javabytes

It's the 9/11 fees and the airport PFCs. 9/11 fees are $2.50 per enplanement, not to exceed $5 OW or $10 RT. While you really shouldn't get a break here, when you book what amounts to two round trips on a single PNR, sometimes it chokes and you do get charged less. Also, a maximum of 4 PFCs can be imposed on a single itinerary, so the more connections you have the bigger break you get here.

KPWM_Spotter

Yes, that should be possible. Nested tickets only become a problem when you're using them to circumvent weekend stay requirements or otherwise use them to break the fare rules.

It sounds like you're flying to a separate destination on the nested ticket, so that shouldn't be a problem at all. For example, ATL-LGA // LGA-PWM-LGA // LGA-ATL would be perfectly acceptable where the ATL-LGA-ATL is on one ticket, and the LGA-PWM-LGA is on another.

You only run into problems if you start booking something like ATL-LGA // LGA-ATL-LGA // LGA-ATL. In that case, the "outer" round trip may give you a lower fare, even though you're actually making two shorter trips to LaGuardia.

Hope this helps.

misterbean

That's correct and is noted in DL's CoC (as "back-to-back ticketing"). Otherwise doesn't seem to be a problem with nesting.

rwoman

Never had an issue with nested tickets.

In February, did LHR DTW ORD DTW ORD LHR with ORD CDG IST CDG ORD nested in the middle.

misterbean

Wow, that's one big nest!

davetravels

After all, how many times can one use the Facilities on a trip?

Bicostal

If the BF ticket is AAA - BBB - AAA and you build a BBB - AAA - BBB inside it is not nested but back to back and would potentially violate the CoC.

If the build inside is BBB - CCC - BBB then it is a nested trip and should be fine.

If the BF is a single ticket as AAA - BBB - AAA - BBB - AAA that's not back to back.

kpa

Sorry, but another potentially dumb scenario / question...

Just spoke to my travel agent, and she has me a bit freaked that I have done something illegal / violated Delta policy by the following booking that I made online. Here is the travel:

7/8 - ATL to IND
7/12 - IND to DTW
7/14 - DTW to IND
7/21 - ORD to ATL

I booked the outside trips as a multi-destination round trip (i.e. ATL to IND, ORD to ATL were completed under the same booking). I then booked a round trip ticket from IND to DTW, returning from DTW to IND over the weekend.

I have no clue if this resulted in a lower fare than booking ATL to IND, IND to DTW on one reservation and DTW to IND, ORD to ATL on another reservation.

Am I at risk for canceled tickets / loss of SM?

timmy83

Technically this is an illegal trip due to the nested nature, but it doesn't really matter. There's a large enough cushion in your itin that if anything goes wrong in the first leg or the third leg that it won't create problems. I'm very doubtful anyone at DL will bat an eye.

jb008

@KPA If you booked them as multi-city you also might be within the fare rules for your nested trip. In my limited experience, the multi-city often price into the higher cost less-restrictive one way tickets. Did your original (outer) trip book into U fare or higher (e.g., L or K for example?)


If OP's hypothetical itinerary looks like the following:

12/23 AAA-BBB (Ticket 1)
12/26 BBB-CCC (Ticket 2)
12/28 CCC-BBB (Ticket 2)
1/2 BBB-AAA (Ticket 1)

Is that what's referred to as a "Side trip" in the Fare rules, or would the 4 destinations need to be booked on a single ticket to count as a "side trip"?

kpa

First Booking:
ATL to IND: X
ORD to ATL: T

Second Booking:
IND to DTW: L
DTW to IND: L

So I believe this makes the answer "no".

I also don't imagine that there is any way for me to "legitimize" my itineraries over these two weeks without incurring a fare change penalty? I booked the outer trips last week. I booked the IND-DTW round trip today. Happy to change in order to put me into the good graces of DL policy, but I'm not willing to pay the $200 change penalty. I don't suppose there is any other "amnesty" option here?

jb008

It looks like fares for the "first" one allow side trips... now we need to figure out the definition (which I couldn't find in the CoC) - I tweeted DL Assist for a definition and will update.

exwannabe

Both the OP and kpa's tickets are clearly legit.

DL CoC could invalidate a back to back ticket that is made for the purpose of evading a minimum stay requirement.

"Back to Back Ticking: The issuance, purchase or usage of flight coupons from two or more tickets issued at round trip fares, or the combination of two or more round trip excursion fares end to end on the same ticket for the purpose of circumventing minimum stay requirements"

In practice, you are even less at risk.

If this rule is ever enforced (has anybody heard of such in the last decades), it would be on a commuter interleaving the weekly trips.

There is zero chance of an issue

jb008

Though no clear answer on what a permitted "side trip" is, even after a call in to DL.

The call rep I spoke with said the AAA-BBB (ticket1), BBB-CCC (ticket 2), CCC-BBB (T2), BBB-AAA (T1) was allowed - but not like they were quoting rules and regs when they said it was A-OK...

exwannabe

Side trips in a fare rule are wrt adding a trip onto the same ticket, not separate tickets as in this discussion.

AFAIK, a side trip is like an end-on-end, but from a stopover.

Example:

Fare rule 1 goes A->B(stop)->C C->B(connection)->A

Fare rule 2 goes B->D->B

These can be combined by flying A->B->D->B->C C->B->A

They can not be combined on the return because your return ticket does not promise to get you to B.