Penalty for not taking connection flight?

[Promomx2]

In looking at flights Pittsburgh to Richmond, there are no straight flights. I'm looking for dd who's never flown before and will be flying with a 7wk baby. So I looked at her flying straight in Washington Dc and us picking her up there. Well, it's considerably cheaper to purchase a ticket from Pittsburg to Richmond with changing flights in Washington DC. If she doesn't want to chance flights and have us pick her up, will United penalize her in any way for not continuing on to Richmond and will she be able to miss the Richmond to Washington part and just get on in Washington to Pittsburg on the way home?

 

[seashoreCM]

No you may not throw away parts of your itinerary. The first thing that will happen is that any other, later, parts such as your return trip will be cancelled completely.

The airline might not do anyting the first time it happens but if you do it a lot (extraneous words deleted) you or your travel agent will be back charged for the cost of the itinerary as if it were booked exactly the way you flew it.

Exception, if a flight is cancelled, the airline has to refund that portion if you so choose, prorated and not based on the fare for the portion you did fly.

 

[Brer Chump]

This is called Hidden City Ticketing and is against all domestic carriers' rules except for Southwest. United would have the right to cancel your DD return trip, go back and charge her for the trip she actually took or both. Of course if there is checked luggage getting off at DC is impossible.

From United's COC (http://content.united.com/ual/asset/UA_COC09Mar11.pdf):

WHERE A TICKET IS PURCHASED AND USED IN VIOLATION OF THESE
RULES OR ANY FARE RULE (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, HIDDEN CITIES
TICKETING, POINT BEYOND TICKETING, THROWAWAY TICKETING, BACK-TO-BACK
TICKETING, OR SPECULATIVE/ABUSIVE TICKETING), UA HAS THE RIGHT IN ITS
SOLE DISCRETION TO TAKE ALL ACTIONS PERMITTED BY LAW, INCLUDING BUT NOT
LIMITED TO, THE FOLLOWING:
(1) INVALIDATE THE TICKET(S);
(2) CANCEL ANY REMAINING PORTION OF THE PASSENGER'S ITINERARY;
(3) CONFISCATE ANY UNUSED FLIGHT COUPONS;
(4) REFUSE TO BOARD THE PASSENGER AND TO CARRY THE PASSENGER'S
BAGGAGE, UNLESS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE FARE PAID AND THE
FARE FOR TRANSPORTATION USED IS COLLECTED PRIOR TO BOARDING;
(5) ASSESS THE PASSENGER FOR THE ACTUAL VALUE OF THE TICKET WHICH
SHALL BE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE FARE APPLICABLE TO
THE PASSENGER'S ACTUAL ITINERARY AND THE FARE ACTUALLY PAID;
(6) DELETE MILES FROM THE PASSENGER'S FREQUENT FLYER ACCOUNT;
(7) REVOKE THE PASSENGER'S ELITE STATUS, IF ANY, IN THE MILEAGE PLUS
PROGRAM, TERMINATE THE PASSENGER'S PARTICIPATION IN THE MILEAGE
PLUS PROGRAM, OR TAKE ANY OTHER ACTION PERMITTED BY THE MILEAGE
PLUS PROGRAM RULES;
AND/OR
(8) TAKE LEGAL ACTION WITH RESPECT TO THE PASSENGER/AGENT.

 

[sharona]

Can you book it as two separate one way flights? That way dd's return flight will not be associated with the flight to DC.

 

[Lewisc]

It won't work for her return, even if you book it as two one ways. When she doesn't get on the plane in Richmond her reservation on the connecting flight from Washington to PIT will be canceled.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

It won't work for her return, even if you book it as two one ways. When she doesn't get on the plane in Richmond her reservation on the connecting flight from Washington to PIT will be canceled.

No, it won't, not if these are booked as two separate one way tickets. It is correct that if you book as a RT ticket and she misses the connecting flight on the way out, her return flight will be canceled.

Yes, missing the connecting flight is not allowed, but if you don't make a habit of this, nothing will happen.

 

[tobikaye]

No, it won't, not if these are booked as two separate one way tickets. It is correct that if you book as a RT ticket and she misses the connecting flight on the way out, her return flight will be canceled.

Yes, missing the connecting flight is not allowed, but if you don't make a habit of this, nothing will happen.

The OP is wanting to book the return flight Richmond to Washington to Pittsburg, but only have her daughter get on at Washington and not do the Richmond to Washington portion. Meaning that Lewisc is correct in that the return flight would be cancelled when the OP's DD did not get on in Richmond.

Now if the flights are booked separate and the return is direct Washington to Pittsburg, then it is possible that there would not be any jeopardizing of the return flight from not connecting on the inbound flight.

 

[Promomx2]

Thanks all for your help but it's a mute point now. DD won't fly alone with the baby, so it's back to her driving.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Thanks all for your help but it's a mute point now.

I think you meant to say moot.

I don't think many posters on DIS like to stay mute.

 

[anonymousegirl]

I know your DD is driving now, but if she had attempted to miss her connection, unfortunately, her luggage wouldn't. The checked bags would go straight through to the final destination.

 

[PatMcDuck]

I was interested in this, because of my upcoming D23 trip. On the way to California (SNA), I am going from Philadelphia, PHL to SNA, connecting/changing planes in Houston. NO problem there. Coming HOME, my flight stops in Newark, then after a 2 hours or so, plane change, connects back to PHL. I live in central NJ, closer to Newark than Philadelphia, but use either airport. I want to just go home from Newark, it will get me home 4 hours sooner, between the connection delay, the flight, and the ride home from PHL.

I did not book the flight home directly to Newark, because booking the flight this way, saved me, one person, $450. For sitting on the exact same flight. I only discovered the whole situation by trying various airport combinations. (flying in and out of Newark was also $450 more than in and out of PHL).

I think I am ok bailing on the last leg of my return flight, that short hop from Newark to Philly, because it is the end of my trip. I will ship home a bag UPS, so I will only have a carry on.....

PS this is on Continental.

 

[arthuruscg]

If she is going from Philly to Richmond, drive or take the train. IT would take longer to Fly then it would to drive.

It is only a 5hr drive. If you flew you would spend 2hrs waiting for the flight, 1 hr for the flight, 45 min waiting for the bags, + the body cavadity search.

If she drives 301 is a nicer drive and is not as much of a time gamble then takeing 95 around the DC/Baltimore area.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

the body cavadity [sic] search.

How many times have you had a body cavity search when flying?

 

[SuzanneSLO]

I was interested in this, because of my upcoming D23 trip. On the way to California (SNA), I am going from Philadelphia, PHL to SNA, connecting/changing planes in Houston. NO problem there. Coming HOME, my flight stops in Newark, then after a 2 hours or so, plane change, connects back to PHL. I live in central NJ, closer to Newark than Philadelphia, but use either airport. I want to just go home from Newark, it will get me home 4 hours sooner, between the connection delay, the flight, and the ride home from PHL.

I did not book the flight home directly to Newark, because booking the flight this way, saved me, one person, $450. For sitting on the exact same flight. I only discovered the whole situation by trying various airport combinations. (flying in and out of Newark was also $450 more than in and out of PHL).

I think I am ok bailing on the last leg of my return flight, that short hop from Newark to Philly, because it is the end of my trip. I will ship home a bag UPS, so I will only have a carry on.....

PS this is on Continental.

If you don't check luggage, don't make a habit of it and don't try to get some value from the throwaway portion of the ticket, likely you will be fine. It is agaisnt the rules, but people miss flights, even connecting flights, all the time. -- Suzanne

 

[PatMcDuck]

If you don't check luggage, don't make a habit of it and don't try to get some value from the throwaway portion of the ticket, likely you will be fine. It is agaisnt the rules, but people miss flights, even connecting flights, all the time. -- Suzanne

Yes, all of those things are true, so I will be ok. I doubt these circumstances will ever come up again.