Flight has a 1 stop, MCO-CVG-CMH. Can I get off at CVG and not go to CMH ?

[maryj11]

There is a flight with a good price and good times that have one stop at CVG. CVG is just as close to our home as the flight it will end up at CMH. Can we get off CVG at the stop inbetween and not get back on ?

 

[Brian Noble]

This is called hidden city ticketing. Here are the pros and cons

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airline_booking_ploys#Hidden_City_Ticketing

In particular, this needs to be a one-way flight, and you probably don't want to do it on an airline with which you are trying to accumulate frequent-flier rewards.

 

[maryj11]

It will be a one way ticket and we will have carryon luggage. We have already purchased our ticket for on the way down with Airtran because of a great price and time. Im now thinking of booking with a different airline on the way home with Delta. Is this against their rules and would we get into any kind of trouble getting off at CVG ?

 

[dudspizza]

It will be a one way ticket and we will have carryon luggage. We have already purchased our ticket for on the way down with Airtran because of a great price and time. Im now thinking of booking with a different airline on the way home with Delta. Is this against their rules and would we get into any kind of trouble getting off at CVG ?

If it is a one way and you don't have any checked luggage, no there won't be any issues. Honestly, why would the airline care. Now, if you did this on a round trip and it was the trip to MCO, the airline would cancel your return flight and you wouldn't be able to get home...

duds

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

If it's a one way ticket as you have indicated and you are just carrying on luggage, you will be fine. I have done this myself.

 

[drew64]

You may or may not be fine. It is hidden city ticketing and violates the terms and conditions of the ticket purchase.

If the airline discovers and chooses, they can - and I have seen them do this quite a few times - go back and charge the differnece in fares to your credit card. They have the legal right to do this and your credit card company will uphold the charge.

 

[LadyBeBop]

Honestly, why would the airline care.

Because it's a lot more expensive to fly to CVG than it is to fly to CMH. I live 15 minutes away from CVG, and both of my DDs have worked at CVG. However, we have flown out of other airports, because CVG is more expensive.

CVG has none of the cut-rate airlines. It used to be a major Delta hub, and Delta still has a major stranglehold on the market.

OP, what is the difference in fares between CVG and CHM?

 

[linzbear]

You may or may not be fine. It is hidden city ticketing and violates the terms and conditions of the ticket purchase.

If the airline discovers and chooses, they can - and I have seen them do this quite a few times - go back and charge the differnece in fares to your credit card. They have the legal right to do this and your credit card company will uphold the charge.

Yeah, that.

It totally depends on the airline whether or not you'll get hit with a fee.

 

[msmayor]

Don't think that they won't 'figure it out', either.

At intermediate stops, flight attendants always do a head count. They know, based on who got on the originating point, how many they SHOULD have remaining at the first stop after those passengers scheduled to disembark have done so.

Getting off when you weren't supposed to will throw the count off, and could raise a red flag somewhere.

 

[MAH4546]

You can get off, but the airline has the right to charge your credit card the fare difference if it choses to go after you. Airlines don't often do this unless a particular flier has a history of doing it.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Ignore the naysayers. Do you honestly think the airline is going to come look for you if you do this? Not a chance, unless you do it several times a week. Enjoy your trip.

 

[Brian Noble]

I haven't actually heard many first hand accounts of people being charged after the fact for a hidden-city ticket. (I'm not sure I've heard *anyone* ever say that they have had it happen to them.) I suppose the airline might try, but I think it is very unlikely for an individual passenger doing this once in a blue moon. If you are a ticket broker or travel agent, and do this routinely for your clients, you probably will attract quite a bit more attention. Weighed as a risk-reward question, it's probably worth doing if the savings is non-trivial. I would not make it a habit, though.

There is a slightly higher risk that an airline might terminate your frequent flier account with them if you are a habitual hidden-city flier. But, even then, a once-in-a-blue-moon event is unlikely to draw much in the way of a penalty, all things considered.

 

[drew64]

Ignore the naysayers. Do you honestly think the airline is going to come look for you if you do this? Not a chance, unless you do it several times a week. Enjoy your trip.

As someone who has been in corporate travel for over 15 years now, and has seen this occur quite a few times to corporate clients, yes the airline does care and yes they will do it!

They will also go back to travelers who buy a cheap roundtrip ticket and not use the return and up charge you to the one-way fare if it was higher.

OP- Here is a thought, why not just purchase the correct ticket for your trip and stop trying to cheat the airline and beat the system.

 

[msmayor]

Ignore the naysayers. Do you honestly think the airline is going to come look for you if you do this? Not a chance, unless you do it several times a week. Enjoy your trip.

Maybe...maybe not. But in these days where airlines are more than happy to have folks fork over $50 if your bag is a pound overweight, I wouldn't take the chance.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Don't think that they won't 'figure it out', either.

At intermediate stops, flight attendants always do a head count. They know, based on who got on the originating point, how many they SHOULD have remaining at the first stop after those passengers scheduled to disembark have done so.

Getting off when you weren't supposed to will throw the count off, and could raise a red flag somewhere.

Thank you. I was wondering about that. How long do you think a flight is typically delayed when the head count doesn't match?

 

[msmayor]

Thank you. I was wondering about that. How long do you think a flight is typically delayed when the head count doesn't match?

Not sure, but in these days of high security I would imagine that if the head count is off...meaning someone got off that was expected to stay on...they might be compelled to match names on board to checked bags in the underbelly of the plane to ensure that whoever DID get off didn't leave a suspicious bag behind.

 

[linzbear]

Thank you. I was wondering about that. How long do you think a flight is typically delayed when the head count doesn't match?

It was roughly 15 minutes the one time it happened to us (that is, we were sitting and waiting for 15 minutes all ready to go), they were getting paged, and the person missed their flight. Of course now I realize they were probably doing just this.

Not sure, but in these days of high security I would imagine that if the head count is off...meaning someone got off that was expected to stay on...they might be compelled to match names on board to checked bags in the underbelly of the plane to ensure that whoever DID get off didn't leave a suspicious bag behind.

Probably depends on a few things, was a plane change required or no. If the plane change was required they likely could tell pretty easily if there were bags checked or not. If no plane change it'd be a bit of a bigger mess.

 

[jsilvers]

Is this against their rules and would we get into any kind of trouble getting off at CVG ?

I can't comment as to whether Delta will actually care, but it is officially against Delta's rules. From the contract of carriage:

Rule 100(G)(3)(C): Delta specifically prohibits the practices commonly known as: ... Hidden City/Point Beyond Ticketing - The issuance, purchase or usage of a fare from a point before the passenger's actual origin or to a point beyond the passenger's actual destination.​

 

[maryj11]

Ok I have decided not to do that. I do not want to break any rules or cause any delays.

 

[CADisneyMom]

I actually work for an airline and have had people ask if they could short-check their bags (meaning they just want their bags to go to the intermediate stop) which we cannot do. Now if it is a thru flight (meaning it makes a stop but you don't get off) they are required to bring the manifest on the plane and see who is not on the aircraft and then page that person in the airport. A lot of times though if its just a single person they won't even bother since they just figure the flight attendants just can't count since usually you can't get off the aircraft if you're a thru passenger anyways unless you got in really early into that city.