A technical TRIVIA question...?
 

Let's see how good we are as a group with technical type trivia!

Supposing a FF purchases ONE "thru fare" type ticket from EWR to LAX and return (via AA on the outbound and UA on the return).

The itinerary is as follows:

EWR-AA-ORD-AA-LAX
LAX-UA-ORD-UA-EWR

Direct connections are made in ORD in both directions - and the psgr is upgraded on all flights due to his FF status on both carriers.

Would this trip be considered as:

A. a Round Trip?
B. a Point-to-point ticket?
C. a Circle Trip?
D. a Round Trip ticket which uses two one way
fares type ticket?
E. a "bonanza for the frequent flyer" type RT tkt?

In making a choice, PLEASE STATE WHY you chose this answer.

Correct answer will be posted later, after the "buffs" have had time to play with it.




[This message has been edited by tvl4free (edited 01-10-2001).]

You think that's difficult....

A train starts in Boston heading west at 60 mph; a second train heads east from LA at 85 miles per hour.....


Sorry,
Dan

So what's your answer, Dan?

[This message has been edited by tvl4free (edited 01-07-2001).]

It must be "D"..2 RT tickets with upgrades! I am leaving for India and Nepal Thursday...intinerary on the way to you for your inspection...notice my 23.5 stopover in BKK! The Nepal leg of trip is train from Mumbia to Dehli and flight to KAT!

------------------
MRKEY

Well, it's certainly a round-trip; the use of two carriers doesn't change that.

It's not two one-way fares, since it is stated that there is a thru fare. The combinability rule for the fare, which I think is usually fare rule #26, would have to read "DIFF-DIFF-DIFF" for both fares.

[This message has been edited by RichG (edited 01-07-2001).]

Sometimes called "proud ignoramus" by friends who know me well, my guess\analysis is:

(A) It is a roundtrip ticket since you
mention "return", thus yes. You start at EWR, connect (not stopover since its a "thrufare) thru ORD, then stay at LAX, then return. Two different carriers is irrelevant.
(B) Is it a "point-to-point"? My guess is no because ORD appears to be a "connection"
between EWR and LAX, and not a stopover, since this a "thrufare".
(c) Is it a "circle trip", I'd say no again since ORD is not a stopover.
(D)Is it a RT ticket which uses 2 one way fare type ticket? This one I don't feel comfortable about guessing but I'll guess no since from experience when hearing reservations mumble aloud that they have to match "fare-classes" on all segs when using different carriers for one RT. If this wasn't a "roundtrip", then it could be two one-ways and priced as such.

(e) bonanza for frequent flyers- depends if and how man FF points you got on each carrier. At least you got upgraded.

(f) better hurry and post the answer otherwise I'm liable to change my response every day

[This message has been edited by crankyusi (edited 01-08-2001).]

[This message has been edited by crankyusi (edited 01-10-2001).]

It is a round trip.

Generally speaking, only an endorsable fare (i.e. Full Y) would work, since most dicount fares are limited to the carrier publishing the tariff.

However, it the original carrier is unable to carry the passenger, they are required to get the person to the destination, even if that means another carrier in another class of service.

So, an AA EXP could fly outbound, upgraded by reason of status. Then on the way back, if AA cancels their flights, they would reroute with whoever is available, which might (gasp) be UA.

WOW! I thought alot of guru's would jump on this one. For an additional discussion see:
www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum101/HTML/001485.html

I would say D, a roundtrip ticket using 2 one-way fares.

It would be a roundtrip ticket assuming you purchased the entire itinerary at one time. In that case, the entire ticket would have a single ticket number "plated" on the first carrier, AA. The ticket number would begin with 001 followed by 10 digits and would have 4 flight coupons. Even the two coupons on the return on UA would have the same ticket # - hence a roundtrip ticket.

It would be based on 2 one-way fares, since you are using different carriers in each direction - that is, you are using a 1-way through fare on AA on the outbound and a 1-way through fare on UA on the return.

Just my guess. I'll be waiting to see the correct answer. Interesting question.

A little clarification on the fare purchased is in order here. The psgr purchased a "super saver" fare which allows outbound travel on AA and inbound travel on UA.

(These types of tickets were common before deregulation - and are still found elsewhere in the world, but not so much here anymore,
as airlines are not content with relinquishing half your money to a competitor... they want it all!).

HINT: Ignore the fare...just what type of trip is this?



[This message has been edited by tvl4free (edited 01-10-2001).]

Well, it does not seem to be a circle trip.

What is the definition of a 'point-to-point' ticket?

Perhaps a roundtrip ticket.....but I suspect it might be ' a bonanza for the FF' somehow. But how, hmmmmm. Can you somehow get mileage for both directions on both airlines?

It appears to the beginner (me) that one would earn segments and miles actually flown for each airline, since they are not marketing partners (UA and AA).

Let us know!

Well, you're leaving one place, going somewhere else, and coming back to where you started. That looks like a round trip to me.

From the passenger's (layman's) point of view, it could be "A, a round trip ticket", since the pax doesn't care about the airline's ticketing nomenclature and just wants to get from point A to B round trip regardless of airline.

From a ticketing or travel agent's point of view, it could be "D, a round trip ticket that uses two one way fares". If the agent booked it that way.

In the other thread you linked to in your message, you explain that it's definately not a circle trip ticket due to the fact that the outbound and inbound routes do indeed mirror each other.

I'm not familiar with what a point to point ticket is -- sounds like a generic term for any ticket since every ticket is point to point, no?

But, knowing you, tvl4free, being the expert that you are on finding ways to twist the ticketing rules to the frequent flyer's advantage, I'll bet on "E. a "bonanza for the frequent flyer" type RT tkt" http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

If it is, please tell us more!

Southwest airlines 'hopscotches' across the country. If you were to board their aircraft
having purchased individual tickets for each of these separate flights, you would have purchased 'point-to-point' tickets.

Using our example, buying a ticket from Newark to Chicago, then another from Chicago to LA, and then two more back to ORD and EWR, you would have purchased 'point-to-point' tickets.

'Point-to-point' ticketing can SOMETIMES save you money BIGTIME! Suppose you need to go from EWR to LAX and the cheapest 'walk up' fare is $1,400. So you call AA and they book you from EWR thru ORD to LAX. Fourteen hundred bucks! However, had you known that there is a cheap fare of say $ 250.00 from EWR to ORD and another fare of say $ 350.00 from ORD to LAX - you could have purchased the two 'point-to-point' tickets - and taken the EXACT same flights from EWR to ORD and on to LAX - and saved yourself $ 800!!!

Since we know that our psgr purchased a 'THRU FARE'(which is any fare that allows one to connect THRU some intermediate point) - we know that it was not a 'point-to-point' tkt - and this answer is, therefore, eliminated.

The travel agent who booked this reservation entered his AA and UA FF nos. into the record - which the psgr verified at check-in, both in EWR and LAX - and each separate account was credited with the trip's mileage.

But forget the fare!!! We only want to know what type of TRIP this psgr took... and the type of trip has nothing to do with the FARE that he purchased...and is determined strictly by the itinerary! Was it a one way, round trip, circle trip, and maybe we should consider an open jaw, too?




[This message has been edited by tvl4free (edited 01-11-2001).]

It is a roundtrip on two differnct carriers and not a smart one if you want to accumulate more miles. Stick with one carrier!

Al