Non-Hub Connections?
 

I was just searching for flights from LAX-CVG when I noticed that connections via SFO and DFW were offered. I've looked at other cities as well, and have seen even stranger connection options. MIA-CVG (Oct. 21) offers routings through XNA, TPA, MCO, MCI, BWI, DCA, and BNA.

I've noticed that AA often offers connections through outstations, but I've pretty much never seen it before with Delta. Has anyone else noticed the same thing?

It could potentially be an IT glitch, but I'd hate to be an infrequent traveler who books a ticket w/checked bags through an airport that doesn't normally handle connections. That's a recipe for lost or stolen baggage.

Happens pretty often - especially for travel between hubs where the non-stop flight is more expensive than a broken fare connecting in a spoke city. For example, DTW-ORD-MSP.

I've seen some offered before, but never this many, and from so many different departure points. Most of the outstation connections aren't even the cheapest option available. MIA-ATL-XNA-CVG is almost $700 more than MIA-LGA-CVG, for example.

Here's a few others:

PDX-SLC-MSN-DCA
SEA-BOI-SLC-DCA
HNL-ATL-PHL-CVG

Some of these are broken fares (like the XNA, BNA, and MCI connections between MIA and CVG). DL has shown a limited number of broken fare options for some time now (ITA Matrix is probably the best at finding such options). Other ones (BWI,DCA,MCO,TPA,FLL) are actually legal routings. Here's the routing rules for MIA-CVG which is rather complex --

ROUTING 315 FROM-TO MIA-MSP/DTT/MEM/ATL/NYC/WAS-CVG* FROM-TO MIA-ORL/FLL/TPA-ATL/MEM/DTT-CVG* FROM-TO MIA-ATL-DTT/MEM/WAS-CVG* FROM-TO MIA-MEM-DTT/ATL-CVG* FROM-TO MIA-DTT-CVG* FROM-TO MIA-NYC-DTT-CVG* FROM-TO MIA-CVG* FROM-TO MIA-ATL/DTT/MEM-CVG* FROM-TO MIA-NYC/WAS-CVG* FROM-TO MIA-ORL/FLL/TPA-CVG* FROM-TO MIA-ATL-CVG* FROM-TO MIA-NYC-DTT-CVG* FROM-TO MIA-CVG* FROM-TO MIA-ATL/DTT/MEM-CVG* FROM-TO MIA-NYC/WAS-CVG* FROM-TO MIA-ORL/FLL/TPA-CVG* FROM-TO MIA-ATL-CVG* FROM-TO MIA-MEM-CVG* >+

Here's the routings allowed from LAX to CVG --
ROUTING 158 FROM-TO LAX-SEA/RDU/SLC/MSP/MEM/DTT/ATL-CVG* FROM-TO LAX-CVG* >+

SFO and DFW would be broken fares.

If you look at the fare classes on the broken fare options, you will often see that they are different for each flight.

That's because XNA isn't in the routing for MIA-CVG, which means you're buying two tickets, one MIA-XNA and another XNA-CVG. That would be great if you wanted a stopover in XNA, but you have to pay for it. The website doesn't look at the routings, only the schedules, and then sorts the results in order of price.

I recently managed to book a MDW->ATL->BNA->LGA routing (had some free time so figured i'd triple the MQM) which booked through my corporate travel site.

I looked at the final ticket and it def booked as a fare MDW->BNA and another BNA->LGA. That said everyone at Delta treated it as one ticket and my bag made the 38 minute connection at BNA.

Check the delta app to confirm your bags made the plane and depending on the length of your layover (and if you have pre-check) you can always go out to baggage claim and confirm.

I recently saw some flights between MSP and SEA that connect in BIL.

It's not so strange to connect in focus cities like BOS, RDU, and IND with lots of service (and lounges) that aren't hubs, but I wouldn't want to get stuck in a tiny airport.

In IROPs out of SIN I was once offered NRT-DTW-LAN-MSP, but it was changed to NRT-SFO-MSP because a snowstorm was threatening to cause more problems. That would have been a connection in Lansing, MI, because there weren't any seats on DTW-MSP for more than 24 hours. I wasn't real happy about the shorter TPAC segment.

I'm certainly not complaining about all the new connection options that I've been seeing; certainly a lot of interesting opportunities to pick up some extra MQMs and MQSs.

I've seen transcon offerings via CMH before. All depends on the timing of the CMH-LAX (or vice versa) flight.

Broken fares will inhibit some same-day-change and standby opportunities to fare components as ticketed. IROPs recovery can show more flexibility.

This was the case with NWA as far back in 1993 that I know of. MSP-DTW was over $1000 and connecting via ORD was ~$300. I was working at a startup so we connected via ORD.

Wow. For me the nonstops are always much cheaper. Moreover, when delta.dumb offers me a broken connection, I can often save money on those flights by forcing the entire direction into the same higher fare class.

I recently wanted to go from SLC to MSP. What I found was if you try to connect between 2 hubs with another location ( like dtw - ord - msp), you can get great fairs. For me it was SLC-DEN-MSP Saved almost $400 one way.

Much of the savings depends on the duration of your stays and whether or not it includes a Saturday night. The biggest difference is for short duration (3 nights or less) mid-week fares. The cheapest MSP-DTW non-stop roundtrip in this case is an $846.20 H fare, even with advance purchase. However, if you force a connection through MDW each way, you can find mid-week V fare itin's for $346.40 roundtrip (4 one-way fares combined together).