illegal ticketing?`
 

What is the term used for the following situation:

have a round trip ticket between SFO-ATL Jun 1-Jun 20
Around Jun 5th get a new ticket ATL-SFO Jun 5-Jun 10. Complete the travel and on Jun 20th, use the original ticket to fly back to SFO.

what is this called? !!

I believe it's called back to back ticketing and DL (and most other carriers) frown on it. You risk losing your miles and status if they catch you and are having a bad day.

The way around is to buy the inside tic on a non-Skyteam airline.

That is called back-to-back ticketing and while not illegal in the sense that you could be arrested, it is against airline rules. Penalties could range up to being stripped of your SkyMiles account and having to pay the full Y fare. Of course, only if you are caught, but many airlines have ramped up their enforcement.

There are a few situations where they will permit BTB ticketing on a special waiver basis but I doubt you fall into one of those categories.

Just when I think I'm getting to be an expert.....

OK - so why is this "illegal"? thanks

I agree....why is this "frowned upon"?

If the pax pays full Y fare (which no one ever does) for both tickets...then Delta is making their money....what's the big deal?

What if you fly ATL-OAK instead of SFO? Is that still considered illegal?

well are you booking it this way to get a better fare? i think thats why they consider it "illegal". most times people do it because it gets 2 better fares than you would if you booked them in chrono order.

It's only against the CoC (contract of carriage) if the second ticket is used to circumvent the minimum stay requirements of the first ticket.

If neither ticket has minimum stay requirements, then there's no problem. There's also no problem if one uses two different carriers (and credits to different programs ;) ) to circumvent minimum stay requirements.

However, obvious efforts to circumvent minimum stay requirements will eventually be noticed if one makes a habit of doing do. Penalties assessed by the airline could be a debit memo for the difference between a fare with and without minimum stay requirements and/or action taken against the FF account of the traveler.

Doing as you suggest would be just fine.

AAA-BBB-AAA + BBB-CCC-BBB is "end-on-end" ticketing, rather than back-to-back.

Thanks Spiff

So is end-on-end ticketing OK? I have done it three times in the past six months on MRs, with DL agents able to see that I had two interconnecting itineraries. Nothing was ever said. My itineraries were created to minimize price and maximize segments, NOT to circumvent minimum stay requirements (there were no minimum stay requirements).

I once did a back-to-back because my employer sent me on a two week trip (paying for the ticket), and I bought my self a round trip ticket in the opposite direction so that I could go home for a three day weekend in the middle. Again, no minimum stay circumvention.

Was I just lucky, or are these situations OK?

All end-on-end ticketing is just fine.

For your last example, as long as there were no minimum stay requirements on the first ticket, you're ok.

Usually, in a true back-to-back example, one buys:

AAA-BBB-AAA and BBB-AAA-BBB

Assuming non-stop flights, the coupon use order is:

Ticket 1, Coupon 1
Ticket 2, Coupon 1 [this use may violate the minimum stay requirements of Ticket #1]
Ticket 2, Coupon 2
Ticket 1, Coupon 2

Well there was a minimum stay requirement (Saturday night), but my use of the second ticket did not violate it since my first flight was on Saturday. I had already met the minimum stay requirement when I used the first coupon from ticket 2.


Thanks for the information!

I use to do this all the time on flights to DCA. DL called once and asked me about it. I told them I used both round trips, but if it was against their rules, I'd start buying one of the tickets on USeless AIR. I was quickly told "nevermind". Of course this was in the 90's and now I don't have to do as much BTB ticketing.

Crap...

So assuming I'm not bypassing any min. stay rules, this kind of ticketing won't get me in trouble?

I'm flying
PDX-MSP-AMS-MAD on NW Aug 25
MAD-AMS-PDX on NW Dec 17

and while I'm studying in Madrid
MAD-AMS-SEA-PDX on NW Oct 2 (saturday night stay)
PDX-AMS-MAD on NW Oct 5

I'm studying abroad and have to come home for my sister's wedding.

I really don't want to get in trouble, nor lose the miles that will help me get Gold this year.

I would've flown DL, but the flight times didn't work for the wedding and only B fare tickets were available for the long stay round trip.