I have a trip coming up and booked the following:

Outbound - Same Day
SLC-LAX (roundtrip ticket 1)
LAX-LHR (roundtrip ticket 2)

Return - Same Day
LHR-LAX (roundtrip ticket 2)
LAX-SLC (roundtrip ticket 1)

Is this allowed/a 'legal' booking?

In addition - if this is ok to do, would AA allow me to join the tickets? Or, will they allow me to check bags straight through from SLC to LHR on the outbound? Or, would I need t collect my bag in LAX and re-check it to LHR?

Any insight would be very much appreciated!

I can tell you AA won't "join" the tickets if each ticket has a different PNR.

People end up with these sorts of itineraries all the time, and not just for nefarious reasons (i.e. avoiding higher fares). (For example, I might have an SDF-DCA roundtrip booked, but then I might book a DCA-BOS roundtrip within that if something comes up to attend in BOS.) So an occasional nested ticket shouldn't cause you any trouble. But there is 0% chance of "joining" the tickets and nearly 0% chance of getting your bag checked through (AA has cracked down).

What do the detailed fare rules state? If you�re cupircunventing required stays, or other requirements, it�s in violation. It doesn�t appear yours are, but...

In any case, AA will not and can not merge your tickets into a new or single PNR. You�ll have to retrieve abpnd recheck hold baggage at LAX. No big deal on the return, as you have to recover your hold baggage for customs and recheck at the facility just outside of customs, but I hope youmlrft yourself plenty of time to do this on the outbound. And this is what AA intended for those of us who Nest to avoid higher pricing.

I have done this before on two separate tickets, same airline, came out cheaper, no problems whatsoever.

Nested tickets are not illegal or against the rules or anything like that, and there's certainly nothing wrong with buying a cheaper ticket from a different city and then a separate positioning flight to get there. I'd say at least 50% of my international travel is done this way.

Now using nested tickets to circumvent fare rules, especially minimum stays or Sat nights, is probably still frowned upon, but in this day and age I'm convinced AA would rather just take your money for both tickets than try to hassle anyone over it.

Back-to-back or "nested" ticketing questions, discussion (consolidated)

The language of the COC does not prohibit "nesting" as it does "end-to-end" or "back-to-back". The contract does prohibit "exploitive" ticketing. Many people use nested ticketing for a wide variety of reasons, including to save money. Just like most carriers, AA does not combine separate tickets booked into separate PNR's. AA also does not check bags across tickets. Thus, in the example above, OP will need to claim his bags at LAX and take them to check-in for the onward service to LHR. On the return, the difference is largely meaningless. His bags will be tagged to LAX and he will need to claim them at CBP in any event and then wait at baggage recheck. On a single ticket, his bags would be tagged to SLC and he would merely need to drop them off without waiting. Possibly a 2-3 minute difference.

In the specific case of AA, the general risk of separate tickets is also not present as AA protects across missed transfers. In that regard it is quite unique. Given the number of reroutes likely available (some of which may require connecting elsewhere), the ordinary risk of separate tickets is not a significant issue.

Bookings made to exploit or circumvent fare and ticket rules are strictly prohibited. For example, you can't buy a roundtrip ticket and only use the return flight; you can’t combine two or more roundtrip excursion fares end-to-end for the purpose of circumventing minimum stay requirements (back-to-back ticketing); and it's illegal to book a ticket in someone's name without the person's consent.
If we find evidence that you or your agent are using an exploitive practice, we reserve the right to:

• Cancel any unused part of the ticket
• Refuse to let the passenger fly and check bags
• Not refund an otherwise refundable ticket
• Charge you for what the ticket would have cost if you hadn't booked it fraudulently.

Thanks for all the replies, here guys! This clears things up big time.

I have done similar things in the past, but never have booked tickets like this on the same day.

I have plenty of time on the outbound to claim and recheck my bag, so should be all good, here.

Again, many thanks for all of the thorough information. Cheers!

It shouldn�t be a problem as long as you book with sufficient buffer time to make the flight. AA will book you on the next flight with available seats, but on some flights during high demand times that can mean a wait. Hi