Should there be some kind of censorship?

[Captain Halliday]

Of course the other way to look at is it, as one loophole is closed, another is found. Yes, they closed off JASA's, but in it's place we've found (not telling )...

You're always welcome at the DRW meet ups. Or PM me anytime

 

[Pushka]

I've not seen anything like this discussed previously and I think it's a good example of why there should be no censorship here. Censorship breeds a culture of elitism and prejudice. Freely sharing information is the thing I value most highly on this site.

It’s a fine line. Sharing versus exposing the tricks so that they get eliminated.

 

[cambriamarsh]

It’s a fine line. Sharing versus exposing the tricks so that they get eliminated.

I believe there is good reason for moderation, rather than leaving it open slather. Without some level of review the field is left wide open to trolls and serious personal abuse. Most newspaper comments sections have either been shut down or are moderated because of the level of abuse being thrown around.

WRT posting trade secrets I think we have to rely on discretion even when that has clearly failed in many instances. Unfortunately some don’t realise the consequences of their actions.

 

[JohnK]

It’s a fine line. Sharing versus exposing the tricks so that they get eliminated.

Here is a good deal for business class to Europe.

Here is how you can pre-allocate front row of economy with a third party wesite.

How long do you think the second one will last with its own thread on travel forums?

 

[samh004]

So Samh004 as admin says there is no private section or dark threads yet Capt Halliday self declares to be a member of a dark thread??

I know @Captain Halliday has already responded to this, but just wanted to say that during my time as a Moderator there was no private section for these sorts of discussions. As a current GOLD subscriber, there is no private section. I wouldn't mind a private section for the 18 "Enthusiast" members (over 10k messages) but I reckon it'd be fairly slow moving!

Of course the other way to look at is it, as one loophole is closed, another is found. Yes, they closed off JASA's, but in it's place we've found (not telling )...

That has happened to me several times, and there is one that I share infrequently at social gatherings when I believe there is trust. I am sure it is fairly widely known in fact, and on the few occasions the loophole has closed, someone I previously told has updated me on the new loophole. I am confident that if it were ever to be posted online, it would disappear incredibly quickly and may even do so for good. It doesn't help anyone if that happens.

Remember marginal Any seat awards? That was done to death on the forums and the demise came not long after.

True, but there were a number of factors at play there...

1. The marginal aspect was based on the fact that the booking engine was old and outdated and booking an ASA would price incredibly low if a classic award existed – because the booking engine had no way to differentiate between appropriately priced and not appropriately priced. When the booking engine was updated on the web they couldn't be booked anymore, but the engine was still used on the phone, eventually that was also updated and the system functions as desired now.
2. However, at the same time ASA's were doing something new because of a poor take-up of the feature – they were earning. Suddenly, a lot of outstanding points on the QF balance sheet were being used frequently and I am sure this was great news to QF. They probably had a target they needed to meet, and they did.

I believe there is good reason for moderation, rather than leaving it open slather. Without some level of review the field is left wide open to trolls and serious personal abuse.

I think this thread is less about whether we need moderation – everywhere does – and more about do we need censorship of deals so they're not lost.

 

[BAM1748]

A bit of self censorship seems to work here 99% of the time.

Censorship and moderation being two different things.

My view on the moderation here is it comes in too early.

 

[oz_mark]

Remember marginal Any seat awards? That was done to death on the forums and the demise came not long after.

One of the big differences with MASAs were that they were a formal part of the program. Many of the other tricks are just quirks in the system

Fuel dumps were a quirk
Brazilian fares were a quirk
The Voucher trick is a quirk of the way Qantas implement them.
The T-80 seat selection thing is a quirk of the way that works
The fact that Amadeus is a multi-tenanted reservation system introduces its own quirks

None of these things have to work the way the currently do...

 

[oz_mark]

My view on the moderation here is it comes in too early.

And some say it comes too slowly. Which means it's probably about right....

 

[Happy Trails]

One of the big differences with MASAs were that they were a formal part of the program.

Being able to book 'P' and 'U' was a quirk, I reckon.

 

[serfty]

PUZX was always available with the original "any seat awards", but since ASA did not earn points nor SC's they were generally ignored.

Some ASA routes in PZUX would occasionally come up at less cost than equivalent classic awards but most were more expensive. (They were based on O/D great circle distance, not segment by segment distance.)

It was only when, presumably in an effort to increase ASA use, that these awards were changed to earn points and SCs. It appeared the thinking was for revenue classes, forgetting that award classes were also bookable.

 

[Happy Trails]

PUZX was always available with the original "any seat awards", but they did not earn points nor SC's.

True enough and I had forgotten that.

 

[JessicaTam]

One of the big differences with MASAs were that they were a formal part of the program. Many of the other tricks are just quirks in the system

Fuel dumps were a quirk
Brazilian fares were a quirk
The Voucher trick is a quirk of the way Qantas implement them.
The T-80 seat selection thing is a quirk of the way that works
The fact that Amadeus is a multi-tenanted reservation system introduces its own quirks

None of these things have to work the way the currently do...

I do miss Brazil!

 

[Deleted member]

I think the Lesley Grant lunches went a long way toward Qantas Loyalty mining AFF for information on how we did things.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I think the Lesley Grant lunches went a long way toward Qantas Loyalty mining AFF for information on how we did things.

That would have been one of the primary purposes no? No such thing as a free lunch

 

[yld200]

Very interesting discussion...

The selfish side of me would love to be able to easily read and learn about all the tips and tricks that people have mentioned but are keeping off the forum especially now that I will be flying more often for work. Nonetheless I would also hate for these loopholes or advantages to be closed because they have been made public and abused by people who are reckless. I'm a regular on OzBargain and there's plenty of evidence of people abusing deals or loopholes that get shutdown so I understand the risks.

I understand that people will always want to keep certain things to themselves with fear of it getting shut down which is totally ok with me but I truly value those members of the community on AFF who will continue to help or share advice in posts or via PMs - I have certainly PM'd members asking for more information when it has been offered and have done the same in helping when people have asked which is one of the great things about AFF.

 

[BAM1748]

And some say it comes too slowly. Which means it's probably about right....

You think it comes in too slow?

 

[Deleted member 29185]

I haven't read all this thread, but the question has been answered in action as Yes. There is already censorship of this forum and so there should be. The mods walk a difficult path at times and will be criticised from time to time, but any forum that's allowed to degenerate into an "anything goes" brawl is not worth even opening, let alone contributing. I like the low key censorship that has flowed here and this forum would be nothing without it.

As for censorship of travel information (which it would seem to be the real question, rather than the more generic one asked), then I'd say no. Learning the travel secrets has likely benefitted all of us and is a major attraction of this forum. Occasionally, really lucrative loopholes will be closed due to over-exploitation, but we'd be kidding ourselves if we think AFF is the medium responsible for that. Word of mouth and all forms of media will exploit loopholes when they can. No one is forced to divulge the secrets, so don't if you feel so strongly about it, but just ask how many times you yourself have benefitted by shared information.

 

[Pleb Status]

There is currently a 'glitch' which I discovered today which gives a ~30% discount on a normally available 'fixed' fare.

Should I report it to others or keep it under my hat?

 

[JessicaTam]

There is currently a 'glitch' which I discovered today which gives a ~30% discount on a normally available 'fixed' fare.

Should I report it to others or keep it under my hat?

That's up to you. I think the basis of this thread is how widely something is discussed is inversely proportional to how quickly it gets shut down.

 

[JohnM]

There is currently a 'glitch' which I discovered today which gives a ~30% discount on a normally available 'fixed' fare.

Should I report it to others or keep it under my hat?

I guess make sure you and close friends/relatives get what you want from it first. Then make a judgement as to whether it's likely to be a 'permanent feature' that you may wish to continue using, or a transient glitch. If the latter, post it and allow a few more folks grab the benefit should they wish.