What Happens If...
 

Newbie, here. This has probably been addressed many times but I have no idea how to search this topic:

I want to fly from Rio (GIG) to the San Francisco, one way. Most flights have 2-3 stops and are in the $1000-$1100 range.

However, when I click on "include other airports" one option comes up with 4 stops for just $630. On Avianca. Under flight details, the final stop is SFO, with an 8 hour layover there, then a 37 minute hop to Monterey on United (a 2 hour drive past SFO). If I leave that option off, with SFO as the final destination, it comes up with the same flights (minus the hop to Monterey) at $1035!

1. Can someone please explain this craziness to me?

2. What happens if I take the 4 stop option, but don't take the final leg?

3. If I check baggage, but never get on that final leg, will I be able to pick it up in Monterey? Or, will I need to get it through customs at SFO, anyway? Then, I could just take it home from there.

Seeking your great wisdom...

Dave

Where is the flight into SFO from? If international, you will pick up luggage at SFO and clear customs, so you can just leave the airport and skip the Monterey flight. Nothing will happen, just leave SFO.

With an 8 hour layover, you might convince them to allow you to just check your bags only to SFO, since you will need your bags for the layover.

There's no 'splainin' the wackiness of certain airfares.

And you might enjoy visiting Monterey, anyway.;)

Welcome to FT!

Search for "hidden city ticketing". This question comes up almost daily.

United could charge your CC the higher price if you do that. Plus when you clear Customs in SFO if they see your bags tagged for Monterrey but you head out the door with your bags they will see something is up and stop you.

None of what you say is accurate. Just walk out. Nobody will check or care. United will not charge you for anything.

What you are looking at is to skip the last segment. Do not check luggage, as you won't be able to get it in SFO. Do not tell the airlines your intention, as they can invalidate the ticket or charge you for the GIG-SFO trip at the $1000+ cost. Also and most important, if you plan on doing this, make sure that you are skipping the last segment of your ticket, as the airline can and will cancel all other portions. So, if doing a-b-c-b-a, and you skip c, the b-a portion is automatically canceled due to no show on c. Get it?

I find these scenarios highly unlikely. Also, I doubt that it would even be plated as a UA ticket, so impossible for them to charge you.

When you check bags on an international flight with a domestic connection, you have to pick them up at your first port of entry in the US. At SFO your last step as you leave is just past baggage pickup. If you are connecting to a domestic flight you turn left. If you are going out, you turn right. There are several people standing there watching you. And they look at your bags. If your bag is tagged for a connection but you turn right, you will raise suspicion and they will stop you.

Yes. And then you tell them that these are your bags and you are leaving. And you keep going. They have no right to stop you.

This is nonsensical for so many reasons: You could hide the tag by wrapping it around the handle. You could just tear off the part that says MRY. Or, since you're at your destination, you could just remove the tag altogether. But with an 8-hour connection, nobody will question your need for a shower and change of clothes! But to be frank, Customs won't care, and nobody at the airline will see the tag, anyway.

True. But the bad advice on this thread is far more entertaining than most threads.

OP, as is said at least once above, the only real issue is any remaining segments on your ticket will be cancelled. So if you are going back to Brazil, or someplace else, these segments will be cancelled.

The reason for the pricing difference is called "married segments". if your first port of entry is SFO, get you bags and just clear immigration/customs and leave, no problem.

The OP wants to fly one way to SFO so the question of remaining segments won't arise. However, we don't know if SFO is the first port of entry in the US. If it is what's been described by several posters should work, if not some creative explanation might be necessary so the bag can be retrieved in SFO. If the bag is checked through to MRY and the OP is not on the flight the bag will be off-loaded and the OP could be charged a higher fare.

No it almost certainly isn't. More than likely the fare bucket availability is the same but the base fare for GIG-SFO is higher than GIG-SFO-YYY.

1. OP has to claim the bag to clear customs. No one will wrestle the bag away from him when he leaves customs.

2. People do this all the time without being charged. As long as you don't abuse it and walk away multiple times in the course of a year.

3. I know it is a oneway ticket. But the cancellation issue should always be addressed for the lurker who may be reading this thread.