What's the MOST indirect routing you've ever put together
#46
Moderator: Manufactured Spending
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 6,580
When you are booking such a long itinerary, the airlines will make arrangements for you. I am also friends with TMWTMITW, he helps out a lot
#47
In Memoriam, FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Durham, NC (RDU/GSO/CLT)
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A few years ago my friend and I wanted to go to Rome. He was in CA, I was in NC and instead of meeting somewhere, I flew to him. I went:
RDU-DFW-PDX-LAX-SJC on 12/30 then:
SFO-JFK-LHR-FCO on 12/31-1/1
RDU-DFW-PDX-LAX-SJC on 12/30 then:
SFO-JFK-LHR-FCO on 12/31-1/1
#48
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: East Ester, Alaska
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he visited all the old way points in a single marathon trip where his ticket from London to Brisbane had 42 separate coupons, was about an inch thick, and had the travel agent who issued it say he was going to submit it to the Guinness Book of Records as the most complex ticket ever issued.
On a separate note, back in the days of joint fares (using 2 or 3 airlines in combination on the same fare) I purchased a NYC-DEN fare using the following joint fare allowance: NYC-PI-ATL-EA-MEM-BN-DEN. For those of you unfamiliar with the parlance of the day, this translates to using Piedmont from New York to Atlanta, Eastern to Memphis and Braniff on to Denver. On the individual legs, you could work within each carrier's allowable routing. Here was my final routing:
Piedmont: EWR-ORF-ILM-ATL
Eastern: ATL-MEM
Braniff: MEM-LIT-FSM-TUL-OKC-DFW-OKC-DEN
Normally no backtracking would be allowed but that first stop through OKC was hidden as part of a MEM-DFW milkrun. In all, eleven flights on three airlines from New York to Denver for $3.00 less than the nonstops on UA or TW.
Joint fares were an integral part of airline ticketing back in the pre-deregulation days. My skill at maximizing them is what got me noticed and into the industry in the first place.