Flight with stopover question

[njmom47]

DD needs to fly one way from Pittsburgh. There aren't any cheap non-stop flights that we can find. Can she buy a ticket that has a stop in say, Philly, and just not get on the plane for the last leg of the flight (for example, from Philly to Newark)? It's just as easy to get her home from Philly as it is from Newark.
Thanks

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

You aren't supposed to do this and shouldn't make a habit of it, but yes, if she has a change of planes on the very last leg of the ticket, she can get off at the stop. She just cannot have any checked luggage.

 

[njmom47]

I did read up on it and she would be shipping her stuff back home and it is a one way, but I prefer to do the right thing so it is a moral dilemma for us. I suppose she could play the "naïve little blond" like she does from time to time.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

I'm not sure why you would consider this a "moral" dilemma. You're paying for the ticket. She can always fly the last leg if this is a big issue.

 

[DebbieB]

I did read up on it and she would be shipping her stuff back home and it is a one way, but I prefer to do the right thing so it is a moral dilemma for us. I suppose she could play the "naïve little blond" like she does from time to time.

She doesn't need to "play" anything, she just doesn't get on the connecting flight and leaves the airport. They will not hunt her down.

I know what you mean about PIT-EWR flights, they are expensive. I used to train an agent in Woodbridge NJ.

 

[njmom47]

From what I've read, it's against the carrier's rules to do this. But what would they do if you weren't on the last leg of the flight? She's not a frequent flier, like they would track her down or anything. She seems to be ok with it....

 

[Greysword]

You are correct, it is against the carrier's rules, but as others have said no one is going to keep you from leaving the airport.

The consequences are fairly minimal from the carrier. They can close your frequent flyer account, and that is mostly it. If a customer makes a habit of doing this, they can ban the person from their airline.

I don't know if there would be any TSA issues if a ticketed passenger checked in, checked bags, then decided not to take part (or all) of the flight. Probably not, but just wanted to bring this up.

There is a reason for the ticket pricing, though. The benefits of living in a hub is not having to worry about extra travel time needed to connect at a hub or deal with irregular operations (weather/mechanical delays). Citizens of a hub city pay for these benefits with higher prices, and people of non-hub cities pay for them with time and stress.

Also, the airline tries to feed their expensive international and transcontinental flights in order to make money. Businesses are generally willing to pay good money for a flight from LA to NY or a gateway city to an international destination. vacation travelers are also willing to pay on the latter. As such, these flights are more expensive.

However, the problem is getting people in the non-gateway cities to the hub to feed the higher priced flights. These "connection" flights are generally considered loss leaders by the airlines, that is they can make less money to get someone from Topeka or San Diego to Philadelphia or Atlanta, as they will make up the difference on the flight from the hub to a more desirable destination (Orlando or Paris). As such, the bulk of the cost of the flight is between the hub and the desirable destination. The rest of the flight is heavily discounted to feed the hub.

Also it may be necessary to entice the people in Pittsburgh or Cleveland region to fly to Orlando, so the tickets into/out of these airports may be discounted further making the pricing lower overall.

In the end, it is possible to just not connect, but don't do it too often as the airline will start tracking the activity which may have consequences down the road.

ETA: Oh, one last thing of importance. The airline could legally reroute her through another hub to the ticketed destination. For instance if she is on a USAir flight,, they may decide to reroute her on an American flight, since they are merging, if the aircraft has mechanical issues, weather delays, or pilot flight time issues.

 

[Greysword]

I'm not sure why you would consider this a "moral" dilemma. You're paying for the ticket. She can always fly the last leg if this is a big issue.

This is definitely a moral issue, as she is cheating the airline.

The carrier provided specific pricing for a ticket from PIT to EWR. By purchasing a ticket from another destination with the intent to circumvent the offered price is bad moral judgement, as it is an attempt to knowingly defraud the airline.

 

[Sandi]

I just wanted to add that a problem could arise if the airline cancels her flight. It is possible that they would put her on a different flight, nonstop to the final destination (which is not where she wants to go). This is very unlikely and she could probably offer to wait for another flight that does go through Philly, but it's one hang-up to the plan that I've heard before.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

I just wanted to add that a problem could arise if the airline cancels her flight. It is possible that they would put her on a different flight, nonstop to the final destination (which is not where she wants to go). This is very unlikely and she could probably offer to wait for another flight that does go through Philly, but it's one hang-up to the plan that I've heard before.

OP already stated the final stop is fine.

OP simply asked what would happen if her daughter got off at the stop and this was answered. NOTHING.

 

[jsilvers]

OP simply asked what would happen if her daughter got off at the stop and this was answered. NOTHING.

Although it may be UNLIKELY that anything would happen, you cannot say that for certain. American, for example, actually has posted a sample letter on its website (which it may not have intended to be publicly accessible?) which warns:

Let me take the opportunity to clarify American Airlines position on hidden city or point beyond ticketing. Purchasing a ticket to a point beyond the actual destination and getting off the aircraft at the connecting point is unethical. It is tantamount to switching price tags to obtain a lower price on goods sold at department stores. Passengers who attempt to use hidden city tickets may be denied boarding, have the remainder of their ticket confiscated and may be assessed the difference between the fare paid and the lowest applicable fare.​

See http://www.aa.com/i18n/agency/Booking_Ticketing/Ticketing/hidden_city_ltr.jsp

 

[JanaDee]

Although it may be UNLIKELY that anything would happen, you cannot say that for certain. American, for example, actually has posted a sample letter on its website (which it may not have intended to be publicly accessible?) which warns:

Let me take the opportunity to clarify American Airlines position on hidden city or point beyond ticketing. Purchasing a ticket to a point beyond the actual destination and getting off the aircraft at the connecting point is unethical. It is tantamount to switching price tags to obtain a lower price on goods sold at department stores. Passengers who attempt to use hidden city tickets may be denied boarding, have the remainder of their ticket confiscated and may be assessed the difference between the fare paid and the lowest applicable fare.​

See http://www.aa.com/i18n/agency/Booking_Ticketing/Ticketing/hidden_city_ltr.jsp

If she has already paid the fare, flew the first leg and left the airport, there is nothing the airline can do.

 

[wdwrich]

If she has already paid the fare, flew the first leg and left the airport, there is nothing the airline can do.

On a one-way flight, this is absolutely true. I wouldn't try this on the outbound leg of a round-trip though, as the airline could cancel the passenger's return trip if they didn't show up on the second leg of that outbound trip.

 

[SirDuff]

If she has already paid the fare, flew the first leg and left the airport, there is nothing the airline can do.

I suppose that they could sue her for the difference in fare. I am NOT suggesting that they would (I agree with you that it is unlikely that anything will happen when it is the very last leg that is skipped), but I'm guessing that there is some language in the ticket contract that would allow them to do so.

 

[DebbieB]

I just wanted to add that a problem could arise if the airline cancels her flight. It is possible that they would put her on a different flight, nonstop to the final destination (which is not where she wants to go). This is very unlikely and she could probably offer to wait for another flight that does go through Philly, but it's one hang-up to the plan that I've heard before.

That's a good point. One time I had a flight PIT-PHL-JAX. The PIT-PHL was late, they rerouted me PIT-CLT-JAX.

 

[jsilvers]

I suppose that they could sue her for the difference in fare. I am NOT suggesting that they would (I agree with you that it is unlikely that anything will happen when it is the very last leg that is skipped), but I'm guessing that there is some language in the ticket contract that would allow them to do so.

The contract language wouldn't even require the airline to go to court; the airline could just charge the passenger's credit card for the difference between the fare that they paid and the fare that they "should" have paid. Looking at American's contract of carriage:

Where a ticket is invalidated as the result of the passenger's non-compliance with any term or condition of sale, American has the right in its sole discretion to: ... Assess the passenger for the reasonable remaining value of the ticket, which shall be no less than the difference between the fare actually paid and the lowest fare applicable to the passenger's actual itinerary.​

See http://www.aa.com/i18n/customerService/customerCommitment/conditionsOfCarriage.jsp.

Unlikely? Probably. But it's dead wrong to say that "there is nothing the airline can do."

 

[jskiffington]

The contract language wouldn't even require the airline to go to court; the airline could just charge the passenger's credit card for the difference between the fare that they paid and the fare that they "should" have paid. Looking at American's contract of carriage:

Where a ticket is invalidated as the result of the passenger's non-compliance with any term or condition of sale, American has the right in its sole discretion to: ... Assess the passenger for the reasonable remaining value of the ticket, which shall be no less than the difference between the fare actually paid and the lowest fare applicable to the passenger's actual itinerary.​

See (link).

Unlikely? Probably. But it's dead wrong to say that "there is nothing the airline can do."

Highly, highly, unlikely. The reason why airlines do this is to prevent "hidden city" ticketing. For instance, it may be significantly cheaper to fly JFK-DFW-DEN than JFK-DFW on its own. So what people figured out is that they could buy a ticket JFK-DFW-DEN and then get off at DFW.

To prevent this, airlines now require you to fly the entire coupon. If you don't get on the DFW-DEN leg, the rest of your ticket is cancelled. Not a problem if you're flying one way, but if you tried to get back on the plane at DFW to fly back to JFK, you're going to have to likely pay full price at the gate.

I would be shocked if an airline cracks down on you for skipping the last leg of the flight. It doesn't cost them anything (in fact, it allows them to resell your seat), and there's no way to prove it's malicious. I've had business trips in the past where I've had to leave the airport at my last connection for an urgent meeting. As long as you're not doing hidden city ticketing, they're not going to care.

To the original poster: no worries on a one way flight. Just be aware you won't be able to claim any bags at the connection, so make sure you carry on baggage.

 

[sam_gordon]

Highly, highly, unlikely. The reason why airlines do this is to prevent "hidden city" ticketing. For instance, it may be significantly cheaper to fly JFK-DFW-DEN than JFK-DFW on its own. So what people figured out is that they could buy a ticket JFK-DFW-DEN and then get off at DFW.

To prevent this, airlines now require you to fly the entire coupon. If you don't get on the DFW-DEN leg, the rest of your ticket is cancelled. Not a problem if you're flying one way, but if you tried to get back on the plane at DFW to fly back to JFK, you're going to have to likely pay full price at the gate.

I would be shocked if an airline cracks down on you for skipping the last leg of the flight. It doesn't cost them anything (in fact, it allows them to resell your seat), and there's no way to prove it's malicious. I've had business trips in the past where I've had to leave the airport at my last connection for an urgent meeting. As long as you're not doing hidden city ticketing, they're not going to care.

To the original poster: no worries on a one way flight. Just be aware you won't be able to claim any bags at the connection, so make sure you carry on baggage.

The OP's explanation EXACTLY matches your definition of "hidden city ticketing". And no, the airline can not resell the seat. They can allow a standby passenger on when there's an empty seat, but it's not like they're going to find a buyer with 15 minutes before departure.

 

[jskiffington]

The OP's explanation EXACTLY matches your definition of "hidden city ticketing". And no, the airline can not resell the seat. They can allow a standby passenger on when there's an empty seat, but it's not like they're going to find a buyer with 15 minutes before departure.

Yes, it is hidden city ticketing, but since it's a one way ticket there's no worry about the rest of the itinerary being cancelled.

Perhaps "sell the seat" was inaccurate, but if they fill it with standby passenger that's one less person who needs to be accommodated down the line and a possible revenue seat that will free up.