May 6, 2016, 10:03 pm
Last edit by: JDiver
Please see FAQ: Missing / Skipping Segment - Hidden City / Point Beyond Ticketing (consolidated) for the active thread.
ARCHIVE: FAQ: Missing / Skipping Segment - Hidden City / Point Beyond Ticketing
Dec 8, 2011, 3:15 pm
#586
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: ZRH
Programs: Marriott Plat, Hyatt Global, Miles and More SEN,
Posts: 338
If the first segment gets you in to the US, then you can pick up your bags at custom and never make it to your next flight.
I don't think airlines like it when you try to circumvent their pricing schemes by buying segments to other cities that you don't plan on going to because it's cheaper overall. It's called married-segment logic. However, if you don't make a habit out of it, I doubt they'll go after you.
I don't think you'll be able to check your bags part way, though, so your only chance to rescue your luggage is at customs... or don't check-in any luggage.
I don't think airlines like it when you try to circumvent their pricing schemes by buying segments to other cities that you don't plan on going to because it's cheaper overall. It's called married-segment logic. However, if you don't make a habit out of it, I doubt they'll go after you.
I don't think you'll be able to check your bags part way, though, so your only chance to rescue your luggage is at customs... or don't check-in any luggage.
I just actually need to go to zrh. From reading your and others posts it seems like this won't be very hard, except that would prefer to check bags. On LX i have just asked them to only check me and the bag to zrh (for example). I don't do it often and it has never presented a problem. Do you know if, for example, I can ask the same on AA? Has anyone done it before without a repricing?
Dec 9, 2011, 12:20 am
#587
Join Date: Sep 2011
Programs: AA SPG Amex
Posts: 4,644
I'm going jfk-zrh-lhr-fra.
I just actually need to go to zrh. From reading your and others posts it seems like this won't be very hard, except that would prefer to check bags. On LX i have just asked them to only check me and the bag to zrh (for example). I don't do it often and it has never presented a problem. Do you know if, for example, I can ask the same on AA? Has anyone done it before without a repricing?
I just actually need to go to zrh. From reading your and others posts it seems like this won't be very hard, except that would prefer to check bags. On LX i have just asked them to only check me and the bag to zrh (for example). I don't do it often and it has never presented a problem. Do you know if, for example, I can ask the same on AA? Has anyone done it before without a repricing?
Dec 9, 2011, 6:40 am
#588
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: LAX
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold but PlatPro thanks to LPs
Posts: 4,439
If you were flying into the US and desired to stay at the city where the plane first enters the US, you would be advised to get your bags out of Customs, then just leave the airport.
However, you are ticketed through Zurich with a final destination Frankfurt. In my experience, when flying to Europe, they check your bags to the final destination. The only exception would be if there was a stopover in Zurich.
Hidden City ticketing is actually fraudulent, though many people get away with it every day. The airlines know this and use data-mining techniques to identify frequent violators. Such people get a stink-o-gram in the mail with scary sounding legal terms, such as fraud, settlement, forfiture, etc.
The standard advice is:
1. Take only carryon luggage
2. Skip only the last segments of the trip
3. Don't make a habit of it
Dec 9, 2011, 2:20 pm
#589
Join Date: Sep 2011
Programs: AA SPG Amex
Posts: 4,644
The airlines, including AA, are well aware of the Hidden City ticketing scheme. That is where someone purchases a less expensive ticket that goes beyond their real destination. They circumvent this by refusing to check bags only to the connection point. Another anti-Hidden City tactic is to cancel all remaining segments of an itinerary if a single segment is skipped. Thus, in order to make this work, Zurich needs to be your real final destination / home.
If you were flying into the US and desired to stay at the city where the plane first enters the US, you would be advised to get your bags out of Customs, then just leave the airport.
However, you are ticketed through Zurich with a final destination Frankfurt. In my experience, when flying to Europe, they check your bags to the final destination. The only exception would be if there was a stopover in Zurich.
Hidden City ticketing is actually fraudulent, though many people get away with it every day. The airlines know this and use data-mining techniques to identify frequent violators. Such people get a stink-o-gram in the mail with scary sounding legal terms, such as fraud, settlement, forfiture, etc.
The standard advice is:
1. Take only carryon luggage
2. Skip only the last segments of the trip
3. Don't make a habit of it
If you were flying into the US and desired to stay at the city where the plane first enters the US, you would be advised to get your bags out of Customs, then just leave the airport.
However, you are ticketed through Zurich with a final destination Frankfurt. In my experience, when flying to Europe, they check your bags to the final destination. The only exception would be if there was a stopover in Zurich.
Hidden City ticketing is actually fraudulent, though many people get away with it every day. The airlines know this and use data-mining techniques to identify frequent violators. Such people get a stink-o-gram in the mail with scary sounding legal terms, such as fraud, settlement, forfiture, etc.
The standard advice is:
1. Take only carryon luggage
2. Skip only the last segments of the trip
3. Don't make a habit of it
Dec 9, 2011, 2:45 pm
#590
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Florida
Posts: 29,755
I would think an overnight connection would have the same impact as a stopover on checked luggage, but I could be wrong. Last couple of times I've had an overnight connection (at ORD for DCA-ORD-LHR and at LHR for BOS-LHR-NCE) I didn't even have to ask about having bags checked through only to the connecting city.
Very often the check-in agents would actually ask you to NOT check the bats thru but take it off at the overnight stop. If they dont offer it you could easily ask for it citing various reasons - dont want to lose the bags, need to access the contents in the bag during the overnight stop, etc etc. Though very often you dont even need to ask as you have noticed already.
Dec 10, 2011, 4:21 am
#591
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: ZRH
Programs: Marriott Plat, Hyatt Global, Miles and More SEN,
Posts: 338
Bege
Dec 10, 2011, 4:08 pm
#592
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Seattle
Programs: AS MVPG 75K
Posts: 2,574
The baggage stations at the airports generally dont want to hold your bags overnight and then reload it to the outgoing flights the next day.
Very often the check-in agents would actually ask you to NOT check the bats thru but take it off at the overnight stop. If they dont offer it you could easily ask for it citing various reasons - dont want to lose the bags, need to access the contents in the bag during the overnight stop, etc etc. Though very often you dont even need to ask as you have noticed already.
Very often the check-in agents would actually ask you to NOT check the bats thru but take it off at the overnight stop. If they dont offer it you could easily ask for it citing various reasons - dont want to lose the bags, need to access the contents in the bag during the overnight stop, etc etc. Though very often you dont even need to ask as you have noticed already.
Dec 11, 2011, 11:51 am
#593
Join Date: Dec 2011
Posts: 3
American Airlines: Is it possible to skip part of a flight?
I booked a flight with american airlines: vienna => london => LA => vegas and back a few weeks later.
now I'm thinking about skipping the last part of my flight to vegas, stay a few days in LA instead and book some other flight a few days later. I thought, I get my checked-in-baggage in LA because of customs anyway, so that wouldn't be a concern.
now I read, if i skip the first part of the flight, the whole journey gets cancelled. but what happens, when I skip the last part of my outward journey, will they even go that far and cancel my flight home?
thanks for your help!
now I'm thinking about skipping the last part of my flight to vegas, stay a few days in LA instead and book some other flight a few days later. I thought, I get my checked-in-baggage in LA because of customs anyway, so that wouldn't be a concern.
now I read, if i skip the first part of the flight, the whole journey gets cancelled. but what happens, when I skip the last part of my outward journey, will they even go that far and cancel my flight home?
thanks for your help!
Dec 11, 2011, 11:53 am
#594
Moderator: Delta SkyMiles, Luxury Hotels, TravelBuzz! and Italy
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 26,543
Welcome to Flyertalk, negotiableme. I am moving this over to the American Airlines Forum for discussion.
All best wishes...
Obscure2k
TravelBuzz Moderator
All best wishes...
Obscure2k
TravelBuzz Moderator
Dec 11, 2011, 11:56 am
#595
Join Date: May 2007
Programs: AAdvantage, Hilton
Posts: 3,191
Yes, they will cancel your flight home. Your option is to change and have your ticket re-priced. If that proves too expensive, consider flying your LAX-LAS flight as scheduled and book a spereate LAS-LAX-LAS (can be done cheaply) to get yourself back to LA and then back to LAS for your onward flight home.
Last edited by sukn; Dec 11, 2011 at 12:27 pm
Dec 11, 2011, 12:13 pm
#596
Join Date: Jun 2011
Programs: AA, UA/CO, DL
Posts: 38
Yes, your return flights will be canceled.
Dec 11, 2011, 12:16 pm
#597
Join Date: Dec 2011
Posts: 3
thanks for the quick answer, sorry for posting in the wrong forum at first!
I'll try and call them tomorrow, i the cange costs me more than 100$, I consider just flying to vegas and return afterwards...
again, thanks!
I'll try and call them tomorrow, i the cange costs me more than 100$, I consider just flying to vegas and return afterwards...
again, thanks!
Dec 11, 2011, 12:24 pm
#598
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 5,630
You will have a $150 penalty (if you purchased a domestic penalty ticket) and any fare differance will be applied + or -.
Dec 11, 2011, 12:41 pm
#599
Join Date: Dec 2011
Posts: 3
just out of interest: what happens to people, who miss the last flight by accident?
Dec 11, 2011, 12:50 pm
#600
Join Date: May 2007
Programs: AAdvantage, Hilton
Posts: 3,191
AA has a "flat tire" rule, it isn't published, but once you arrive at the airport they will do their best to accommodate you. The rule applies to any segment that you find yourself late for.