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Google is shutting down the QPX Express API for airfare data

news.ycombinator.com

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Re: Google is shutting down the QPX Express API for airfare data

#131

Post by s17n »

bitL wrote: post #97
cortesoft wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Isn't that true of ANY company relying on some service from some other company? What makes you so sure that this alternative service is more likely to stay around than one of Googles? The reason we think that Google EOLs so many more APIs than other companies is because Google itself is still around. Some other company's API wont be EOLd, instead they will just go out of business (or they will be bought by someone wh…

Are you going to invest into a company that has such an API its bread-and-butter, forced by finances to continuously improve it, or into a company that has it as a shiny new toy and throws it into basket when something else becomes more shiny?

You mean a company like ITA, for example?

Re: Google is shutting down the QPX Express API for airfare data

#132

Post by s17n »

tanilama wrote: post #48
helloguillecl wrote: post #16

Six months ago, I started developing a Flight Alerting service for QPX Express API. I was always skeptical as to how long would they keep this API running, since it was a byproduct of a previous acquisition. But I said to myself, wishfully thinking: Why would they shut down this and lose their clients trust in developing with their APIs? Sadly, I was again proven wrong.

If it is free, and no ads, it is probably not going to stick long

Charging money or showing ads is not a sufficient condition - a better statement is, if it's not profitable, it's not going to stick around long (with exceptions for products that are strategically important to profitable corporations).

Re: Google is shutting down the QPX Express API for airfare data

#133

Post by Bluestrike2 »

rokhayakebe wrote: post #120
Bluestrike2 wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The car industry is another industry whose data is a series of nightmares. There are a number of services that aggregate inventory data for dealers using them. Sounds great, right? Maybe, if they had halfway decent APIs. Multiple providers--with zero connection to one another, I checked quite carefully after becoming exasperated--somehow managed to independently come to the decision that the best way to make inventor…

You know I was thinking as I was reading you guys are crazy for having 641 blues. However I definitely see your point after clicking the links. These are entirely different colors, indeed.

There are (only) a couple dozen different blues Porsche has used over the years. The 641 total is because of how that site lists them by year and model line even though the paint code is the same across them.

It makes more sense when you realize that site's mainly used by autobody repair shops; they're searching by year and model first as manufacturers often use the same name even when it's not technically the same paint (different paint manufacturers, variations in formulation, etc.). That matters with repair work. But for what I was working on, it wasn't relevant.

Re: Google is shutting down the QPX Express API for airfare data

#134

Post by s17n »

specialp wrote: post #60
tanilama wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If it is free, and no ads, it is probably not going to stick long

Correction: If it is not resulting in you transferring more data from yourself or others to Google to profit off of, it is not going to stick around long. Google doesn't seem interested in running paid businesses besides advertising no matter how much you are paying them.

Google is definitely interested in "paid businesses". What they aren't interested in is businesses under a billion* dollars.

*Made up and likely exaggerated number

Re: Google is shutting down the QPX Express API for airfare data

#135

Post by kalleboo »

ernsheong wrote: post #114
ajeet_dhaliwal wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This has crossed my mind. I’m a G Suite customer (paid Google docs / gmail etc) and Google makes me nervous the way they shut things down constantly.

It’s paid. I’ve never heard of Google shutting down paid services.

The post we're commenting on right now is about Google shutting down a paid service

Re: Google is shutting down the QPX Express API for airfare data

#136

Post by e0 »

jpatokal wrote: post #42
rb808 wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've seen that before but didn't keep it - What's the difference between that and regular google flights?

The power user interface, which lets you specify all sorts of wacky constraints any other OTA can't handle. https://travelcodex.com/advanced-routing-language-in-ita/

That's awesome, but once you find an itinerary you want, how do you book the flight? Do you usually go to the individual airlines' websites and rebuild the itinerary by hand? Or do you send the 'fare construction' string over to a travel agent?

Re: Google is shutting down the QPX Express API for airfare data

#137

Post by arcticbull »

tonfa wrote: post #75
chch wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To quote myself from a year ago (although Delta and Alaska aren't partners anymore) [3]: One of the features I like to use a lot is the ability to specify fare classes. As an example, say I want to fly to Tokyo, and I am an Alaska Airlines mileage plan member. Alaska Airlines does not fly to Tokyo, but it has deals with airlines that do. However, sometimes the fare classes are quite complicated. For instance, "Econom…

I also use routing code to force long layover (e.g. go from Europe to SF via London, and spend the night in London to visit friends, on the same ticket).

Theoretically you can still do that with the multi-city search tool on Flights. It should consolidate back down into a single fare if stopovers are permitted.

Re: Google is shutting down the QPX Express API for airfare data

#138

Post by datalog19908 »

CPLX wrote: post #76

Does anyone know if they are shutting down their legacy consumer web portal? By which I mean this: https://matrix.itasoftware.com Please, dear lord I hope not since it's by far my favorite tool to write complex queries to figure out itineraries and pricing for trips.

I get a Error: SERVICE_UNAVAILABLE when I try to access that.

Re: Google is shutting down the QPX Express API for airfare data

#139

Post by vxNsr »

jdavis703 wrote: post #78
compsciphd wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

seems a little bit more than 5 years...

I wonder if this was five years from the deal closing? Usually the deal doesn't close until after regulators have agreed to not to file a lawsuit (which is what happened on the April 8th 2011 date).

That still implies it took them 2 years to close the deal (2018-5=2013) which seems a bit much.

Re: Google is shutting down the QPX Express API for airfare data

#140

Post by vxNsr »

ITT: Most industries are really bad at sharing data in a standardized manner.

This isn't really that surprising considering that there aren't that many IT trade groups for specific industries. While I hate sitting in meetings as much as the next guy what this really requires is each industry's insiders forming a trade group and agreeing on coherent[0] standards, anything else and we'll be back here next week/month/year complaining about the same thing.

[0]And of course this is where it all falls apart if you can form that trade group, a lot of this hinges on the people acting against their nature, unfortunately.

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