Usenet 1994 October/usenetsourcesnewsgroupsinfomagicoctober1994disk1.iso/answers/travel/air/online-info

Text File | 1994-10-09 | 10KB | 206 lines

Newsgroups: rec.travel.misc,rec.travel.air,rec.answers,news.answers,alt.internet.services,alt.answers
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From: [e-mail] (John R. Levine)
Subject: Eaasy Sabre, OAG, and other on-line airline information FAQ
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Followup-To: rec.travel.air
Summary: access to on-line airline schedules, fares, and reservations (weekly)
Sender: [e-mail] (John R Levine)
Supersedes: <[e-mail]>
Organization: I.E.C.C., Cambridge MA
Date: Sun, 9 Oct 1994 12:15:07 GMT
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Archive-name: travel/air/online-info
Last-modified: 1994/10/02

[[ This Q&A is a response to a flood of questions about access to Eaasy Sabre
 and the like.  Suggestions for improvement welcome.]]

* Is there a way to get airline schedules on the Internet for free?

Yes, finally, but the longer answer is more complicated.  See below.

* Is there a way to get airline schedules on the Internet if I pay for it?

Definitely.  See below.

* What's available for free?

PC Travel is an on-line travel agency that lets you telnet in, check fares
and schedules, and make reservations.  Credit card number required to
check fares and make reservations, but they won't issue tickets or charge
you until you specifically say to do so.  Data come from APOLLO, the
United Airlines reservation system.  Tickets are issued through PC Travel,
paying with a credit card, generally delivered the next day by FedEx I
find it relatively slow and clunky compared to Eaasy Sabre, but
considering that it's free, it's great.

* What other reservation systems are available?

There are three computer reservation systems available to the general public:

EAASY SABRE: Run by American Airlines, lets you check fares and schedules
on all airlines with computerized reservations (all but the most obscure),
and make reservations for yourself and others.  Tickets can be sent by
mail, issued by airlines at the airport or city ticket offices, or by any
travel agent with a Sabre terminal, which is nearly all agents in the U.S.
You can keep a lot of profile info on-line such as frequent flyer numbers
and meal and seat preferences which are automatically inserted into
reservations you make for yourself.  Your ID is your AAdvantage frequent
flyer number.  Official Recreation Guide available at extra cost.  Line
oriented command language, e.g.  to ask for flights from Boston to San
Francisco on July 4 around noon:

/AIR,BOS,SFO,4JUL,1200

It will prompt you field by field if you don't know all the parameters.

TRAVELSHOPPER: Run by Worldspan (formerly PARS), which is Delta, Northwest
and TWA, similar features to Eaasy.  Interface is a little clunkier, but
there are some features not available on Eaasy such as open date tickets,
and experienced users can type through menus faster.  Same ticketing
options, but fewer agents have Worldspan terminals.  No travel club, less
detailed profile.  Line oriented command language with optional prompts,
same query as above would be:

A;BOS;SFO;4JUL;12n;1

The 1 means one person travelling.

ON-LINE OFFICIAL AIRLINE GUIDE: Similar data and commands to the other
two.  It used to be better than Sabre and Travelshopper, but now
everyone's updated in near real-time.  Lots of other random stuff, e.g.
frequent flyer newsletter and flight departure and arrival info (they can
show you the contents of the flight info TV screens from some airports.)
Airlines and a few agencies can issue tickets.

* Are these the same systems that travel agents use?

The underlying data are the same, but the interface is different.  Some
data are visible to agents, but not to these systems.  A good way to work
is to make the best reservation you can on-line, then call a travel agent,
tell him what you've reserved, and see if he can do better.

* How do I get access to them?

Eaasy and Travelshopper are only available via gateway systems, OAG
directly or via gateways.

Eaasy Sabre: GEnie, Compuserve, Delphi, Prodigy, AOL, NVN., eWorld
PARS Travelshopper: Compuserve, Delphi.
OAG: Direct subscription, Delphi, Compuserve, GEnie, Dow Jones News Retrieval,
    AT&T InterSpan.

Telnet to Delphi: delphi.com, no surcharge.
Telnet to OAG: oag.com, no surcharge.
Telnet to Compuserve: compuserve.com, hostname CIS.
AOL: experimental MacTCP and Winsock software available from FTP.AOL.COM

Compuserve has a front-end program called CIM which runs under Windows
and can make access and navigation somewhat simpler, but can only be used
via direct dialup, not via telnet.

For dial-in access, Delphi is on Sprintnet and Tymnet, no surcharge nights
and weekends.  Compuserve has its own extensive network, or is available
via Sprintnet at a surcharge.  OAG is on Sprintnet and Tymnet, no surcharge.

* How much do they cost?

Eaasy and PARS are available at the base rate for all of the on-line
services that offer them except for Prodigy.

Delphi offers a five-hour free trial when you sign up; you can use PARS
and Eaasy during that time.  AOL also usually offers a free trial period.

Gateway systems charge a substantial surcharge for the OAG, e.g.  Delphi
charges 59 cents/min peak, 42 cents/min off-peak.  A direct subscription
to the OAG is much cheaper, per-minute rates are lower than the surcharge.
Call 800-342-5624, ext Q714 for a 15 day free trial, $25 signup if you
continue.  If you subscribe directly, the OAG waives session charges if you
make or cancel a reservation during the session.  The OAG has no monthly
minimum, which is good for occasional users.

* Isn't there anything available without signing up?

Canadian Airlines has an experimental WWW server with schedule info.
You get to it using a WWW browser that supports forms such Mosaic.
The URL is http://www.cdnair.ca.  Lufthansa has some info at the
Electronic Newstand, gopher to enews.com or telnet to enews.com, login enews.

* What about on-line travel agents and clubs?

Eaasy Sabre offers Traveller's Access, run by Comp-U-Card which for $49/yr
rebates 5% on air, hotel, and car rentals for you and family members that
they've ticketed for you and family members when you send in receipts.  In
my experience, their agents are not very good.

Travel-by-Modem <[e-mail]>, is run by a small company in Belmont,
Mass., primary access via Delphi, but Internet e-mail is fine, too.  Costs
$39/yr, sliding rebate on tickets depending on price and how delivered.
Rebates mailed automatically quarterly.  Lots of useful coupons and
discounts.  That's the agency I use.

Compass Point Travel <[e-mail]> is a full service agency that
welcomes Internet customers.

Stephanie Alford <[e-mail]> is a full service travel agent who
welcomes Internet customers.

Edward Hasbrouck <[e-mail]> at Travel Time, San Francisco
around-the-world specialists; also other discounted international tickets;
NOT a general-purpose, corporate, or domestic travel agency.

The Travel Tree <[e-mail]> is a full service travel agency that welcomes
Internet customers.  They use consolidators and offer discounts.  For more
information send email with the subject of "info" to [e-mail].

Jason Chase <[e-mail]> represents Hotels Plus which offers discounted
hotels world wide and discounted rental cars in Euurope.  Internet users get
a 10% discount.  WWW at file://ftp.netcom.com/pub/jchase/html/info.html.

Dave DeVore <[e-mail]> represents the Star Travel Club
of Let's Go Travel in Portland OR.  They offer a no-fee rebate travel club
as well as discounted consolidator tickets and tours.

Lloyd Colston <[e-mail]> is an outside sales agent for
Integra Travel in Cincinnati, OH.  The agency is a general travel agency
which offers complete service for both domestic and international trips.

Germantown Travel <[e-mail]> in Germantown Md is
a full service airline ticket agency suppling information and discounted
tickets for domestic and international travel.

Travel World <[e-mail]> is a full-service Carlson Travel
Network Agency also offering tours and colsolidator tickets.  Prices are
competitive.

Leigh Ann Hildebrand-Chupp <[e-mail]> is an outside agent with
Ambassador World Travel in Atlanta, specializing in travel for special
interest groups, including the leather community.  She offers a free
bi-weekly email travel newsletter.

Dave Rose at Planet Travel <73632,[e-mail]> or
<[e-mail]> is a full service travel agency for the Gay
and Lesbian community.

AOI Travel  <[e-mail]> offers air travel and Eurail services, and
discount air to Europe. They have a WWW site with travel information
at http://xmission.com/~aoi.

Mike Espinosa <[e-mail]> is a travel outfitter, specializing in
trips to south and southeast Asia, including consolidator tickets for
Asian airlines.

Roberto Torrini of Interpro Travel Service <[e-mail]> of Laguna
Niguel, CA is a full service bilingual agency specializing in trips and
tours to Italy for individuals, families, and groups.

[[ I know there are others, tell me about them and I'll add them ]]
--
John R. Levine, IECC, POB 349, Cambridge MA 02238, [phone]
[e-mail], [e-mail]
"Space aliens are stealing American jobs." - Stanford econ professor