02/03/11
10:30 PM GIG
02/04/11
11:45 AM 763
Daily
80% / 27m Business - AAnytime Award J 4
Business - Upgrade C 1

But the C availabilty shows as 0 when I just search JFK-GIG. What gives?

It means that when originating from LHR, AA is willing to open up a lower fare bucket (e.g. D/I) than for those originating from JFK, based on various factors, including total ticket value, competitive fares/availability on the LON-RIO market, etc. etc.

Even though it probably doesn't make much sense, C availability seems to be implemented by linking it to those lower-fare buckets, so you get the effect that you see.

This is not an EF issue, it's the way AA works.

Thanks for attempting to explain but it seems an unlikely explanation as there is no availabilty showing in D or I on the JFK-GIG leg when I do a LHR-(JFK)-GIG search, only J4 on the JFK-GIG leg fro all flight combinations from LHR

And as an additional question - if EF shows this C availability somehow based on POS/origination then how does the alert feature work with this? If a C becomes available JFK-GIG for a search originating LHR who does it notify if an alert is in place? Note that the C is available for connections from the AA-coded BA flights LHR-JFK where no C is available on these flights, only on the JFK-GIG sector.

This looks like a married segment logic issue. This happens a lot with AA (and I suspect other carriers) and is not limited to upgrade and award inventory.

Various fare classes may be available for AAA-BBB or BBB-CCC when you look for AAA-BBB-CCC but not when you look for the segments individually. I've seen the reverse too where the inventory shows on one segment but not if that same segment is part of a multi-segment route.

When I set an alert on EF for an upgrade on a multi-segment route I set the alert using both the single segment that I am interested in and also for the entire multi-segment routing for which I am ticketed. If the alert triggers for just the single segment I call AA and ask for that single segment to be upgraded and I get it.

As hillrider said, this not an EF issue but the way AA makes the inventory available.

Correct, this is married segment logic (also called Journey Control). In order to maximize their inventory, and revenue, airlines can show different inventory for fare/upgrade/award classes on a flight depending on what other flights it is paired (married) with.

Right now, Flight Alerts looks at the segment the alert is set for by itself. One of the improvements we are going to make in the coming months is to build into Flight Alerts the ability to handle married segment logic by factoring in the full itinerary.

These are good enhancements; little more will I need to take a copy of fare rules as I ticket.

Exactly!

But there are some uses of this feature:

1) To see what you did not buy (to dream a bit when you see a thread on FT with a 'gone' remark => you will be able to see that historic fare on screen:D)

2) If you think to buy or not to buy now you are usually only concerned with inventory availability (booking class). However, there are some more things to consider: If fare sales restrictions say, for example, "TICKETS MUST BE ISSUED ON/BEFORE 15FEB11" then be sure to check the fare on 16FEB11 - in my case the fare DL T fare is not available after that date at all... Regardless of T inventory availability.

3) Sale fares and other fares to be changed: if you expect a sale or see sales restrictions as above - be sure to check the future date. The majority of sale and "updated USD level" fares are loaded long before the new first ticketing date.

Great enhancement, but it took me a while to work out how to use the feature, as the earliest days in the date pop up still default to yesterday: historical dates have to be typed in.

Yes that was our oversight, we'll adjust the calendar to let you browse days a year into the past. For now, please just type them into the date box.

Hey there, this is great news about AZ, but I am having trouble checking Z class (Business award) using the Award search. For example, searching for Z (which is a checkbox option) on MXP-JFK 04/18/11 yields this error:

Class Code Z: The requested information could not be retrieved or is not available. This is likely due to invalid input criteria or lack of access to the information from the airline. Please revise the search parameters and try again.

Any advice? Thanks!

example of fares
 

Bonjour,

Could I see, , for example, how EF shows the fares from LHR to NRT on AF in first class on april 19 to may 9 ?

Thank you.

If you are really about paying for that be sure to check 'luxury'/ local travel agents - AF has a lot of confidential first class fares which are booked to F (not P which is kept published fares). There are GREAT discounts.

As for you question - you simply tick off economy and business fields on the fare results screen.

MPM and TPM
 

Is excess mileage surcharge calculated based on MPM and then TPD added or it is calculated based on TPM (which exceeds the first number by TPD * % of excess mileage)?

Not very clear but short...

Just interpret that as a "No Availability" message. AZ is returning a non-standard response to us that our system hasn't seen before and doesn't know what to do with it so we have to program it in. Please email [email protected] with any other error messages you may receive.

An example of what our Fare Information results look like is here: http://www.expertflyer.com/screensho...nformation.jsp For a more specific search, you're more then welcome to sign up for our 5-day free trial and give us a try.

My understanding is that a surcharge of X% of the base fare is added to the base fare for mileage that is X% in excess of the MPM at intervals of 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, and 25%. If that's what you're asking.

The MPM and the 5M, 10M, 15M, 20M and 25M thresholds don't change; the TPD comes into play when you calculate the cumulative TPM, from which you deduct the TPD before comparing the result to the MPM and nM excess mileages. So, in other words, the TPD * % of excess mileage is not part of the equation.

Short and hopefully clear... ;)

Thank you.
a specific answer would have been better for me and could constitute a real trial.
Perhaps a member will answer to my question, as I do when somebody asks for help on the forum.
( LHR to NRT on AF in first class on april 19 to may 9 )

Thank you. I thought that a tool like EF can show all the fares on a specific travel. A travel agency (luxury or not) is for me a second step, when I want to book...and only if it is a complicated routing.

Their 5-day trial works fine. Why aren't you trying it? Right now it sounds like you're asking them to give you something for free.

Just signed up for the basic trial period today. Very user friendly and informative. I signed up to check on upgrade availability for domestic F. Unfortunately CO isn't supported so the website is of no use to me. :(

Thanks, thus TPM <= MPM + %MPM (or EMS) + TPD.:-:

Public posting of ExpertFlyer information is prohibited under their Terms of Service and, as such, constitutes Furthering of Illegal Activity under the FlyerTalk Rules. That ExpertFlyer chooses to allow some information to be posted on FlyerTalk for discussion is at their discretion.

Sign up for the 5-day free trial and you can get "a real trial", as well as the answer to your question. @:-)

Yep. Even more succint! :cool: Although EMS is the Excess Mileage Surcharge, i.e. an amount in currency not on miles...

And I think we've lost 90% of people reading this thread... :)

I'm lost, but think you're talking about maximum permitted mileage, which is something I don't understand but has bitten me before (trying to fly from A to B via C instead of D, because A-C is a longer flight at a better time).

So, if EF can help me know the maximum mileage on a route, that's good.

Not really a problem since upgrade info on CO is NEVER predictable! Wouldn't matter if they did have it! And the reason why even tho I live in Northern NJ, I never fly CO overseas as they make it impossible to plan way ahead.

Thank you.
Using FlyerTalk for Commercial Purposes:
http://www.flyertalk.com/help/rules.php#q83
I found the answer on KVS:
[KVS Availability Tool 6.0.8.R5/Diamond - Sabre: Fares/DotRes/UK **]

If you are referring to the presence of numerous corporate lurkers on FlyerTalk, including ExpertFlyer Voice and KVS, then yes, that rule has generally been interpreted to exempt customer service presences on FlyerTalk (I apologize to my TravelBuzz moderator colleagues as I am speaking a bit out of turn here, but I am deeply familiar with the issues that dechil raises). What you may not know is that many of these companies began as grass-roots efforts inspired by FlyerTalk, Autoslash being the latest one. Randy Petersen's feeling was always that this was a positive thing, as it benefitted the FlyerTalk community as a whole, and that interpretation of the FT Rules continues today:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/only-...l#post14110669

If you would like further explanation, I would suggest that you contact the moderators of this forum or SanDiego1K, the FlyerTalk Community Director, with your concerns.