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Consolidated UA "Hidden City Ticketing Questions"

Old Aug 13, 2018, 2:42 pm
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Last edit by: WineCountryUA
from Airline booking ploys
Throwaway ticketing is purchasing a ticket with the intent to use only a portion of the included travel. This situation may arise when a passenger wants to travel only one way, but where the discounted round-trip excursion fare is cheaper than a one-way ticket
Throwaway Tickets , such book RT and only use OW - any issues with UA?

Hidden city ticketing (HCT) is a variant of throwaway ticketing. The passenger books a ticket to a fictitious destination (the "hidden" city) with a connection at the intended destination, walks away at the connection node, and discards the remaining segment.
Related threads
UA sues "hidden city" search site Skiplagged.com
United asking gate agents to report hidden ticket travelers

Archive thread: Consolidated UA "Hidden City Ticketing Questions" {Archive}
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Consolidated UA "Hidden City Ticketing Questions"

Old Dec 7, 2023, 9:13 am
  #91  
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Originally Posted by nycflyer222
Thank you. If the return is Europe-US-Canada and I want to get off in US (SFO), I would have a chance to grab my checked luggage, yes?
Yes.
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Old Dec 7, 2023, 9:55 am
  #92  
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FWIW, I think it's always a good idea when missing a segment like this to tell the airline to take yu off of whatever flight you will be missing. Simply state that something has come up or that your plans have changed, etc. That prevents them from having to look for you and marking you as a no-show.
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Old Dec 14, 2023, 5:48 pm
  #93  
 
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Have a flight coming up where I changed the routing from ITM-NRT-LAX to KIX-SFO-LAX. Three of us on the PNR but only one person lives in LA(cheaper tickets ex-LAX so we're flying down there to start trip). I changed the routing for the cheap R upgrade which subsequently cleared pretty quickly to J with +Ps. DW would absolutely prefer to just leave from SFO instead of doing a RT from SFO-LAX.

Will two of us not boarding the SFO-LAX flight cause problems for pax #3? Don't want him to get grilled for just the two of us ducking out at SFO.
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Old Dec 14, 2023, 8:11 pm
  #94  
 
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Originally Posted by CaptJOB
Have a flight coming up where I changed the routing from ITM-NRT-LAX to KIX-SFO-LAX. Three of us on the PNR but only one person lives in LA(cheaper tickets ex-LAX so we're flying down there to start trip). I changed the routing for the cheap R upgrade which subsequently cleared pretty quickly to J with +Ps. DW would absolutely prefer to just leave from SFO instead of doing a RT from SFO-LAX.

Will two of us not boarding the SFO-LAX flight cause problems for pax #3? Don't want him to get grilled for just the two of us ducking out at SFO.
May be an issue if on the same PNR. I guess since it is at the end of the trip the last person will probably be seated and boarded so what can they do. I'll let others chime in.

Last edited by nomad420; Dec 14, 2023 at 8:21 pm
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Old Dec 15, 2023, 7:56 am
  #95  
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Originally Posted by CaptJOB
Will two of us not boarding the SFO-LAX flight cause problems for pax #3? Don't want him to get grilled for just the two of us ducking out at SFO.
Have #3 tell the agent that passengers 1 and 2 couldn't make the flight and politely ask that they be taken off. No details shuld be necessary. This avoids UA from having to try to find the passengers.
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Old Dec 15, 2023, 10:02 am
  #96  
 
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Originally Posted by Xyzzy
Have #3 tell the agent that passengers 1 and 2 couldn't make the flight and politely ask that they be taken off. No details shuld be necessary. This avoids UA from having to try to find the passengers.
it may also save a delay for the other passengers.

Or if you have a club entitlement a club agents can also do this and are often less under pressure to get 10 things done..."Wasn't feeling well" is a viable explanation if you feel the need....but a couple years ago coming back from the EU after a scheduled 18 hour connection my wife decided she'd prefer to stay at our place in DC than come back to Cleveland only to turn around a few days later...I had to be in CLE, OTOH. Club agents had no qualms dropping her but said I'd have to call refunds to have any miles redeposited (award ticket)... I didn't bother with that because if any residual it wouldn't have been with it, and I doubt there was residual to have.
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Old Dec 15, 2023, 11:04 am
  #97  
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Originally Posted by lincolnjkc
it may also save a delay for the other passengers.

Or if you have a club entitlement a club agents can also do this and are often less under pressure to get 10 things done..."Wasn't feeling well" is a viable explanation if you feel the need....but a couple years ago coming back from the EU after a scheduled 18 hour connection my wife decided she'd prefer to stay at our place in DC than come back to Cleveland only to turn around a few days later...I had to be in CLE, OTOH. Club agents had no qualms dropping her but said I'd have to call refunds to have any miles redeposited (award ticket)... I didn't bother with that because if any residual it wouldn't have been with it, and I doubt there was residual to have.
Yes - asking the agent t, "Drop the segment" is the key term.
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Old Dec 15, 2023, 11:21 am
  #98  
 
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Originally Posted by Xyzzy
Yes - asking the agent t, "Drop the segment" is the key term.
So best practice would be get to SFO, get into Polaris lounge with pax#3, DW and I tell a lounge agent we have to drop the last segment just for us two and we should be good without getting refared?
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Old Dec 15, 2023, 11:29 am
  #99  
 
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Originally Posted by CaptJOB
So best practice would be get to SFO, get into Polaris lounge with pax#3, DW and I tell a lounge agent we have to drop the last segment just for us two and we should be good without getting refared?
the best practice is to ignore the paranoia in this thread and do nothing. if your flights are delayed in any way or there was any schedule change, spend a few minutes submitting a refund request for any unflown segments & enjoy the generous refund united will extend.
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Old Dec 15, 2023, 11:30 am
  #100  
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Originally Posted by CaptJOB
So best practice would be get to SFO, get into Polaris lounge with pax#3, DW and I tell a lounge agent we have to drop the last segment just for us two and we should be good without getting refared?
Indeed -- that shuld do it. "Take us off that flight" or "Drop the segment" will generally work without further questions. If asked, just say you'll figure out reaccommodation separately.
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Old Dec 15, 2023, 1:55 pm
  #101  
 
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Originally Posted by Colin
the best practice is to ignore the paranoia in this thread and do nothing. if your flights are delayed in any way or there was any schedule change, spend a few minutes submitting a refund request for any unflown segments & enjoy the generous refund united will extend.
Not opining on whether one should seek refund for unflown segments, but totally agree there is zero reason to do anything. No shows happen all the time & if there is no pattern of shady hidden city ticketing a one-off no-show is completely innocuous. Whether no-shows are on a PNR with a show-up is completely irrelevant.
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Old Dec 16, 2023, 8:26 am
  #102  
 
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Originally Posted by CaptJOB
Have a flight coming up where I changed the routing from ITM-NRT-LAX to KIX-SFO-LAX. Three of us on the PNR but only one person lives in LA(cheaper tickets ex-LAX so we're flying down there to start trip). I changed the routing for the cheap R upgrade which subsequently cleared pretty quickly to J with +Ps. DW would absolutely prefer to just leave from SFO instead of doing a RT from SFO-LAX.

Will two of us not boarding the SFO-LAX flight cause problems for pax #3? Don't want him to get grilled for just the two of us ducking out at SFO.
I would be wary about posting potentially identifiable details of my pre-planned ticketing violation online.

Originally Posted by physioprof
No shows happen all the time & if there is no pattern of shady hidden city ticketing a one-off no-show is completely innocuous.
Yes, but people don't typically post details of their 'one-off' no show plans in advance on an internet forum in a thread titled 'Hidden City Ticketing Questions"...
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Last edited by ani90; Dec 16, 2023 at 8:47 am
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