Sheryl

Here's a little secret that many FTs may already know about, but for the benefit of those who don't, your discounted/restricted ticket may have value on an airline other than the ticketed carrier, on the same day as ticketed. I'm only aware that this works on the return portion, so I hope someone will comment if they've ever done it on the outbound.

Say you arrive at the airport several hours before your departure and there are no earlier flights on your ticketed carrier, or you don't clear standby. You're willing to forego the FF miles on your ticketed carrier just to get home earlier, and another carrier has a flight departing before your scheduled departure. Go to that airline's ticket counter and ask if they'll take your ticket for their flight. Doesn't matter how discounted your ticket is. Agents have a lot of flexibility with whose tickets they take. Of course, you have to have a paper ticket to do this (that's why I never recommend e-tickets for business travelers).

Here's some examples where this has worked beautifally for some of the guys whose travel I've handled. Oh, and by the way, our travel agent is even surprised that the airlines will do this.

In February, during the AA pilot sickout, one of my travelers was returning to IAH from OMA via DFW. He got to the airport more than 3 hours before his scheduled departure and was really concerned that between that time and the scheduled departure, his flight would get cancelled due to the sickout, so he walked over to TWA, who had a flight departing for STL, that would offer a connection to IAH, less than an hour later. He asked the TWA agent if they would take his ticket. They did, and he arrived home more than 2 hours earlier than he would have on AA.

In STL, another traveler arrived at the airport 4 hours before his CO flight to IAH, so he asked TWA to take his ticket for their earlier non-stop flight. They did.

At ORD, yet another traveler arrived several hours before his CO flight to IAH, so he asked AA if they would take his ticket for their earlier non-stop to IAH. They would not, but he thinks it's because the flight was full. He then trekked over to the UA terminal and tried there. Bingo!! He was home more than 1 hour before scheduled.

At RIC, yet another traveler was scheduled on US to FLL (via CLT). Arrived several hours early and asked DL to take his ticket (via ATL). They did.

In all examples above, these were discounted non-refundable tickets, so it never hurts to ask.

leroy11

Thanks for posting this. I knew you could do this, but I never have and didn't realize how easy it was. Is there any kind of change fee / service charge involved?

Sheryl

No cost whatsoever.

l etoile

I've done this before on an outbound flight, albeit inadvertently.

For some reason I had it in my head that I had booked on one carrier when in fact I had booked with another. I went and checked in at the carrier I thought I was to be on and the agent never said a word about it, but simply checked me in (flight times between the two were very close).

I didn't even realize my mistake until a few days later when I was going through ticket stubs and receipts. I felt quite dumb.

Sheryl

Letiole, were you on a full fare or a discounted/restricted ticket? Did you realize what you did prior to your return flight? If not, did you also show up at the incorrect carrier on the return, or was your return on a different carrier than your outbound?

Tango

If your ticket states non-end on it you have to have the original airline endorse it before another will honor it.

Sheryl

Tango, I agree that what you say is what the rules provide; however, in none of my examples above did the issuing carrier ever see the ticket and the tickets were all non-endorseable, non-cancellable. In fact, the CO tickets weren't even a published fare, because through our TA we get a 5% discount on CO.

As I said, airport agents have a lot of flexibility.

Indurain

Thanks for the info Sheryl. I've only did this once, but it was not nearly as painless. I had business class on AA (company preferred) KIX-SNA via DFW that I wanted to switch to UA (my perferred) via SFO. It took over 3 hours for the JAL agents acting on AA's behalf to endorse the ticket, and the UA agents all said they needed the endorsement. Also, I had a reservation on the UA legs beforehand so I can be sure there's a seat for me. They were going to charge me for the fare difference, but said they were the same at the last minute.

What if the fares are much different? I've been placed on OZ/AA LAX-SEL codeshare flights that were $700-$900 one way, but fares on other airlines were at least $600 more. Can I walk up to the counter and get a flight without paying extra in this case? What would be the best way to switch carriers in this case?

kokonutz

Sheryl said:
Heresy!!! BURN THE WITCH!!!



[This message has been edited by Matt Wald (edited 10-25-1999).]

Djlawman

Sheryl suggests that you would have to forego your FF points for this, but I don't think that's the case--you'd just have to get them on the airline you switch to. I have changed carriers a number of times, sometimes voluntarily, and sometimes because the flight has been cancelled, and I have always gotten my miles on the airline I have switched to (as well as on the airline that I got cancelled by, where that is the case). I would bet that you'd get miles on the airline you switch to if you send in the boarding pass afterward and ask for the miles.

jet

The couple times that I've been switched to another carrier, I've gotten miles on both airlines. Probably a fluke, but hey... double miles! I had already checked in for the original airline's flight, though. It was cancelled, and they were forced to put me on another carrier.

Rudi

that's no fluke - that's (miles on both carriers if the change is 'force majeur') the official policy of those airlines I know and experienced (UA, LH, SR, SK).

flyer18

The east coast shuttles operated by US and DL between DCA-LGA-BOS do take each others tickets as well. Once I knew someone that missed flight which I think was on US. So found a UA flight, was going to ORD, and they stappled the two US coupons together with the front of each coupon on the outside. The person booked on the UA non-stop in Y. Then they handwrite on the ticket:
rule 240 endorsed to UA JD
(JD) is just random initials, say for agent John Doe. This person checks in at UA gate, they print a boarding pass without a second look. Appropriate disclaimers for use of such technique are in order, but it worked for the person in the above example. That phrase, Rule 240 endorsed to XX, is what gate agents write on nonref tickets they are endorsing. They can alternatively write you a FIM, I guess which way they do it depends on mood, and what agreements they have with other airline. A FIM is the more formal and official route, and I think the airline receiving you prefers a FIM. But sometimes apparently a scrible handwritten message on your original ticket is enough.

dg1

I was on a non-stop MSP-PIT on USAirways that was cancelled. I then was put onto AA MSP-ORD and US ORD-PIT. I got the miles for ORD-PIT on USAirways and emailed in to AA to get miles on MSP-ORD. How can I get miles on USAirways for the AA flight MSP-ORD?

Thanks.

Sheryl

Unfortunately, this thread has evolved into scenarios totally different from what I originally posted. I'm not talking about cancelled flights, refundable fares, force majeure events or anything of the like. I'm talking strictly of convenience to the passenger on a restricted ticket and what SOME airline employees will do strictly as a favor. My whole point in posting what I did is to point out that restrictive language on an airline ticket is sometimes not as restrictive as it is worded.

And to djlawman, PLEASE, don't say I suggested something that I clearly did not vis-a-vis FF miles. I said that the traveler was willing to forego the miles on the TICKETED carrier, not on the carrier he ultimately took.