Oops, ITA, not IATA Yes, the 1x is a common cheap option between these cities and shows up on many sites.
Think global! Don't limit yourself to US based big name OTA's. There are many international booking sites out there. Also, country variations of big sites can also work sometimes!
I have had no luck whatsoever in getting 3X's to work (ie : bring down the YQ) on ITA. For a while, I used ITA exclusively and none of my tricks worked (or I thought they didn't) until I tried the same in different booking sites and lo and behold one of them did! Here's a strategy that might prove useful for some (certainly works for me!) : 1) Use ITA calendar 1 month search to narrow down your dates to the lowest possible base fare (BF) for the city pair/carrier of your interest 2) Look at the fare breakdown in ITA. It is broken down into o/w base fares so make sure that both sectors are pricing in the lowest possible fare class (or if it's a mileage run the particular fare class that YOU want to book on to get your FFP to credit the miles). Let's call this r/t base fare as BF. 3) Next, total up ALL taxes except the YQ surcharge that are listed in the breakdown. This is a constant in the equation (ie : you have to pay these no matter what!) Let's call this total as T. 4) Now, theoretically the LOWEST possible price you can expect to pay for your city pair/carrier/date selections would be : BF+T. Calculate this and keep it handy. 5) From this point on I never use ITA (unless I have to find availability for a different city pair/carrier/date combination). I then plugin these date/carrier/route parameters (without using any strikes at this point) in different OTA sites until I find an OTA where I can get the EXACT flights I want for the desired all inclusive price (ofcourse this includes the YQ surcharge). This should more or less be the same as the price ITA gave you (sometimes a few dollars more to account for ticketing fees etc). Tip : If you don't get the flights you want straight off the bat on a particular OTA without employing any strikes, move on to another OTA. Don't waste your time plugging in strikes on that site. 6) Once you can pull up availability on a particular OTA then start putting in different strike combinations, to see if the total price gets lowered. Note : Most small/obscure booking sites do not give you a clean breakdown of the YQ, BF and T totals and might just say Fare + Taxes = $X. Be observant of the fare components you get. Sometimes the total price may seem like it has increased but the taxes might have decreased and Fare increased. This just means that strike worked in bringing down the YQ, but it's booking you under a HIGHER fare class as opposed to the one you want. This could either mean the OTA cannot find availability in a lower class OR the fare rules did not permit the combination of your strike. 7) Keep trying all your known strikes on that particular OTA until you have exhausted them. If no luck, repeat from Step 5 on another OTA. Hope this helps some people out!
Can someone please PM me any of DesertRose's original posts? I used to be fairly adept at tricking faares but have not kept up to date with developments over the last 3 years. I have the same handle on the other site. Thank you!
I agree with him. I read a lot about FD, 3x, 1x but I still have a lot of doubt. Is there any chance to have some DesertRose's original posts or some secret link to learn better? Thanks
Without the original FAQ the terminology you use is not understood. ITA? What and where do you find this? OTA? What and where do you find this? FD= Fuel Dump YQ= Fuel Dump - unsure why 2 different acronyms used for same term 3x = 3rd flight, after a round trip 1x = 1st flight, before a round trip C1 = North America C2 = Europe C3 = Asia C4 = South America
I never saw the original post but got some clues from others. Guess the terminology and strategy is o complex few can provide accurate details.
So we are unfortunate because we arrive to late :/ . Anyway I read a lot and I have a little question. I read that if you travel c2-c1, I can find a 3x in c3. It mean that for example the third legs is a travel between DEL-DED, right? Or I have to find a travel between c2-c3 for the 3x?
Can yanyone help me out on this one? YUL-CDG Aug 23rd + or - 3 days MRS-YUL Sep 3rd (exact date). Comes in at around $983, with the YQ being roughly $343. I'm sure something can be done.I've tried so many combinations for the 3X ... but can't find the magic one.
hey guys me too.... i read a lot in FT and now the basics... but i can not see rose posts too... that is dame.... is someone who can support me a little more...
Hello all! I am a newcomer here. And English is not my native language. But the topic is very interesting for me. Is someone who can give the original instructions of DesertRose cause I can not find any of them (maybe they were deleted by the author?). Give the link pls. Thanks in advance!
and is it possible to receive it somehow? my mail is sasha.zhdanov@gmail.com i really want to get into this science
These are not coded terms, but rather acronyms in common use (something there's a lot of in this community). ITA = ITA Software, the now-owned-by-google airfare search tool (matrix.itasoftware.com). OTA = Online Travel Agency, that is, any site that allows you to actually book tickets online (Expedia, Travelocity, Orbitz, as well as many, many smaller sites). YQ = The code that airlines use to specify what part of the total charge is the fuel surcharge rather than the base fare. You can find this out by looking at the details ITA displays about the fare calculation. You need to know what the YQ part of the total cost is because that's the part you can reduce or eliminate by fuel dumping. FD = Fuel dumping, meaning figuring out a way to use an extra segment to remove some or all of the YQ part of the ticket cost.
hi everyone! please would you give me some little info pls (it needs 2 minutes!): 1) i've found a great FD bargain for Dec, the itinerary would be this: A via B to C C via B to Z (so i've to jump down on B)... but... i've also found a flight with the same carrier from B to A (it's a separate flight, so i've to buy that one separately).. it's a risk to do this with the same carrier? eventually i can also do: A via B to C C via E to Z (i've to jump down on E, and in this case i don't have to buy any other tkt to return at home..) which is better in your opinion?! 2) can i drop off my baggage at desk at my departure or it's a big risk and i've only to travel with my HB with a web check-in procedure? 3) it's better to book all itinerary above directl with carrier website or with an OTA? please reply me asap because i've to book this flight very soon!! thank you very much for yor patience,!!
Hey guys, New poster here, similar question as person above, I found (well i think i have found a nice trick) going from: A to B to C C to B to A Jumping down at B and getting on at B, but wont missing the B to C and C to B flights cancel my other flights? Unless i got this whole trick thing wrong im missing something... Thanks again guys
