Originally Posted by
Phantasy
A summary:
When booking multiple flights on 1 single booking (6 alphanumeric code), even when it includes different confirmation numbers (also 6 alphanumeric code).
- your connection is guaranteed, meaning in case of a missed flight connection caused by a delay/cancellation of a previous flight on the same booking, they'll have to put you on the next available flight at no additional charge
- not taking any of the flights on the ticket, always results in automatic cancellation of subsequent flights, also when it involves 2 different airlines with no price advantage than if booked the flights separately.
- a modification (e.g. date) made in one of the flights will always result in a fare change of the other (unchanged) flights, even when they're from different airlines who have no other agreements apart from interlining (no code-share etc.).
Is this correct? Always in any case?
Specifically this case: apart from this inadvertent fuel-dump error on 1 or 2 specific OTA('s), it seems there is never a price drop when:
- adding (LIAT-)flights to a booking of a Corsair flight (in comparison to booking only one part of the trip)
- even over booking them separately it seems there is no advantage in fare (not 100% sure but haven't found examples, it even tends to be higher when booked together).
Corsair also has direct flights and even for the unnecessary flight it could use it's code-share partner Air Antilles Express (LIAT is only necessary for very specific dates and hours to make a (further absurd) connection on the same day).
Remaining questions
Can Corsair really access the live boarding-data of LIAT? Is this always the case with interlining partners (not code-shares,...)?
Would Corsair really check if passengers boarded previous flights of the ticket when there is officially no financial advantage in (adding them and then) skipping these?
1. No. PNR's / reference codes and the like do not generally create connections. What matters is the e-ticket number. That is three its followed by a hyphen and then 14 digits. What you are describing appears to be multiple tickets booked into the same PNR. There are some limited occasions where that may be advantageous, but not for the purpose you describe.
2. Some opaque third-party sites (OTA's) try to sell multiple tickets booked into the same PNR as a single itinerary. When things go right, this is not a problem. But, when things go wrong, it is just a bunch of separate tickets appearing on a single piece of paper emailed to you by the vendor.
3. Yes. But, it is not a matter of a carrier affirmatively checking. All of this is the essence of interline ticketing agreements. It is important to carriers not merely as an anti-fraud measure as it would be in this case, but because carriers use this data to determine what they can sell. Once you no show for one segment and the remaining segments are cancelled, the down-ticket carrier(s) is/are able to sell more space and that generates more revenue. A significant issue.