Originally Posted by
MSPeconomist
The next available flight within six hours language surprises me in that I'm used to seeing within 4/24 hours or next available flight as a requirement, although not all airlines make the next available exception to the normal 4/24 hour limits for connections. The fare rules would seem to require a tight but legal connection if there's some other available connection that doesn't exceed six hours if I'm reading this correctly. OTOH is is next available within six hours an exception to the normal four hour rule that could be part of the CoC and thus apply to all through fares?
Most domestic revenue fares (and the award fares on the SFO-OGG route OP is looking at) simply say the following in the stopover section. This means 4 hours is the maximum connection. There is no provision for allowing a longer connection on a fare simply because the next flight is not within 4 hours.
STOPOVERS
NO STOPOVERS PERMITTED
In addition to some Hawaii routes, certain routes to smaller Canadian cities will allow connections up to 6 hours. Here's the stopover section for SEA-YXS fares. For awhile early during Covid when there were very few flights, DL allowed connections up to 6 hours on all domestic routes and updated the stopover section in the domestic fare filings to reflect the extended allowance.
STOPOVERS
IF THE FARE COMPONENT IS ON ONE OR MORE OF THE FOLLOWING ANY DL FLIGHT OPERATED BY DL ANY DL FLIGHT OPERATED BY 9E ANY DL FLIGHT OPERATED BY OO ANY DL FLIGHT OPERATED BY YX NO STOPOVERS PERMITTED. NO STOPOVER OCCURS IF PASSENGER TAKES NEXT AVAILABLE FLIGHT WITHIN 6 HOURS.