Originally Posted by
3Cforme
UA, AA and DL routinely sell flights on non-partner carrier metal. You're not expecting AS to start its own service to International Falls, MN, are you?
No, I know Delta is locked in there and loving their subsidy every day. I simply used a small airport only served by DL as
beckoa suggested. INL is the one I am most familiar with, so I just chose a random date and poof, there it was.
Originally Posted by
3Cforme
What would be a surprise is AS and DL having DrAlex's trip as a single fare component in each direction. A quick look on ITA Matrix suggests that is effectively an AS r/t SFO-MSP plus a DL r/t MSP-INL. That's the way it was done for decades under CAB pricing, and then before the vast growth in destination count by the big U.S. carriers. (American had ~40 destinations systemwide in 1968. AA/DL/UA each now have more than 300.)
So, is the conclusion that this example r/t SFO-INL would be issued as AS ticket stock (as two r/t's)? Or would it be something else?
This could be an interesting way to force some AS ticket stock flexibility for DL flights!?!?
I might need to try this in July...