Delta has forced Expertflyer to remove access to all of its data from the website.
As of today, Delta has requested that we no longer offer to you any information on ExpertFlyer pertaining to Delta. Since our inception almost 10 years ago we have accessed Delta information through a GDS where they publish information for the benefit of various travel providers. We have always done this with the full knowledge and tacit approval of Delta. However, there now appears to be a change of thinking at Delta where this is no longer the case. As a result, we will no longer display Delta information in any of our Tools, including Flight Availability, Upgrades, Seat Maps, Fare Information, Flights Status, Flight Details, and Flight Timetables. All Alerts of all types for Delta will be set to Expired as to not count against your active alert limit.
To be clear, this action is not unique to ExpertFlyer. Delta has recently been removing their data from many websites, both booking and non-booking, in an attempt to force as many travelers as possible to only use delta.com and their apps for Delta information. In our many conversations with Delta it was made clear to us that their new policy is that any service or website that is not explicitly authorized to show Delta data will be forced to stop, especially any that screen scrape data from Delta.com or any Delta partner or agency website.
Our many attempts to forge a new agreement for the display of this information on ExpertFlyer with Delta have been rejected. We believe, and have explained to them, that ExpertFlyer brought value to Delta’s best customers and by extension to Delta itself. We hope in the future Delta will come to see the net value that ExpertFlyer gives to them as you have already discovered. Should you wish to express your thoughts on this matter to Delta, you can reach customer support here:
http://www.delta.com/contactus/pages/comment_complaint/index.jsp
You may also send a copy of any feedback you send to ExpertFlyer at testimonials@expertflyer.com and we can pass it along to our contacts at Delta.
On a positive note, we will be announcing the addition of a major new airline for Awards & Upgrade searching and alerting in the very near future. We will make the announcement at the time new airline award data has been added.
As always, thank you for your continued support.
-The ExpertFlyer.com Team
Jerks.
Fortunately this affects the value I get out of Expertflyer not at all. It remains the only source I know for confirmed upgrade space to international business class on American Airlines. I also use it to let me know when confirmed domestic first class upgrade space is dwindling on flights where an upgrade especially matters to me (I have it send me an email, for instance, when ‘A’ inventory drops below 3). And I use it to email me when specific seats open up on a seatmap if I’m not happy with seats I book initially.
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Do you think the class action lawsuit (that specifically uses ExpertFlyer data “against” delta.com data) has anything to do with this?
LINK : http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/delta-air-lines-skymiles/1607598-class-action-federal-lawsuit-aginst-delta-re-best-fares-available.html
“we will no longer display Delta … Flight Availability…” They even forced EF to remove simple availability search results?! That’s insane.
Will miss seat alerts (assume these are gone if seat maps are). Often would buy an economy comfort middle seat with nearly 100% success in changing to an aisle or window when an elite would clear their upgrade. Will have to check manually now.
Not a problem for me just another reason to never use Delta Airlines
When they become the last and only airline in America then I would be concerned
There is always a cost to being abusive to ones customers and partners
Thanks, Delta, you’ve just added reason #347 to my list: “Why I Don’t Fly Delta.” 😉
“…seat maps..flight status…”
Does this mean DL will block all such info to other sites like FlightStats, also? Good grief, what on earth is Delta trying to accomplish? How can adding more traffic to their (DL) site to check simple things like Flight Status and Seat Maps benefit them?
And adding more traffic to delta.com is SUCH a great idea. The FT Delta forum is replete with complaints about how utterly horrible delta.com is. As much as I can complain at times about AA, all I have to do is experience DL or UA and the bitching stops COLD.
I’d boycott Delta, but I already never fly them due to their awful mileage program.
@Chris, some of us are stuck with Delta due to nonstop flights. AMS-BOS, AMS-PDX, AMS-SEA etc. etc. etc. Not everyone has the luxury of adding hours to their trips. Unfortunate, but true.
@Dwonderment, Tom;
+1. Can’t understand why people who aren’t forced by company travel policy still fly Delta.
This is a shame. Every time you restrict the flow of information, you are afraid of something. Reminds me of Communist China.
I will cancel my Sunstrust Debit card as a result of this. It won’t mean ANYTHING to DL, but if enough people do something, it jst might
@Kevin : a flight from BOS-AMS nonstop (for example) is blocked at approximately 6 hours 50 minutes. Quite often, the actually travel time is just around 6 hours 10-25 minutes (sometimes, even under 6 hours). Try flying BOS-LHR-AMS, or any other combination. You turn a 6 hour flight +/- into 8 hours+ travel time; and that’s if everything goes perfectly. For some of us, we have no choice. This is a similar scenario for a lot of “Delta-only” routes. If you fly these flights weekly/monthly the extra travel time (and ability to hit the ground running) makes a huge difference.
This is f%^&ing ridiculous. I use the DL info on EF multiple times per week. JERKS.
@Gene I thought you called me to task for calling them jerks just the other day? 😉