What's this called and is it permitted?
 

Is there a name for overlapping itineraries? For example, 'need to fly JFK-LAX Aug 3 and return Aug 8. But I will need a 2nd trip JFK-LAX Aug 20, return LAX-JFK Sep 2.

Award and revenue redemption both very high for Aug 3-8 as one trip but if I make JFK-LAX-JFK Aug 3 through Sep 2 and LAX-JFK-LAX Aug 8-20, I found much more favorable tiers/pricing.

Basically, what I'm proposing is one long span trip JFK-LAX-JFK then stick a short span LAX-JFK-LAX trip in between the original trip. These are not my exact dates but should help illustrate what I'm talking about.

Is there a name for this and is this permitted by Delta? Thanks in advance for your input!

I have done this before BUT not on Delta. It was on CO. There was no issue. I cant see why there would be an issue but I too await replies from posters with more experience than me. FWIW instead of doing MAN-EWR-MCI and return twice , I did MAN-MCI out then 3 months later return MCI -MAN. In between I did an MCI-MAN and return. It saved 25000 miles if I remember correctly. It was back in 2002/3

You may be thinking of the term 'nested ticketing'. Fly all the ticketed segments in order and Delta won't care.

Agree.

Thanks to all! That term will help me better search FT but I really can't find much trouble by doing this. In fact, I'm pretty sure I've done it by accident when called back during a longer trip out west a few years ago?

I guess it might create some "home airport" issues if IROP/IDB but that's hardly a blip on my screen.

Thanks again!

I think a "nested" itinerary refers to flying to a third destination from the first destination. For example, if the first itinerary is LAX-JFK-LAX and the passenger then flies JFK-DTW-JFK during the JFK stopover, that would be nested ticketing and is allowed. What the OP is proposing might be back-to-back ticketing and is prohibited. I don't know how often it is actually done without consequences.

From delta.com:

Prohibited Ticketing Practices
Our fares apply only to the specific itineraries for which they are quoted and the restrictions that apply to our discounted fares are an essential part of our contract with you. These restrictions make it possible for us to offer these discounted fares.
Failure to comply with applicable fare restrictions, circumventing those restrictions, or misrepresenting your intended itinerary are all violations of our Contract of Carriage.
While not an exclusive list, the following ticketing practices are prohibited:
Back-to-back ticketing—combining multiple overlapping round-trip tickets to circumvent Saturday or other overnight stay requirements.
Throw-away ticketing—use of discounted round-trip excursion fares for one-way travel.
Point-beyond ticketing—use of a fare published for travel to a point beyond your actual intended destination or from a point before your actual intended origin.
In such cases where there is a violation of our Contract of Carriage, we reserve the right to:
Cancel the remainder of the itinerary and confiscate any unused flight coupons.
Refuse to board the passenger or check baggage.
Charge the passenger for the difference between the fare paid and the fare for the passenger's traveled itinerary.

CarmenOM brings up an interesting point. Maybe by definition this could be 'Back-to-back ticketing' but it's a lot harder to prove. Aug 3-8 already covers a Saturday so the OP isn't circumventing that requirement. I can't think of any other ticketing requirement for a 5 day trip that would kick-in unless DL is publishing a fare on the JFK/LAX route that has a 7 day minimum stay.

There's no rule that says the OP can't take advantage of say a 7-day minimum stay fare requirement by booking the month long trip and then nesting another JFK/LAX ticket within that. The back-to-back ticketing rule was designed for people to be excluded, but in this case the OP would be doing it to be included.

I think I'm back to 'nested ticketing' and it is valid on DL.

-RM

I assume it would be back to back ticketing if any fare rules were violated, but I don't think this itinerary violates any fare rules.

Somewhat grey area here, who knew???

I guess the stealth thing to do might be observe Sat and/or any overnight stay requirements plus don't book both trips during the same booking session?

Give it a day or so (risk losing cost benefit) between bookings but then it's more reasonable to explain plans changed which now require a "nested" r/t itinerary?

COC are your friend (or not)
 

OP should not worry about what it's called, but should take his proposed itinerary and match it up to the Contract of Carriage (COC). If it's permitted, if it's not permitted, it's not permitted. That simple.

Simple? I'm not a lawyer and I'm not familiar with terms used in the COC but thank you for playing...

since JFK and LAX have other airports near to each of them, couldn't the OP get away with any possible back-to-backing by flying out of EWR or LGA, or flying into LGB, BUR or SNA on one of the itins?

It's called a nested trip. I've heard of FT'ers doing it on US Airways multiple times and its never been a problem - as long as you aren't skipping segments or pulling a hidden city, I don't see why Delta would have an issue with it.

As long as you're doing this because plans changed to require an additional trip and not to circumvent fare rules, I can't imagine this would be a problem. The classic case of nested ticketing that could get you in trouble is this:

You live in XXX and need to be in YYY for the week two weeks in a row, but there are much cheaper XXX-YYY fares that require a Saturday night stay. So instead of booking two XXX-YYY round trips, departing on Monday and returning that Friday, you book XXX-YYY departing the first Monday and returning the second Friday, then a separate YYY-XXX departing the first Friday and returning the second Monday. Therefore, you get the Saturday night stay on both trips instead of neither.

(This could also be nested ticketing in violation of the CoC if YYY-XXX fares are considerably cheaper than XXX-YYY.)

My experience with this is on AA, not DL, but the CoC quoted above reads the same way to my eye.

Thanks for the good help and discussion. I hope I'm not trying to "get away" with breaking rules and/or gaming the system? I genuinely wish to understand what's right, fair and permitted with this scenario?

It just seems silly to waste miles/money in one direction if I'm permitted to "nest" a return r/t going the other direction?

Much thanks!