Doug, I am not Ralph, but I do use expertflyer and it is worth every penny. The best feature for me is that you can put in an alert request for the seats you are wanting ( say, business class on AA for 2 people on November 2 or whatever), and they will alert you if that becomes available. It is also great for finding weird routines.
I've heard many good comments about ExpertFlyer, but was disappointed to read this
http://thepointsguy.com/2013/11/much-more-limited-star-alliance-award-availability-on-expertflyer/ Sure hope they can reinstate the services they've had in the past
