Question about failing to complete all legs of a flight
May 26, 2011, 10:07 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 1
Question about failing to complete all legs of a flight
My mother and I are traveling to Sweden this summer. She lives near Minneapolis and I live in Chicago. I purchased a round trip ticket for her to fly to Chicago so that we could fly together to Sweden. On our return flight from Sweden, we leave from Amsterdam and stop in Minneapolis before taking the last leg into Chicago. Is there any reason that she could not skip the last leg to Chicago and simply go home after clearing customs in Minneapolis?
May 26, 2011, 10:24 am
#2
Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 7,605
No reason at all - just get off the plane, collect luggage and don't get on the next plane. You have to get off& collect luggage anyhow due to US immigration rules.
Airlines will cancel subsequent legs if you are a no-show - but as they'll be missing only the last leg it's not a problem
Airlines will cancel subsequent legs if you are a no-show - but as they'll be missing only the last leg it's not a problem
May 26, 2011, 10:59 am
#3
Join Date: Apr 2011
Posts: 11
When you land at MSP you will go through customs, then arrive at the baggage carousel.
You then take your bag past one more customs desk.
After that, you are directed to a room to
1: recheck your bag to a connecting flight by dropping it on the conveyor belt
2: go through another security checkpoint to get into the main terminal
3: do neither and exit to your right with your bags
You then take your bag past one more customs desk.
After that, you are directed to a room to
1: recheck your bag to a connecting flight by dropping it on the conveyor belt
2: go through another security checkpoint to get into the main terminal
3: do neither and exit to your right with your bags
May 26, 2011, 11:02 am
#4
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Washington, DC
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I wouldn't make it a habit. If you do it every now and then, chances are you'll be just fine, but if you do it even a few times a year, enough to form a pattern, you may have some airline's Revenue Protection Unit coming after you. Technically this is "hidden city ticketing" or booking a ticket from A to B, which is a cheaper market, but consuming the more expensive market product of A to C. To normal people, you'd be actually doing the airline a favor by not consuming fuel or services on that last segment, but revenue management folks (while probably very nice people outside of work) are not "normal".
Check out the various airline forums for threads related to revenue protection or revenue management, particularly the AA forum which has some pretty eye-opening examples of revenue protection in action.
So I guess my advice would be, fine for a one-of, but I'd not do it more than once on the same carrier within a few months (or even a year), especially not on the same routing.
Check out the various airline forums for threads related to revenue protection or revenue management, particularly the AA forum which has some pretty eye-opening examples of revenue protection in action.
So I guess my advice would be, fine for a one-of, but I'd not do it more than once on the same carrier within a few months (or even a year), especially not on the same routing.
May 26, 2011, 10:06 pm
#6
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Location: Calgary, Alberta
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Welcome to FT!
From what other FTers are saying that I gather.. you could miss the last leg.. but don't make it habit..
Best not to have checked baggage.. good to have only carry-ons if you plan to do this..
From what other FTers are saying that I gather.. you could miss the last leg.. but don't make it habit..
Best not to have checked baggage.. good to have only carry-ons if you plan to do this..
May 27, 2011, 7:08 am
#7
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 181
The bolded part certainly applies in general but one exception is a non-pre-cleared flight to the U.S. where someone intends to make the U.S. port of entry the final destination. It is no problem in that case because all passengers must pick up their checked baggage and clear Customs. If the flight is precleared, then that's a different story because there is no Customs inspection and no collecting baggage upon arrival in the U.S.
Jun 4, 2011, 10:29 am
#8
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My mother and I are traveling to Sweden this summer. She lives near Minneapolis and I live in Chicago. I purchased a round trip ticket for her to fly to Chicago so that we could fly together to Sweden. On our return flight from Sweden, we leave from Amsterdam and stop in Minneapolis before taking the last leg into Chicago. Is there any reason that she could not skip the last leg to Chicago and simply go home after clearing customs in Minneapolis?
Jun 4, 2011, 12:08 pm
#9
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The bolded part certainly applies in general but one exception is a non-pre-cleared flight to the U.S. where someone intends to make the U.S. port of entry the final destination. It is no problem in that case because all passengers must pick up their checked baggage and clear Customs. If the flight is precleared, then that's a different story because there is no Customs inspection and no collecting baggage upon arrival in the U.S.
Good to see we've got some loopholes here and there..
One could pre-plan to disembark on segments before leaving for other countries depending on circumstance.