Oct 30, 2013, 3:36 pm
Last edit by: Ocn Vw 1K
UA Insider's reply in posts 247 and 254 of this thread:
Hi everyone,
We recognize the importance and value to you of accessible and transparent information about United flights. It’s a meaningful part of your travel planning, and we are committed to providing useful information that is both accurate and preserves the integrity of United’s data and systems.
While we are committed to data transparency, Expert Flyer has been accessing united.com in an unauthorized fashion to retrieve UA availability. In addition, these activities have consumed significant united.com bandwidth that could otherwise be used by regular consumers. As a result, we had to take this action to protect the security and integrity of United’s systems.
Thank you for your understanding as to why we had to take this action. We continue to look at ways in which we can provide you with timely and useful information (some of which you will see in new releases of our own digital channels) as well as with partners that have authorized access to our data.
Aaron Goldberg
Sr. Manager - Customer Experience Planning
United Airlines
We recognize the importance and value to you of accessible and transparent information about United flights. It’s a meaningful part of your travel planning, and we are committed to providing useful information that is both accurate and preserves the integrity of United’s data and systems.
While we are committed to data transparency, Expert Flyer has been accessing united.com in an unauthorized fashion to retrieve UA availability. In addition, these activities have consumed significant united.com bandwidth that could otherwise be used by regular consumers. As a result, we had to take this action to protect the security and integrity of United’s systems.
Thank you for your understanding as to why we had to take this action. We continue to look at ways in which we can provide you with timely and useful information (some of which you will see in new releases of our own digital channels) as well as with partners that have authorized access to our data.
Aaron Goldberg
Sr. Manager - Customer Experience Planning
United Airlines
UA Blocking Expert Flyer and KVS Access to R and Elite Award Searches.
Nov 4, 2013, 10:28 am
#556
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: MFR
Programs: UA 1K 1.9MM, Hilton Gold, Marriott Gold
Posts: 2,885
Nov 4, 2013, 11:11 am
#557
Join Date: Nov 2008
Programs: United 1K, 1 MM lifetime
Posts: 6
reply from 1K voice suggesting the issue is whether EF will pay for access
I received this reply today from 1K voice in response to my email last week about terminating EF's access to United data:
Thank you for contacting United Airlines.
United issued cease and desist letters to certain mileage management companies that market to?MileagePlus members. We encourage each of these organizations seeking to extract data from?united.com on behalf of our customers to enter into a formal agreement with United in order to ensure compliance with the Terms, Conditions, and Legal Notices contained on united.com.
We appreciate your patience and understanding and look forward to serving your travel needs.
Regards,
[name removed per FT Rules]
United Airlines
So, perhaps it is merely a matter of negotiation between UA and EF regarding the access. I'm hoping so.
Thank you for contacting United Airlines.
United issued cease and desist letters to certain mileage management companies that market to?MileagePlus members. We encourage each of these organizations seeking to extract data from?united.com on behalf of our customers to enter into a formal agreement with United in order to ensure compliance with the Terms, Conditions, and Legal Notices contained on united.com.
We appreciate your patience and understanding and look forward to serving your travel needs.
Regards,
[name removed per FT Rules]
United Airlines
So, perhaps it is merely a matter of negotiation between UA and EF regarding the access. I'm hoping so.
Last edited by FlyinHawaiian; Nov 4, 2013 at 6:39 pm Reason: do *not* post employee names, please.
Nov 4, 2013, 4:01 pm
#559
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 4,645
I received this reply today from 1K voice in response to my email last week about terminating EF's access to United data:
Thank you for contacting United Airlines.
United issued cease and desist letters to certain mileage management companies that market to?MileagePlus members. We encourage each of these organizations seeking to extract data from?united.com on behalf of our customers to enter into a formal agreement with United in order to ensure compliance with the Terms, Conditions, and Legal Notices contained on united.com.
We appreciate your patience and understanding and look forward to serving your travel needs.
Regards,
<name>
United Airlines
So, perhaps it is merely a matter of negotiation between UA and EF regarding the access. I'm hoping so.
Thank you for contacting United Airlines.
United issued cease and desist letters to certain mileage management companies that market to?MileagePlus members. We encourage each of these organizations seeking to extract data from?united.com on behalf of our customers to enter into a formal agreement with United in order to ensure compliance with the Terms, Conditions, and Legal Notices contained on united.com.
We appreciate your patience and understanding and look forward to serving your travel needs.
Regards,
<name>
United Airlines
So, perhaps it is merely a matter of negotiation between UA and EF regarding the access. I'm hoping so.
Last edited by l etoile; Nov 5, 2013 at 8:13 am Reason: Employee name removed
Nov 4, 2013, 4:38 pm
#560
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: PSM
Posts: 69,232
Sure...that would be awesome. But no company is under any obligation to license their data to others. Yeah, we want that, but they don't have to do it. Plus, who decides what "fair terms" are? I want the data for free. UA wants to charge lots of money. Each of us probably thinks our personal position is fair but we clearly disagree with the other.
Nov 4, 2013, 6:29 pm
#561
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Kirkland, WA
Programs: AS 75K,UA Gold 1.6MM, Hilton Dia, Marriott LT Plat, Hyatt Glb, Natl Exec, Hertz 5*
Posts: 3,657
The risk here is that UA shuts off the expert mode data that is displayed. They put it in place the last time they shut out EF as a weak alternative. If EF keeps finding workarounds, UA is just going to turn off the display of these buckets entirely.
Nov 5, 2013, 7:39 am
#563
Join Date: Jul 2011
Programs: AA Plat, UA 1K>Plat>moving to Silver
Posts: 2,090
This is what I got from UA Customer Care this morning (this was an early complaint about EF not having access to R, not on the devaluation the next day):
"United issued cease and desist letters to certain mileage management companies that market to MileagePlus members. We encourage each of these organizations seeking to extract data from united.com on behalf of our customers to enter into a formal agreement with United in order to ensure compliance with the Terms, Conditions, and Legal Notices contained on united.com.
We appreciate your business and look forward to welcoming on board a future United Airlines flight."
"United issued cease and desist letters to certain mileage management companies that market to MileagePlus members. We encourage each of these organizations seeking to extract data from united.com on behalf of our customers to enter into a formal agreement with United in order to ensure compliance with the Terms, Conditions, and Legal Notices contained on united.com.
We appreciate your business and look forward to welcoming on board a future United Airlines flight."
Nov 5, 2013, 8:35 am
#564
Join Date: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,877
United issued cease and desist letters to certain mileage management companies that market to MileagePlus members. We encourage each of these organizations seeking to extract data from united.com on behalf of our customers to enter into a formal agreement with United in order to ensure compliance with the Terms, Conditions, and Legal Notices contained on united.com.
The above quote makes it sound like EF was screen scraping, which would contradict EF's statement in this post.
Nov 5, 2013, 8:42 am
#565
Join Date: Aug 2011
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 8,634
Just be careful how you use the term "license" here. There has been no suggestion that UA has a property interest in its data, capable of being licensed. Rather, their complaint is about the use of their website. That is what would be licensed -- a feed for receiving the data, not the data itself.
There is no question that EF was scraping to obtain the data. That is settled well up-thread.
There is no question that EF was scraping to obtain the data. That is settled well up-thread.
Nov 5, 2013, 9:14 am
#566
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: MFR
Programs: UA 1K 1.9MM, Hilton Gold, Marriott Gold
Posts: 2,885
Nov 5, 2013, 9:19 am
#567
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Northern Calif./Eastern Ida.
Programs: Amethyst Premier Plutonium Medallion
Posts: 20,640
I received this reply today from 1K voice in response to my email last week about terminating EF's access to United data:
Thank you for contacting United Airlines.
United issued cease and desist letters to certain mileage management companies that market to?MileagePlus members. We encourage each of these organizations seeking to extract data from?united.com on behalf of our customers to enter into a formal agreement with United in order to ensure compliance with the Terms, Conditions, and Legal Notices contained on united.com.
We appreciate your patience and understanding and look forward to serving your travel needs.
Regards,
[name removed per FT Rules]
United Airlines
So, perhaps it is merely a matter of negotiation between UA and EF regarding the access. I'm hoping so.
Thank you for contacting United Airlines.
United issued cease and desist letters to certain mileage management companies that market to?MileagePlus members. We encourage each of these organizations seeking to extract data from?united.com on behalf of our customers to enter into a formal agreement with United in order to ensure compliance with the Terms, Conditions, and Legal Notices contained on united.com.
We appreciate your patience and understanding and look forward to serving your travel needs.
Regards,
[name removed per FT Rules]
United Airlines
So, perhaps it is merely a matter of negotiation between UA and EF regarding the access. I'm hoping so.
same reply word for word from premier voice about 8 days after my message went out. sent promptly to garbage can, where UA sent my RDMs the day after the EF shut down.
Nov 5, 2013, 9:26 am
#568
Join Date: Aug 2011
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 8,634
So far as I know, there wasn't actually a recent statement, nor any statement related to the upgrade inventory, which is simply not available through other means.
Nov 5, 2013, 9:44 am
#569
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: MFR
Programs: UA 1K 1.9MM, Hilton Gold, Marriott Gold
Posts: 2,885
Nov 5, 2013, 9:47 am
#570
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: PSM
Posts: 69,232
What statement??