stifle

It isn't as good as mine, but I'll post it anyway.

Flights from A-B, B-C, and A-C are different products. Even though one can be consumed by consuming the other two, that does not make it separate.

Consider A-C as a bottle of lemonade, A-B as a bag of sugar, and B-C a bag of lemons. You can make lemonade from lemons and sugar. But if you go and pay for a bottle of lemonade in the store and then put it down and go take the lemons and sugar from the shelves, you're breaking the rules.

It is no different in flights. Just because the connection/stopover makes it possible to consume something you didn't buy, doesn't mean the airline's not entitled to come after you to pay for what you actually consumed rather than the cheaper product that you paid for.

ROCAT

If you are using a good missuses, dentist, doctor, restaurant anyone else that has no problem with bookings they will gladly jettison noshows or people that waste their time. So as long as you use 2nd tier business ya you are fine.

It hardly imaginary money it is an opportunity cost which has been a basic principle of economics for 100 years.

sethb

If I buy a bottle of lemonade, I get a bottle of lemonade. If the store sold "home-made lemonade" which was a package containing a bag of lemons, a bag of sugar, and a bottle of water, and I bought that and left the sugar behind, I wouldn't be breaking any rules.

backprop

As long as we're making bad analogies, here's a pretty good one

A co-worker found one of those motivational seminars with the big-name speakers. It occupies an arena and is about as touchy-feely rah-rah as you can get.

If you want to go, it's $195 per ticket.

But if you bring a group of 10 or more people, it's only $5 a ticket.

The reason is, they have plenty of hard sells during this presentation: get-rich-quick schemes that require substantial outlay.

You are much more valuable as a member of a large group and a potential victim of group mentality and sales pressure than you are as an individual.

I could not buy an office worth of tickets for $50 and throw all but one away. I'd have to pay $195 at the door if I showed up with a ticket but no coworkers.

The A->B passenger is like the loner at the motivational seminar. The A->B->C passengers are more like the group.

I said it was bad. But it's what I compare it to when talking hidden city ticketing.

s0ssos

A service is bound by a contract. Breach of contract is just that. Breach of contrat. Doesn't mean anything more, doesn't mean anything less. Businesses break contracts all the time, if it is to their advantage to do so. If there aren't repercussions there is no reason not to break a contract (and even if there are, businesses usually try to find a way to get out of it). What is wrong with a person trying to act like a business?

nsx

Read this famous example.

ROCAT

As long as you are willing to accept the consequences and not cry if the airline wipes out your accounts nothing.

stifle

I don't know if any stores sell that package, but airlines certainly do sell fares for tickets of which you're free to pick and choose which coupons you use. They're called full fare tickets, and they are available for people who want that option or flexibility.

JerryFF

Great article. Thanks for the link.

pinniped

Interesting concept...my wife has gotten sucked into those things where her whole office goes to some sales pitch in a 15,000-seat arena. It never occurred to me that they had a minimum number of attendees required, but it makes sense in a way.

I guess the only thing I'd highlight as a difference is that America doesn't have one big oligopoly or cartel of politically-connected motivational speakers. There's no institutionally-enforced barrier of entry preventing another motivational speaker popping up next door selling $5 tickets to loners.

Thankfully, I've never had to endure one of those sessions. I hear they are one giant hard sell!!

Mike Jacoubowsky

Exactly! Someone gets it! It's a contract, a set of rules, and it's up to the individual to decide whether to abide by them or not. There are benefits and risks attached to not abiding by the contract. If you get caught, you could lose... a lot. Chances of getting caught aren't high, unless you make yourself stand out from the rest (do it with regularity). Trouble is, you don't know where that line is.

None of the other stuff dealing with cost of providing the service matters. What matters is the risk of, essentially, punishment... vs what you gain.

Reindeerflame

I understand.

So, when the flight includes pretzels, a beverage, or a meal, I am also required to consume those, and am not free to decline them.

Mike Jacoubowsky

YES!

If the Contract of Carriage or the ticketing rules require that you eat pretzels, drink coffee and eat a meal, then yes, you must follow the rules!

nrr

But if you sold [/U]your[/U] package (without the sugar) and it passed off as real lemonade, you might be.
The trouble with this thread is that we are trying to use logic in justifying what op did--in the world of aviation CoC trumps all logic.

Mike Jacoubowsky

Right. All that matters is that people agreed to do something, and then chose not to do it. It doesn't matter how stupid or illogical the rules are, if you're stupid or illogical enough to agree to them...

If the airlines can get away with changing the rules regarding elite qualifications and mileage earning, that affects and supersedes the rules that were in effect at the time you earned them... which they can and do, despite literally thousands of posts saying the practice and unethical, illegal, etc... well, this is pretty insignificant in comparison. You can't fight city hall. Airlines 1, PO'd FFers 0, if it comes to a fight.