Flight Searching

[Nostromo]

Is there an uncommitted and unbiased site where one can info on ALL available flights between A to B on a given date? I am looking for this info for international as well as local (especially within the US) flights. A lot of agents like Expedia give only limited info and tend to be biased towards carriers with whom they have some 'arrangement'.

For example, if I wanted to know about every available flight between New York and Myrtle Beach on a given date, where should I look? Thanks in anticipation.

[CERICROWLEY]

Why not try the airport itself. They should be able to list on the airlines that use the airport and it would just be a matter of picked the best site for prices. It may be a little time consuming though.

I do use a couple of different agents to book flights as I tend to shop around a lot. I have used Virgin/BA/Continental and chartered. never specifically stay with one airline, always go with the cheapest at the time. Expedia/ Opodo/ Contintenal themselves/travelbag. etc

[Nostromo]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by CERICROWLEY
Why not try the airport itself.
[/quote]

Yes, that's what I do now. But not all Airport sites are easy to navigate and some do not give the necessary info. As for Expedia et al, they are very biased towards the carriers of their choice and the info is never complete. Airline websites are better, but with so many of them around, searching can be time consuming. It will be nice to have a single site with all flight info in its database. Perhaps Google should do a 'flights' link.

[blott]

Try putting into google 'all flights' and see what you come up with.

[ujpest doza]

Try a smaller, independant travel agent who will check everything for you and not just those with whom they have a nett fare deal[msnwink]

[Snapper]

I could be wrong on this Nostromo but I think that is one of life's great unanswered questions isn't it?

Don't most flight shops tie-in to about 3 major back-end systems that then link into all the airlines own systems for flight pricing. From memory I seem to remember Sabre either being one of the systems or the name of the software that one of the systems runs. I'm sure the airline peeps here could possibly explain with more detail how it all works.

This, I think, is why when you surf expedia and ebookers and all the other discount flight sites, they will often come up with the same answers as they are all being fed with the same data.

I think most travel agents also tie-in to these handful of flight systems as well.

I don't think *every* airline elects to sell via this route though. Easyjet are the ones that spring immediately to mind. I also don't think that all charter flights go through this system.

There's a lot of stuff sits behind airline ticketing that we don't see. When I worked for the old crew some years ago, one of their big sales case-studies was that they put the systems in place that microfiche something like 90% of all airline tickets issued. I don't know if tickets still get fiched but it wouldn't surprise me. These things can take eons to die off.

I think what you are looking for is the flight equivalent of the holy grail. It could be a lifetime's work!!

[Nostromo]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by steveharrison
I could be wrong on this Nostromo but I think that is one of life's great unanswered questions isn't it?
I think what you are looking for is the flight equivalent of the holy grail. It could be a lifetime's work!!
[/quote]

I cannot understand why it should be. While competitive flight pricing is the leading issue most times, it is not all the time, is it? For example, a week or so ago, I wanted to find out ALL available flights between New York and Myrtle Beach on a specific day next summer so that I could chhose the best to & fro combination. The price was immaterial but the flight times were. It took me quite a bit of frustrated searching till I found Continental Flights that suit me fine, but I found it almost by accident via Continental's own site. None of the ususal on-line agents like Expedia, e-booker etc had it listed. [msnmad][msnmad]

[bellaepovera]

I find better deals when I call the airlines up direct as I am not so lucky in getting great prices on the internet.

[Calamity Jane]

Travel agents tap into a data base that holds all of the flights, its not for the punters to have access to this site for obvious reasons, if evryoine could do this it would be chaotic not to mention the agents put their own commision on top.
Unfortunately Nostromo, you will not be able to access the information you require, you will have to go through the same media as us all ( unless you change jobs and become a travel agent)

[Nostromo]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Calamity Jane
Unfortunately Nostromo, you will not be able to access the information you require, you will have to go through the same media as us all ( unless you change jobs and become a travel agent)
[/quote]

Ummmm,it is a tempting thought. No overnight work, no stroppy patients, no bad tempered midwives()......I'll seriously consider it.