LAX 1K

I am flying back and forth to my client from LAX-MSP.... My flights are on the weekend... usually fly Thursday frm MSP and back to MSP from LAX on Sunday.

For one week I am suppose to not go back.. so I bought a ticket returning the following week. If I needed to go back.. can I buy a ticket in the middle...

Example

THURSDAY SEPT 20 MSP-LAX
Return on SEPT 30 LAX-MSP

Can I:
Ticket 1 Thursday SEPT 20 MSP-LAX
RT Sunday SEPT 30 LAX -MSP

Ticket 2 Sunday SEPT 23 LAX-MSP
RT Thursday SEPT 28 MSP-LAX

I think it is technically back to back, but what if you buy Ticket one 3 weeks in advance and then grab ticket 2?

Just some thoughts? Would hate to lose status and miles..? I know it sounds like a simple question.. but it is a weird situation..

pshuang

If you're feeling particularly paranoid, you can always buy Ticket 2 on a different airline.

I can't speak to whether United would feel this was against their rules, but note that you're not circumventing a Saturday night stayover requirement by having your travel be on Tickets 1 and 2. The equivalent and clearly OK by airline rules would be Tickets A and B, as below. I think by your description that if there wasn't this one-week lapse in your work, Tickets A and B are what you would normally have bought.

Ticket A Thursday SEPT 20 MSP-LAX
RT Sunday SEPT 23 LAX-MSP

Ticket B Thursday SEPT 28 MSP-LAX
RT Sunday SEPT 30 LAX-MSP

Both these round trip tickets would meet a Saturday night stayover requirement. So IF a Saturday night stayover requirement was the dominant factor in ticket pricing, Tickets 1 and 2 will cost you more than Tickets A and B, which should only make United happier, right?

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Is there another term for the situation where let's say you have to go to MSP for 10 weeks in a row, and want to work in MSP Monday afternoon through Friday morning? You can buy 10 round-trip tickets LAX-MSP (Monday) MSP-LAX (Friday), none meeting a Saturday night stay requirement. Or you can buy 9 round-trip tickets MSP-LAX (Friday) LAX-MSP (Monday), all meeting a Saturday night stay requirement, and two 1-way tickets, one to "prime the pump" by taking you LAX-MSP, the other to finish off the stint by bringing you back MSP-LAX.


[This message has been edited by pshuang (edited 09-01-2001).]

JS1K

Just checked on Orbitz they are showing LAX-MSP fares on NW for $171 vs UA $748.

LAX 1K

United does not make it easy to stay loyal... think I may need to have Continental match my status and go Northwest??

Oh well...

JS

That is fine. All the ticket coupons are used in order.

The Saturday night stay requirement does not prevent you from spending Saturday night at home. As long as you don't combine discount roundtrips out of order, it's fine.