Last edit by: WineCountryUA
from Airline booking ploys
Throwaway Tickets , such book RT and only use OW - any issues with UA?
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}
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
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.
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}
Consolidated UA "Hidden City Ticketing Questions"
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2010
Programs: Whatever's Cheapest, Accruing Miles, Redeeming for Premium Cabins, Not Chasing Status Unnecessarily
Posts: 2,264
Caribbean (preclearance to US) - ORD - Canada (overnight layover in ORD)
Will I have access to checked luggage in ORD in this scenario:
Caribbean (preclearance to US) - ORD
Overnight layover 12 hours
ORD - Canada throwaway
Caribbean (preclearance to US) - ORD
Overnight layover 12 hours
ORD - Canada throwaway
#2
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: CLE, DCA, and 30k feet
Programs: Honors LT Diamond; United 1K; Hertz PC
Posts: 4,165
Only if the luggage is only checked to ORD; otherwise, with a pre-clearance airport your arrival in the US is treated as a domestic connection.
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2010
Programs: Whatever's Cheapest, Accruing Miles, Redeeming for Premium Cabins, Not Chasing Status Unnecessarily
Posts: 2,264
Some of these agents in Caribbean airports are not very flexible. Are you pretty sure about that? And my question is more what the default is in ORD with UA. Do they hold bags overnight as a default?
Last edited by WineCountryUA; Jan 10, 2020 at 2:51 pm Reason: merged consecutive posts by same member
#5
Join Date: Feb 2000
Posts: 6,546
by default, i’d suppose the UA agent’s computer at NAS would print a bag tag to just ORD. however, regardless of default, there no UA check-in agent in the world that would refuse a request to tag a bag only to the city where you are spending the night. people need luggage to overnight somewhere. everyone and his dog accepts that.
#6
Moderator: United Airlines
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: SFO
Programs: UA Plat 1.995MM, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Plat/LT Gold, Hilton Silver, IHG Plat
Posts: 66,856
ORD has no impact on this, it is what the agent does at the origin. The UA default for an overnight is not to check thru. But it is a bit at the agent's discretion, so there is a small risk the bags will be checked thru to the destination -- you can ask not to be checked-thru, but best not to state you are gaming the fare by HCT.
#7
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: PVD/BOS, PIT
Programs: UA 1K/1MM ★G, DL Silver, Amtrak ES, Hilton Diamond,Nexus
Posts: 247
Or, for certain airports, if the passenger is making an international-to-international connection -- so be careful if trying to do HCT on a ticket through to another country.
Also, there was a pilot program operating this summer at IAD that sent connecting bags from certain flights through customs without having them reclaimed first. It's not currently operating, but it could be reintroduced at any time.
Also, there was a pilot program operating this summer at IAD that sent connecting bags from certain flights through customs without having them reclaimed first. It's not currently operating, but it could be reintroduced at any time.
#8
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 21,412
The other gotcha for IAD is that if you have a checked bag, you have to clear immigration/customs in the basement of terminal C, not the main terminal. There is no way out of the airport with your checked luggage from there. You have to recheck it and then clear TSA security into terminal C. If you have no checked luggage, you can go to the main terminal.
US airports seem to be moving more and more toward a combined immigration / customs check prior to baggage claim, where they will flag people who need additional screening once their bags have been unloaded. It's not a stretch to think that they will start to transfer bags automatically for all passengers except those who get flagged.
Someone considering HCT has to weigh many risks. This is one. It may not be a large one, but it's still a risk.
#10
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: MSP
Programs: DL PM, UA Gold, WN, Global Entry; +others wherever miles/points are found
Posts: 14,417
US airports seem to be moving more and more toward a combined immigration / customs check prior to baggage claim, where they will flag people who need additional screening once their bags have been unloaded. It's not a stretch to think that they will start to transfer bags automatically for all passengers except those who get flagged.
#11
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 21,412
Exactly. I suspect we'll see more of this as air travel volumes continue to increase.
#12
Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 3,382
Agreed, but, also, the IAD pilot program could easily be introduced at any other airport without notice. They didn't warn travelers about the IAD program -- they just put a sign up saying "if you're connecting from A, B, or C to another international flight, your bags have been transferred automatically" or somesuch.
US airports seem to be moving more and more toward a combined immigration / customs check prior to baggage claim, where they will flag people who need additional screening once their bags have been unloaded. It's not a stretch to think that they will start to transfer bags automatically for all passengers except those who get flagged.
Someone considering HCT has to weigh many risks. This is one. It may not be a large one, but it's still a risk.
US airports seem to be moving more and more toward a combined immigration / customs check prior to baggage claim, where they will flag people who need additional screening once their bags have been unloaded. It's not a stretch to think that they will start to transfer bags automatically for all passengers except those who get flagged.
Someone considering HCT has to weigh many risks. This is one. It may not be a large one, but it's still a risk.
That saying, MIA has I-I transit without having to touch bags, they could extend I-I to more airports, or even for I-D, given your comments about the new customs/immigration workflow
#13
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 21,412
IAD is somewhat special due to the midfield terminal immigration. Was there a time where midfield immigration didn't exist, and it behaved like any other airport (everyone has to go thru normal customs/immigration, pick up bags, then either exit airport or recheck for next flight)
Houston also has I-I transit without touching your bags. (As does Guam, but that's a bit of a special case because Guam has special immigration and customs rules).
#14
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: YKM
Programs: UA, AS
Posts: 135
So I'm looking at the following options:
A city in on the Italian/German/Austrian border to a city in Germany to Seattle and then to a city in South Western Canada. However I may get off in Seattle....
OR
Munich to Frankfurt and then just to Seattle. Both price out the same.
I'd be coming from Northern Italy, so the airport in Austria is closer. Do you tell anybody my family decided to pick me up in Seattle instead of the other city? I figure if I have a bag, I have to collect it on international arrivals anyway.
A city in on the Italian/German/Austrian border to a city in Germany to Seattle and then to a city in South Western Canada. However I may get off in Seattle....
OR
Munich to Frankfurt and then just to Seattle. Both price out the same.
I'd be coming from Northern Italy, so the airport in Austria is closer. Do you tell anybody my family decided to pick me up in Seattle instead of the other city? I figure if I have a bag, I have to collect it on international arrivals anyway.
#15
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: NYC
Programs: DL SM, CX GREEN
Posts: 235
Hidden City Additional Loophole - Return Flight
Booked a last minute hidden city ORD->NYC->YYZ departing in 3 hours to get from ORD to NYC.
ORD->NYC itself cheapest option was $258, hidden city had it at $75.
Seemed to find another loophole here that I don't plan to use but could be valuable, yet unethical way more so than the last minute hidden city flight.
Since I "missed" my connection to Toronto, United lets me choose an alternate routing. It's unclear if there is some sort of waiver in place and I did not see any additional fees associated with this, but I have the option to book NYC->YYZ with a connection in ORD up to 4 days later.
Essentially, I now have a last minute RT ticket from ORD->NYC for $75.
Not to open debate between ethical, legal or not as it relates to hidden city, but curious if this has been used successfully in the past for a RT ticket between popular cities.
ORD->NYC itself cheapest option was $258, hidden city had it at $75.
Seemed to find another loophole here that I don't plan to use but could be valuable, yet unethical way more so than the last minute hidden city flight.
Since I "missed" my connection to Toronto, United lets me choose an alternate routing. It's unclear if there is some sort of waiver in place and I did not see any additional fees associated with this, but I have the option to book NYC->YYZ with a connection in ORD up to 4 days later.
Essentially, I now have a last minute RT ticket from ORD->NYC for $75.
Not to open debate between ethical, legal or not as it relates to hidden city, but curious if this has been used successfully in the past for a RT ticket between popular cities.