Ticket stacking
 

What actually is meant by this term? I always have heard of it and that it was "illegal" but not sure of it's true meaning?

In what context did you hear this? I've never heard of anything being referred to as ticket stacking.

A Google search turns up 8 hits, most of which have to do with getting multiple parking tickets (i.e. stacking one ticket on top of the previous).

d

Could you perhaps mean nested tickets? Or end-on-end?

When I read the topic title, I thought it might have to do with the following example, which I have considered, but have never actually done:
(1) Buy a RT ticket LAX-LHR.
(2) Buy a RT ticket LHR-BCN with same departure and return dates as flight above.
(3) Remove staples from all tickets and arrange the four coupons and staple back together to give the impression that the two tickets were purchased as one itinerary.

I believe it's using the tickets out of order, using part of a second ticket before finishing off the first ticket. The airlines don't like it, but if you do it on different airlines, doubtful they will catch you.

With "impression" as the operative word. It's highly unlikely this would work.

Doubtful? I don't get it...if you do it on separate airlines, you haven't violated anyone's terms of service, so there is nothing to "catch". (I think we're all talking about nested tickets or maybe back-to-back tickets. I have never heard the term "ticket stacking".)

Why would you do this? It's certainly not a violation of the airline's rules to buy a LAX-LHR and a LHR-BCN ticket: I have on several occasions bought my MCI-LHR tickets as MCI-ORD R/T and ORD-LHR R/T to get significantly lower fares. The airlines don't care.

(Granted, I've never tried to check a bag all the way through from MCI-LHR when doing this. Maybe that would be problematic...or maybe it wouldn't.)

The risk being, although you might be able to procure an online connection for your bags if the two distinct airlines have interlinked systems, that your first flight is delayed and you bust your connection.

If its all booked on the same stock, then the airline is obliged to protect you on a later flight. If it is booked on different stock, you might be stuck in the middle of nowhere with little option other than to buy a full-Y to get home.

As you said, maybe to check luggage straight through or to fool an agent into thinking you bought an interline ticket if you missed the connecting flight.
As pitz wrote:
"If its all booked on the same stock, then the airline is obliged to protect you on a later flight."
It probably wouldn't work though.

It would work as long as the two airlines have an interline agreement, just show the agent both tickets and explain what you're doing, and your bag will be checked all the way through. I've done this twice, and other people do it all the time (many threads on FT mention this).

You still may be left unprotected if you miss your other flight, especially if different airlines are involved, but that's a different issue.

Actually, it is against the rules to do so on many airlines. You can not in your example use two round trip tickets from LAX to LHR and another from LHR to BCN on the same airline to save money on a LAX to BCN ticket. It's against most airline's rules to do so, which is why, if you are going to do it, you should do it on different airlines.

You're kidding?

I do this all the time, on the same airline. I collect my luggage in LHR, and then check in again for BCN. I even tell the agent at LAX that I'm doing it (when they ask what my final destination is, I explain what I'm doing).

Never knew it wasn't allowed... of course, now that I do, it won't deter me from it in the future. What a stupid rule...

The only time I've heard that this has become an issue is not with an airline but the EuroTunnel channel tunnel rail link - there was a report on a recent consumer programme in the UK regarding customers getting a payment demand from the company because they had not used the return portion of a cheap excursion fare and therefore were charged for the more expensive one way ticket. I think it's made clear in the terms and conditions of EuroTunnel's bookings.

S.

I would love for someone to site an example were an airline prevailed in arguing the legality of nesting. There is no argument for this other than they want a higher fare from you. If I purchased a LAX to NYC ticket R/T and then decide to go to LHR from NYC while I'm there-how in the world can they say that's illegal! What I do at my destination is up to me-they should be happy I purchased the 2nd ticket on there airline -more revenue for them.

What are we going to do -prohibit me from traveling? Think about it ,what if the original ticket was for a return a month later? Under this argument I can't go anywhere for the month I'm in NYC because it might have been more expensive if I went there from LAX? What are we going to do set time limits -okay if you are at your destination for more than a couple of hours you can go somehere else while your there on a separate ticket? It has no basis IMHO.

[This message has been edited by chfenton (edited Jan 13, 2004).]

dup-sorry

[This message has been edited by chfenton (edited Jan 13, 2004).]

I do it semi-frequently as well. As diligent as AA is at chasing off people who try to eBay their Kellogg's certs, I would think they'd be all over me like a bad haircut if it were against the rules. If they wanted to get nasty about it, I'd say "Fine. I'll move one of the tickets to UA." Fortunately, they have never said a word about it. It's not back-to-back ticketing, it's not throwaway, it's not hidden-city. Obviously, they are happy to sell me two tickets.

I think some people are confusing what is called end-on-end ticketing, which is not generally prohibited, with other types of prohibited behaviors such as back-to-back and nested ticketing.

you are using the ticket sequences out of order in end to end, which many airlines say is against the rules (though as indicated, not very well enforced)

Many people use the word illegal incorrectly. It is not illegal but is against the rules or at least frowned upon.

I also can't figure out why an airline would enforce this..... especially when traveling to Europe.

Let's say I fly to LHR on BA, and then while spending time there decide to head to AMS for the weekend, using another BA ticket? Would they honestly find fault for doing such a thing?

I guess BA would RATHER I book my ticket on another airline such as EasyJet.

CRAZY!!

I wonder what happens if I fly AS to BOS, and then BOS to MAD on AA. And then once I land I decide to take a side trip to ATH.

AS doesn't fly to MAD, AA doesn't fly to ATH. I can't imagine an airline having a problem with this. (Then again, little surpirses me these days.)

Could some give clear examples of what "Nested", "Back-to-Back", and "End-to-End" tickets are?

Thanks all!

If it's against the terms of the contract that you have entered into, it's illegal. It may not be criminal - you won't go to prison for it - but it is nonetheless a breach of the contract, and therefore a breach of the law for which the law provides remedies.

SPIT-

in answer to 2 of your questions-

NESTED TICKETS

I live in NJ and need to go to Dallas for a week at a time, once a month or so. I don't want to stay over a Saturday.

So, I buy a EWR-DFW round trip ticket from Airline A leaving NJ Monday, returning Friday 4 weeks later. I then buy a DFW-EWR round trip ticket from Airline B, leaving DFW the Friday of the week I arrive on Airline A, and returning from NJ back to DFW on the Monday of the week I want to go back to DFW. So, my itinerary looks like this:

Monday Airline A EWR-DFW
following Friday Airline B DFW-EWR
Monday a couple of weeks later Airline B EWR-DFW
following Friday Airline A DFW-EWR

If you book both these flights on the same airline it's a violation of their rules. If you book them on 2 different airlines it's very hard for hem to catch and, as far as I know, no violation. I wouldn't do it on a CO-NW combination and post them to the same account, though.

I think that for back-to-back tickets, you buy 2 round trips- one from EWR to DFW leaving the Monday you want to go there (return date doesn't matter) and one from DFW to EWR the following Friday. Again, return date doesn't matter. You don't use the return flight on either ticket. Despite that, the round trip with Saturday stay for 2 trips is generally less than Monday-Friday in full fare Coach.

Again, a violation of the rules and fairly easy for them to catch. I've occasionally not used the return portion of a round trip (another violation called "throwaway ticketing") but they don't seem to get too crazy anout that unless there's a pattern of it.

[This message has been edited by Athena53 (edited Jan 14, 2004).]