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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

#151

Post by Angostura »

JohnHaugeland wrote: post #103
Filligree wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nit: "inflammable" means "can be set of fire". So does "flammable". Yes, I know. You want "not flammable", or if you want to be cute you could try "unflammable".

It's because "inflammable" is a loan word, not a conjugate, and "in-" in French, whence comes the word, means what "en-" means here. Like with most loan words, it's best to just stick to the native word - which is not "flammable" as Merriam tried to invent 200 years ago, but rather "combustible"

Combustible is another French/Latin word.

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

#152

Post by 4ad »

e0 wrote: post #136
jpatokal wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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?

Depends on the flight, but I usually use a travel agent.

If it's a simple flight, I might use some airline website to book it, but most often for me it's some thing that you can't book at all on the airlines I use. I fly into small rural airports and they simply dot not exist on any major airline's websites.

I give the string to a travel agent and he is able to book the flight no problem.

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

#153

Post by ajeet_dhaliwal »

Johnny555 wrote: post #33
timdorr wrote: post #3

"You don't need to take any action. However, if you are actively using this product you may want to find an alternate solution before April 10, 2018." So, you do need to take action? That's a pretty terrible set of FAQs. They should at least provide a list of alternatives.

It seems clear to me -- you don't need to do anything to continue your use of the API (no website to visit, no contracts to sign, etc). But that doesn't change the fact that they are ending the service. If a developer doesn't know what "After April 10th, you will not be able to access the API" means, I don't now how they could be more clear.

I think it's the wrong time to use the phrase 'you don't need to take any action'. You can say that when it's a new version being released without any breaking changes but not when you're shutting down a service! You must look for an alternative and implement a migration, that is action.

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

#154

Post by lucasverra »

wbeckler wrote: post #82
timdorr wrote: post #3

"You don't need to take any action. However, if you are actively using this product you may want to find an alternate solution before April 10, 2018." So, you do need to take action? That's a pretty terrible set of FAQs. They should at least provide a list of alternatives.

For anybody looking for an alternative, there is Fareportal, which has a full featured API for flights with both search and booking ability. https://www.fareportallabs.com/Home/DownloadDocs#0 I'm happy to answer questions as I'm helping several companies switch over to Fareportal at the moment.

Hey there, need flight info for delayed flights in EU ?

My 3 usd subscription to flight stats[1] give me just 3 days history and no room for more fine tunning

[1](https://i.imgur.com/nOjjPjE.png)

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

#155

Post by lucasverra »

nathancahill wrote: post #8

Well, that's terrible. This was the last(?) API that you could sign up for without negotiating with a clearinghouse (which includes contracted numbers of tickets to sell).

Iata's been working on something for the last couple (5) of years --> http://www.iata.org/whatwedo/airline-distribution/ndc/Pages/...

in 2017 alone they've organized 3~5 hackathons, my bet is that there is LOTs of money to make it grow

(disclaimer : Paris IATA hackathon atendee and chosen project)

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

#156

Post by vbo »

wbeckler wrote: post #82
timdorr wrote: post #3

"You don't need to take any action. However, if you are actively using this product you may want to find an alternate solution before April 10, 2018." So, you do need to take action? That's a pretty terrible set of FAQs. They should at least provide a list of alternatives.

For anybody looking for an alternative, there is Fareportal, which has a full featured API for flights with both search and booking ability. https://www.fareportallabs.com/Home/DownloadDocs#0 I'm happy to answer questions as I'm helping several companies switch over to Fareportal at the moment.

Looks good. I researched flight data suppliers & GDS companies recently for a side project and found them either very expensive (QPX falls in this category - having to pay several cents per query makes it virtually impossible to do anything creative) or lacking coverage for LCCs in Europe, which is my target market.

So naturally I'm quite impressed with Fareportal and will give it a try. I did do a quick search on CheapOair and didn't see Ryanair among the results (although they do have a flight for that route and date). I know they're icky about third parties advertising/[re]selling their flights but there's some suppliers that do carry their flight data (ie Travelfusion, which politely told me to come back once I have a working product, chicken and egg much?).

I'm not keen to book flights on behalf of users at this point since I have a (not thoroughly documented) fear that regulatory matters will make it difficult/expensive to operate an indie OTA but that's TBD.

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

#157

Post by dazc »

ajeet_dhaliwal wrote: post #77
Frieshammer wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One day Google will shutdown Gmail. Finally then everyone will learn to ignore their non-Advertising services. It's for the best!

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.

GSuite is a perfect subscription business model; they are giving you stuff you will probably never need or use along side something you were already using for free. The cost of a single account is just about small enough to be negligible for a business customer.

This is enough to give me confidence that it isn't going to be shut down.

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

#158

Post by FeepingCreature »

mkartic wrote: post #71
Filligree wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nit: "inflammable" means "can be set of fire". So does "flammable". Yes, I know. You want "not flammable", or if you want to be cute you could try "unflammable".

Looks like the post means 'either already burnt or will be burnt easily'? So what exactly is your nitpick here?

I can't edit it anymore, but I did mean "unburnable". I realize (now) that "inflammable" comes from "inflame"/"enflame", but "in-"/"im-" has lots of use as a negation. "Invisible", "indivisible", "inconceivable", etc.

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

#159

Post by notahacker »

madeofpalk wrote: post #92
RestlessMind wrote: post #23

From [1]: "On April 8, 2011, the US Department of Justice approved the buyout (of ITA by Google). As part of the agreement, Google must license ITA software to other websites for five years." Now that five years are up, Google would want to deny competitors access to that data. Seems like a good startup opportunity. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ITA_Software

> Seems like a good startup opportunity. Last time this was brought up (2011 HN article IIRC), it was discussed how terribly organised the travel industry is and just how much Smart Work ITA did and how invaluable it was.

TLDR: Not a startup opportunity.

- Huge collection of proprietary data which is constantly updated, only intended to be polled in a certain way and has all kinds of poorly structured exceptions and routing problems.

- The booking engines provide good access to their pricing data free of charge under license to affiliates that book flights through their engine

- Low value of an API for prices alone and slim chance of acquisition by Google or the big online travel agents

ITA built exceptional technology rather than an exceptional business.

This API that Google killed presumably because it wasn't making enough revenue to be worth maintaining was the part of ITA's public facing service they originally claimed to be "very excited" about at the acquisition stage

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

#160

Post by rdslw »

RestlessMind wrote: post #23

From [1]: "On April 8, 2011, the US Department of Justice approved the buyout (of ITA by Google). As part of the agreement, Google must license ITA software to other websites for five years." Now that five years are up, Google would want to deny competitors access to that data. Seems like a good startup opportunity. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ITA_Software

Reminds me a few google employers posts on HN responding to the usual 'google closes products often': we dont, and we never closed a business products, only unimportant consumer ones.

Yeah, sure.

Google is heading Microsoft 199x way - fastly becoming public enemy no 1.

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