Originally Posted by
s34n
Hi,
I was just wondering about buying an airline ticket off craigslist. I don't really want anybodies option on the matter for starters (Its too good to be true for example), I just want to know what would happen in this circumstance.
So I advertised that I needed two flights to Europe this Christmas and somebody got back to me saying they have airline contacts and can book the flight for us. They dont want us to know the confirmation number or airline until we meet. I asked to meet them at the checkin desk 2 hours before the flight and when our boarding passes are printed, I would hand over $500 for two roundtrip flights.
I was going to confirm his identity by asking for his ID at the airport also. They cant really cancel the flight after the boarding passes have printed can they? They could also book with a stolen credit card, which I was hoping to ask at the desk how the flight was booked, what billing method etc. Is there an easy way to determine if this is genuine? Thanks!
Does $500 for two roundtrips to Europe, ~1 week in advance, over the holidays, sound like it's within the range of prices for regular tickets available to the general public (even through consolidators)? If a guy on the street is selling you a Rolex for $20, what would you think about that transaction?
Sure, the seller could cancel the trip even after BPs are printed.
I can't think of any reasonable means to determine how the tickets were purchased by the seller. The airline wouldn't know from looking whether it was a stolen credit card. And even if you went to the counter and asked them, "I'm concerned these tickets that I just paid a stranger $500 in cash may have been bought with a stolen CC, can you check"...how do you imagine that would play out?
Although too late for your needs, hopefully you'll stick around FT and learn about legitimate ways to travel at greatly reduced costs in the future.
Originally Posted by
lhrsfo
If there's fraud, the airline could cancel at any time. You could even be on the plane if they discover it before take off. If the fraud is discovered before your return trip, then you will be stranded.
What this sounds like is an airline employee using his cheap standby flight privileges (otherwise they'd need your full name etc. well in advance). If that's the case, then you are not guaranteed a place in either direction since it's standby, although the employee will be able to make a good assessment of the likelihood of space being available. If there are IRROPS, then you will be SOL. Obviously what the employee is doing this it's strictly against the terms of his/her contract and will be sacked, if discovered.
The fact you don't want an opinion on the matter speaks volumes.
^