dgparent

I may have to go to Italy next Saturday and the customer is cheap. I can book 1 ticket HTS-CLT-JFK-MXP and back in economy for $2700 or I can book JFK-MXP return for $1120 and HTS-JFK and back for $371 for a total of around $1500. Does AA allow this type of booking and will you be protected if say the CLT-JFK leg is cancelled or delayed ?

I should note all flights are AA metal and I am PLT

Thanks !

JJeffrey

Yes, AA allows booking separate tickets like this and they will protect you if your first flight is delayed. There is no rule against positioning to another city to take advantage of a cheaper fare, or anything like that. I'd say that I do something similar on at least 60% of my overseas tickets.

The only issue is if you have checked bags, AA will not check bags through across separate tickets like this. So if you're carry-on only you're good to go, otherwise book a decent buffer of a few hrs at JFK to collect your bags and check in again.

dgparent

Thanks !!

C17PSGR

It's pretty clear they know this is happening. For example, I checked into the Flagship Lounge the other day and they asked for my boarding pass for my next flight. I said it was on a different ticket and he said, no worries, happens all the time.

I wish there was a tool that helped find these separate ticket fares. Google flights has an option but it doesn't return them

Often1

1. There is nothing wrong with booking separate tickets.
2. The sole question is whether one is protected for a no show onto the second or third ticket.
3. AA, alone among major carriers, protects across tickets. If it even remotely cared about the practice, all it needs to do is cease the practice of protecting across tickets. That shifts the risk of a no show to the passenger. There is certainly no competetive pressure on AA to do this as other carriers do not.

The one thing AA will not do is to check bags across separate tickets. Thus, if you have checked luggage, you must allow the time to pick up your bags and take them to an AA counter for check-in.

jordyn

Sort of technically correct. While it's true that AA is the only carrier to have an explicit policy about protecting across tickets, in practice DL seems to protect customers in this situation as well. In addition, DL does allow you to check bags across multiple tickets, so in that respect they facilitate this scenario more directly than AA. I have no idea what UA does in either situation.

MathMusic

I usually have good luck with ita matrix personally. Takes a little bit to get used to, but is really useful and certainly show fares where connecting separate one way tickets is the cheapest.

freeagent

JDiver

That might depend on whether the price difference is from circumnavigating minimum stay requirements - but this really looks like separate ticketing to me. A number of airlines don’t like this and will drop you down a deep hole if you miss your next flight, though AA still protects you. On the other hand AA would rather make more money by selling you through ticketing, and the way they let you know they’re not in favor of this is by refusing to through check your checked baggage. This can be inconvenient at least, and risky if you have international, short or interterminal plans. (The OP will have to recover and recheck checked bags at JFK - a given on the return because of the international arrival, a PITA on departure and deserving of a longer time between flights.

Dave Noble

A nested journey is where the enclsed journey returns to the origin - allowing the person to circumvent rules

A-B-A with a B-A can be in breach

dgparent

I plan on just using carry on so hopefully I am ok

Exec_Plat

Yup.

IMO the OP is proposing an 'end-on-end' combination, which is (likely) explicitly permitted if you look at the booking code fare rules.

(and, FWIW- (as jdiver knows) you can nest and combine fares as long as it is NOT 'for the purposes to avoid sat night stay, length of stay or other requirements'.)

xliioper

"end-on-end" combinations have to do with combining multiple fares on a single ticket. OP is purchasing fares as separate tickets, so it is not an "end-on-end" combination. Purchasing on separate tickets is outside the scope of the combination rules in the fare rules and is covered by general ticketing rules. The combination rules for the fares OP is purchasing (which cover both end-on-end and side trip combinations) almost certainly prohibit combining them on a single ticket. But just because they cannot be combined on a single ticket does not mean it's a violation of ticketing rules to purchase the fares on separate tickets. The ticketing rule restrictions have to do with purchasing separate tickets to get around minimum stay requirements. Not simply just to get lower fares. OP is not trying to get around minimum stay requirements, so the nesting of separate tickets in this instance is perfectly okay.

rbAA

Actually, I've had very good luck checking bags thru on separate tickets. It can be done, just takes a little more knowledge and effort on the check-in agent's part, so many don't want to bother.

Dave Noble

They are also very specifically not supposed to check the bags through, irregardless of knowledge on how to do it