What constitutes as a segment?
 

What constitutes as a segment?
Is it a one way ticket? or a return trip?

Each leg of a trip. XXX-ATL-YYY YYY-ATL-XXX IS 4 segments. Think of it as every time you board an airplane (though there is a rare exception of continuing flights with the same flight number, usually a domestic to international or V/V).

Thanks. In otherwords, a return flight and not a one way ticket?

Example: if I went from SEA to IAH on a 1 way ticket, is that a segment?
or SEA-IAH-IAH-SEA return ticket, this would be a segment?

SEA-IAH - 1 segment
SEA-IAH, IAH-SEA - 2 segments
SEA--DTW-IAH - 2 segmnts
SEA-DTW-IAH, IAH-DTW-SEA - 4 segments

thanks!

The only caveat, and this is an experience on UA, I am not sure if DL numbers it’s flights like this, is some flights even with a plane change are a single flight number and count as one segment.


in other words XXX-YYY-ZZZ is a single flight number and therefore is a single segment.

UA and I think US both did this. I’m new to DL so not certain it numbers flights like that.

mike

I believe there is a way to have these segments 'divorced' if you end up in such a situation.

DL had (and may still have) a handful of through flights that operated with the same flight number on both segments; most involve(d) a domestic segment at the beginning or end of an international flight

some where I was on the domestic leg were DL151 IAD-ATL (M88; continued to LIM as a 763/764) and DL159 DTW-BOS (319; came in from ICN as a 744)

I also flew DL939 IAD-SLC-SEA, which was a tail swap of 738s (and despite several rounds of negotiations, did NOT get credit for the two segments on a wholly domestic flight :mad:)

It's annoying that airlines do this. But whether it is the same plane, different planes, domestic, or international.... you'll never get two segments or actual MQM for a 1-stop direct flight if it is ticketed as such. You'll get 1 segment and MQM as the P2P distance ignoring the connection.

You do get a bit of a tax break on the direct flights as they do not charge the US Segment tax (currently $4.30) and PFC (usually $4.50) for the extra hop and connecting airport.

There are some domestic routes where the aircraft turns around, usually RJs, with the same flight segment. IIRC DTW-ITH-DTW is one example.

I've gotten proper credit for two segments on the same PNR that have the same flight number HUB-XXX-HUB, but are not continuation flights. I did a couple segment runs back in the day to CHA where I turned right back around to ATL on the same plane and flight number, and was back in NC by 11:30am.

for the vast majority of travelers -- which I presume includes the OP, since the notional example of SEA-IAH isn't a nonstop DL market -- MR-style turnarounds (HUB-XXX-HUB or YYY-HUB-YYY) with the same flight number are irrelevant

oh, I knew going in that the chance of success was zero, but I felt I needed to make the point about an exceedingly disingenuous practice ... if it's the same jet, I'll *maybe* cut the airline some slack, but when they knowingly plan/operate it like a connection it's just petty

Especially when the connection isn't guaranteed and the second flight won't be held for a delay on the first!

OP - Rather than worrying about the esoteric exceptions, what is it that you are trying to figure out? Knowing that might yield a definitive answer without exceptions which may be entirely irrelevant to your needs.