Singapore

I have booked an SFO-IAH-TPA flight on a Saturday morning flight (1AM) arriving TPA 11AM on one airline, and bought a return on another airline TPA-DTW-SFO that evening. The back-side of both of these flights is a couple weeks later. I'll get two RT's for $400, and about 23,000 FF miles. Is this illegal? Since I'm on different airlines, I don't consider it illegal, but would like your thoughts. I'm just finding Tue/Wed/Sat sale fares and I cannot get off work other than Sat/Sun. Any other ideas on how I can get more CO/NW miles out of Cali? How about back-to-back on just CO or just NW. Is that much worse? I generate paper tickets... does that help?

Finally, how can I book an LAX-ORD in the craziest way possible on CO? I'd like to go to EWR, or to Florida first, to accrue more miles. Have any ideas? I can't really read the routing rules at the bottom of the fare rules screen... can you help me drill down what it means?

Thanks from a newbie!!

Singapore

Here is an example from LAX-ORD on CO. What does this mean? How can I book a wacky itinerary besides LAX-IAH-ORD or LAX-CLE-ORD? Please educate me!!! Thanks all.

ROUTING 6 FROM LAX-CO-SAT/SNA-CO-
OR FROM LAX-CO-LAS/PHX/SLC-CO-
VIA DTT/HOU/MSP-CO-
OR VIA HOU-CO-ATL/BNA/CMH/DFW/IND/
MKC/MSY/SDF/STL/FLL/MEM/ORL/RIC/TPA/
DAY-CO-
TO CLE-CO-DTT-CO-CHI*

dogcanyon

Since it's on two different airlines, you're fine.

anthonyanthony

Singapore,

Are you crediting the mileage from both back-to-back tickets to the same OnePass FF account? If so, there's some risk as there will be a record of your back-to-back flights on your FF statement.

If you are not crediting to the same account, I would say that there is no risk as long as you don't say anything.

As for crazy routings, you might want to try LAX-IAH-FLL-CLE-ORD or LAX-IAH-FLL-MEM-DTW-ORD. I haven't actually looked at the flights so I don't know if such routing would work, but it would be permissible. Going through EWR looks like it's NOT permissible, but you never know until you actually try. Maybe the fare will only go up just a bit and will still be worthwhile.

Atuchan

I have a similar question. As ex-Sin fare for intra-asia is expensive, I was contemplating about during the following route:

SIN-BKK on TG day1
BKK-SIN on SG -"-
SIN-MAA on SG -"-
MAA-SIN on SG day X
SIN-BKK on SG -"-
BKK-SIN on TG -"-

In order to catch cheaper (nested trip) fare from BKK to MAA, I need to go to BKK first from SIN. If I am making a connections at SIN from BKK to MAA on the same day, do I get penalized for Back to Back if I count all my Mileage into UA MP? I need to change airplane at SIN and flight # are different between BKK-SIN and SIN-MAA.

Thank you for your isights.

Your

EPS

I'm not condoning this ...

If you're truly paranoid, pay for the tickets with two different credit cards from unrelated issuers. Make sure you've instructed both in writing not to share marketing information with unaffiliated companies.

As for the routings, the -CO-s mean all travel must be on Continental. XXX/YYY means you can connect in XXX or YYY, but not both. You may skip any cities, i.e. CLE-DTT-CHI also means CLE-CHI, DTT-CHI, and just plain CHI. DTT-CLE-DTT means you can traverse both Cleveland and Detroit, in either order. The "OR" means (in this case), if you choose to connect through MSP, you forfeit the opportunity to connect through ATL/BNA/CMH/et al. and vice versa.

I think flying from Los Angeles to Chicago via Ft. Lauderdale, Orlando, or Tampa would qualify as sufficiently wacky.

tvl4free

Well, you could pull a classic dhammer53 and fly from the US (LAX) to Asia and then Asia back to the US (ORD).


No problem. That's what 'Mileage Runs...A Primer!'... is for:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum...ML/000027.html


This question is like the little bunny, it just comes up over, and over, and over. You might want to run a search in the MR Forum or under United Airlines to gain some added insight here.

But to answer your question, the scenario which you presented is not back to back since the BKK-MAA trip uses a thru fare from BKK to MAA and SIN is not considered as a destination point in the fares construction. Infact, SIN is really irrelevant to the equation presented here, a suttle point which has a tendency to confuse many FTers... over, and over, and over.




[This message has been edited by tvl4free (edited 08-03-2001).]

Atuchan

Thank you trvl4free!

Thank you for clarifying the point. I read it in some other thread that transfer is not considered as back to back. However, I was bit confused about the case when the flight # changed.

You guys are amazing.

[This message has been edited by Atuchan (edited 08-03-2001).]

PremEx2000

As far as the back-to-back question, I don't think you are violating any rules. The airlines will act out against back-to-back ticketers when the ticketers only use the first or second half of the ticket. The whole point of the rule is to force a person to fly to one place and not fly back until after the ensuing Saturday night. Indeed, you are flying from Point A to Point B and returning to Point A after an ensuing Saturday night. If you were only going to fly the first portion of the trip, then you might be violating their rules. But as others have pointed out in the past, the Saturday night rule is itself specious and it is only slightly unethical to purchase back-to-back tickets. And considering that you are doing this on two separate airlines, you have nothing to worry about.

Singapore

Thanks everyone for your insights. I'm on the phone w/ my T/A booking LAX-NRT-ORD, as that IS the craziest LAX-ORD O&D booking I can imagine. Thanks again! : )

tvl4free

dhammer53 might want to chime in, since I think it was he who wrote the book on this one!




[This message has been edited by tvl4free (edited 08-03-2001).]

dhammer53

Singapore,

Just read the posts here and you will always be amazed at the routings. As a new poster, with a wonderful routing as you state above, you are immediately welcomed into this 'ELITE' club.
Just for fun, search my name in late Feb/early March for a fun read on a United trip JFK/LAX/HKG/LAX/JFK. (That may read simple, but it wasn't). Maybe T4F can post the link, as I'm not that savy.

Now T4F is the KING of this business!
We all learn from his expertise.

Dan

JS

A trip is still back-to-back even if you use all ticket coupons. Dropping segments makes it easier to get caught, but if you buy a back-to-back on the same airline and fly all segments, you're still asking for it.

Fly different airlines, obviously. Fly all ticket coupons to avoid wasted miles. In fact, I once bought a HOU-DFW round trip just to avoid having to throw away an AUS-HOU one-way when my plans changed (I also don't like paying a change fee, even if it is cheaper). Yes, I'm crazy!

70Jaguar

Does anyone (including the airlines) consider the following to violate anit-back-to-back rules?
Ticket 1 LAX to IAH
Ticket 2 IAH to SFO
Ticket 2 return SFO to IAH
Ticket 1 return IAH to LAX

In otherwords, the back-to-back or nested ticket is not back to the original beginning point (or equivalent such as BUR SNA or ONT).
Thanks.

tvl4free

Well, no one here, including the airlines, who occassionally lurk, would consider this as back-to-back. Actually, it's a nested itinerary - and is perfectly kosher.



[This message has been edited by tvl4free (edited 08-03-2001).]