Aug 22, 2020, 1:08 pm
Last edit by: JDiver
American Airlines prohibits the practice known as “hidden city ticketing” (sometimes referred to as “skiplagging”, “throwaway ticketing” or “point beyond ticketing” as well).
When you purchase an American Airlines ticket you are agreeing to abide by their rules, terms and conditions. Some refer to this as a “contract of adhesion”. Your purchase is considered agreement to comply.Applicable American Airlines Conditions of Carriage (in part) — link
Prohibited booking practices
Reservations made to exploit or circumvent fare and ticket rules are prohibited.
Examples include (but are not limited to):
Applicable AAdvantage Terms and Conditions, in part — link
Fraud, misrepresentation, abuse or violation of applicable rules (including, but not limited to, American or American Eagle® conditions of carriage, tariffs and AAdvantage® program rules) is subject to administrative and/or legal action by appropriate governmental authorities and American Airlines. Such action may include, without limitation, the forfeiture of all award tickets and any accrued mileage in a member's account, as well as termination of the account and the member's future participation in the AAdvantage® program. If your account is terminated due to inappropriate conduct or while under investigation, you may not open a new AAdvantage® account or participate in the AAdvantage® Program in any capacity without obtaining the express written permission of American Airlines. In addition, American Airlines reserves the right to take appropriate legal action to recover damages, including its attorneys’ fees incurred in prosecuting any lawsuit.
When you purchase an American Airlines ticket you are agreeing to abide by their rules, terms and conditions. Some refer to this as a “contract of adhesion”. Your purchase is considered agreement to comply.Applicable American Airlines Conditions of Carriage (in part) — link
Prohibited booking practices
Reservations made to exploit or circumvent fare and ticket rules are prohibited.
Examples include (but are not limited to):
- Purchasing a ticket without intending to fly all flights to gain lower fares (hidden city ticketing)
- Buying a ticket without intending to travel, including to gain access to our airport lounges or other facilities
- Combining 2 or more roundtrip excursion fares end-to-end to circumvent minimum stay requirements (back-to-back ticketing)
- Booking a ticket in someone's name without the person's consent (which is illegal)
- Holding reservations for reasons like securing upgrades, blocking seats or obtaining lower fares
- Booking duplicate or impossible trips, for example multiple trips for the same passenger around the same time (trips a passenger physically could not complete)
- 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
- Require you refund to us any compensation we provided like bag delivery costs, and reimbursement for clothes or toiletries because of late or lost bags
Applicable AAdvantage Terms and Conditions, in part — link
Fraud, misrepresentation, abuse or violation of applicable rules (including, but not limited to, American or American Eagle® conditions of carriage, tariffs and AAdvantage® program rules) is subject to administrative and/or legal action by appropriate governmental authorities and American Airlines. Such action may include, without limitation, the forfeiture of all award tickets and any accrued mileage in a member's account, as well as termination of the account and the member's future participation in the AAdvantage® program. If your account is terminated due to inappropriate conduct or while under investigation, you may not open a new AAdvantage® account or participate in the AAdvantage® Program in any capacity without obtaining the express written permission of American Airlines. In addition, American Airlines reserves the right to take appropriate legal action to recover damages, including its attorneys’ fees incurred in prosecuting any lawsuit.
Hidden city ticketing is a way to find cheaper nonstop tickets by booking a connecting flight to a final destination beyond yours, but ending your journey at a layover point. You might find that a flight from New York to Nashville with a layover in Atlanta is cheaper than a nonstop ticket from New York to Atlanta, so you book the itinerary with the connection. But, when the plane stops in Atlanta, you end your journey there and are a no-show for the onward flight to Nashville. — scottscheapflights.com
Hidden City Audit - AA Demanding Payment or Account Termination
Aug 22, 2020, 10:18 am
#271
Ambassador, Hong Kong and Macau
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Also, an airline's attempt to "recoup" fares should be of no consequence as the customer will go elsewhere.
Aug 22, 2020, 10:24 am
#272
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Aug 22, 2020, 10:29 am
#273
Join Date: May 2016
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I wish AA tries this with an European Customer, Lufthansa has failed badly in court trying to do this. Time that European Consumer laws put AA back in place!
In a fact, Italy and Austria have laws allowing hidden city ticketing. If you buy MXP-FRA-JFK, you would be allowed to only fly FRA-JFK without any repricing.
The whole reason behind?
You buy a service, from (e.g.) JFK to FRA and FRA to MXP. If you wish to only use a part of this segments, you are free to not use a service you have paid for.
A flight is not a jail.
In a fact, Italy and Austria have laws allowing hidden city ticketing. If you buy MXP-FRA-JFK, you would be allowed to only fly FRA-JFK without any repricing.
The whole reason behind?
You buy a service, from (e.g.) JFK to FRA and FRA to MXP. If you wish to only use a part of this segments, you are free to not use a service you have paid for.
A flight is not a jail.
Aug 22, 2020, 10:34 am
#274
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Aug 22, 2020, 10:39 am
#275
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Aug 22, 2020, 10:43 am
#276
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Aug 22, 2020, 10:57 am
#277
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Indeed not. In fact that was when all the nesting stuff started. Round trip tickets were much cheaper. There used to be Saturday night stay rules to stop Business people doing just that - indeed they may still exist in some parts. I know of two people who were caught doing this. They were stupid as they were accumulating miles and so the audit trail was quite clear, Had they been smart and used two separate airlines, they'd have got away with it.
I know from my own experience that a single from DFW to EWR was £600 on one occasion. I found that if I booked a return ticket to another point via EWR and made the return for months after, the price became £126.00 - sorry to quote £ but that was what appeared on my card statement. Bonkers.
I know from my own experience that a single from DFW to EWR was £600 on one occasion. I found that if I booked a return ticket to another point via EWR and made the return for months after, the price became £126.00 - sorry to quote £ but that was what appeared on my card statement. Bonkers.
Aug 22, 2020, 12:04 pm
#278
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Aug 22, 2020, 12:11 pm
#279
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Aug 22, 2020, 12:18 pm
#280
Suspended
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I wish AA tries this with an European Customer, Lufthansa has failed badly in court trying to do this. Time that European Consumer laws put AA back in place!
In a fact, Italy and Austria have laws allowing hidden city ticketing. If you buy MXP-FRA-JFK, you would be allowed to only fly FRA-JFK without any repricing.
The whole reason behind?
You buy a service, from (e.g.) JFK to FRA and FRA to MXP. If you wish to only use a part of this segments, you are free to not use a service you have paid for.
A flight is not a jail.
In a fact, Italy and Austria have laws allowing hidden city ticketing. If you buy MXP-FRA-JFK, you would be allowed to only fly FRA-JFK without any repricing.
The whole reason behind?
You buy a service, from (e.g.) JFK to FRA and FRA to MXP. If you wish to only use a part of this segments, you are free to not use a service you have paid for.
A flight is not a jail.
Yes. German law does require that carriers offer "out-of-sequence" ticketing. But, those tickets may be priced accordingly. In fact, they are vastly more expensive than ordinary tickets, thus defeating their purpose.
Aug 22, 2020, 12:28 pm
#281
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But yes, I do understand that one is a product and one is a contract for service. Just trying to make an analogy sort of fit
Aug 22, 2020, 12:31 pm
#282
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I don't know. And it doesn't matter.
AA states right up front, in plain language, its "Conditions of Carriage" are a "contract between you, the passenger, and us, American Airlines... These conditions cover all of your rights [i.e., what AA is obligated to do for you/prohibited from doing to you under the contract] and responsibilities [i.e., what you are obligated to do for AA/prohibited from doing to AA] as a passenger on flights operated by American Airlines".
What you're arguing is that the contract is invalid and you shouldn't have to honor it, even if you agreed to it affirmatively when you bought the ticket and entered the contract.
If you believe so passionately it's invalid then violate it and challenge AA in court. I'm confident you will lose; but I'm not a lawyer, so please do give it a go and report back to us in a new thread.
As for me, I will continue to do my level best to understand and abide by contracts I knowingly and willingly enter.
And with that, I am finished with this thread--there is barely enough left of this dead horse to constitute a mouse.
cheers to all and happy travels!
AA states right up front, in plain language, its "Conditions of Carriage" are a "contract between you, the passenger, and us, American Airlines... These conditions cover all of your rights [i.e., what AA is obligated to do for you/prohibited from doing to you under the contract] and responsibilities [i.e., what you are obligated to do for AA/prohibited from doing to AA] as a passenger on flights operated by American Airlines".
What you're arguing is that the contract is invalid and you shouldn't have to honor it, even if you agreed to it affirmatively when you bought the ticket and entered the contract.
If you believe so passionately it's invalid then violate it and challenge AA in court. I'm confident you will lose; but I'm not a lawyer, so please do give it a go and report back to us in a new thread.As for me, I will continue to do my level best to understand and abide by contracts I knowingly and willingly enter.
And with that, I am finished with this thread--there is barely enough left of this dead horse to constitute a mouse.
cheers to all and happy travels!
Aug 22, 2020, 12:34 pm
#283
Join Date: Oct 2003
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Two similar examples to hidden city ticketing from a different industry:
1) card counting
If a player bets $5 on a hand of blackjack (win or lose), then on the next hand bets $25 and wins, security doesn't suddenly bum rush the player and drag him out. The supervisor/surveillance watch for a pattern. When the bet goes from $5 to $25 or $50 (or more) when the count is positive (hands win more frequently) and the $5 bets are made when the count is negative (hands lose more frequently), after a few decks of this, they back off the player. They can't read minds, but they can detect patterns, which is exactly what the OP did -- establish a clear pattern of hidden city ticketing and got caught.
2) comped rooms
I've gotten an invitation for a free room (not even a resort fee on the $0 rate) at another casino-hotel at which I have status. However, I have to provide them with a credit card in order to book it. This is because if I don't cancel and I no-show, they will charge me. Why would they charge me if I don't show up for a free room? Doesn't that save them the cost of room service? It's because booking a room and not showing up ties up inventory. They want to know if I'm not coming so they can rent the room to someone else.
1) card counting
If a player bets $5 on a hand of blackjack (win or lose), then on the next hand bets $25 and wins, security doesn't suddenly bum rush the player and drag him out. The supervisor/surveillance watch for a pattern. When the bet goes from $5 to $25 or $50 (or more) when the count is positive (hands win more frequently) and the $5 bets are made when the count is negative (hands lose more frequently), after a few decks of this, they back off the player. They can't read minds, but they can detect patterns, which is exactly what the OP did -- establish a clear pattern of hidden city ticketing and got caught.
2) comped rooms
I've gotten an invitation for a free room (not even a resort fee on the $0 rate) at another casino-hotel at which I have status. However, I have to provide them with a credit card in order to book it. This is because if I don't cancel and I no-show, they will charge me. Why would they charge me if I don't show up for a free room? Doesn't that save them the cost of room service? It's because booking a room and not showing up ties up inventory. They want to know if I'm not coming so they can rent the room to someone else.
Caesars has tried charging no-show fees, but since you didn’t sign anything, you never show up, and nothing is signed, every one of these chargebacks has always worked for a friend.
Aug 22, 2020, 12:35 pm
#284
Join Date: May 2001
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I always wonder, if you do throwaway ticket in an international itinerary with different airlines e.g. AA + BA or AA + QF or AA + LH and you throwaway the BA/LH/QF part, how would AA for sure know you have not boarded? My experiences from quite a number of flights in the past that I’ve boarded the last segment, but having trouble getting credits and when I tried to do retro claim, over half of the time, the claim was denied citing no record of me board the flight !
Aug 22, 2020, 12:36 pm
#285
Join Date: Sep 2016
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Only $2500 for 52 trips? I would accept that offer in a heartbeat, pay the money, apologize and promise to never engage in the practice again, and be extremely thankful that I had gotten off so lightly.