rd7242

Have to fly EWR-SFO the week of 10/12/ and 10/19

Can I purchase two round trips, one from 10/12-10/24 and another from 10/16-10/19? This way I can get fares that include sat night stays.

Or will US not allow me to do this and throw my itinerary out?

thanks

dingo

Looks like back to back to me...no airline likes those and terms of tickets strictly prohibit them. You wouldn't be the first to try it, the first to get away with it, or the first to get caught. I'd say try at your own risk and don't be upset if they catch you. A safer alternative might be to split the flights between two airlines. I know some who have done that which reduces the risk of getting busted.

rd7242

Probably wouldnt be a good idea to book the second itinerary on UA. Especially to earn US miles?

bmolotsk

Also look into buying two one-ways on either end of your trip, and then a weekend liesure fare in the middle. Often it's significantly cheaper than two mid-week R/T's.

I used this "positioning" technique (on a suggestion from other FlyerTalkers) last spring. Flew one-way PHL-DFW for $600, and have been buying $200-$400 R/T's over weekends for the past 6 months instead of $1152 R/T's for Monday-Friday.

A one-way ticket home at the end of the project, and I've still saved thousands of dollars.

Once again, if US would just price the Mon-Fri ticket somewhat reasonably, I'd buy it rather than have to deal with this kind of "reverse" itinerary and the change fee hassles (which are still less $ than buying the full price midweek ticket).

Good luck!

(Edited for grammar)

[This message has been edited by bmolotsk (edited 09-22-2003).]

[This message has been edited by bmolotsk (edited 09-22-2003).]

HPTunco

I do this all the time. The savings is tremendous. Do it and don't worry about getting caught. They want your money either way.

I know that the airlines prohibit travel agents from booking these types of flights..... but if you book yourself, they have no recourse. It's not like you'll end up in jail for something "illegal".

AS Flyer

As long as you are using all of the coupons I don't think that they are concerned. It's when you do this and only use two of the coupons, thereby avoiding having to pay a much more expensive fare.

USFlyerUS

Yes, they do have a recourse. They bill your credit card for the difference between full fare and what you paid. I know folks this has happened to (but luckily the company allowed them to expense it).

PHL

There's nothing in their contract of carriage that allows them to do this since you're using both roundtrips. What they are more leary of is the throwaway tickets where people buy 2 roundtrips with Sat. stays and only use the front end of each ticket.

In both cases, it's the airlines' own fault for not figuring out a better way to charge a reasonable fare that would eliminate this practice all together.

dingo

I am personally aware of them denying boarding, forcing you to pay the full ticket price. I don't know if that is what the prior poster meant about charging the card, but it would seem that your options are few if you're on the front end of the second ticket or the back end of the first.

trvlr64

use US for the "outer dates" and UA for the inner dates, gaining US miles. I did this for all of my DFW trips in August. I saved over $1800 (for my company of course).

They can't see a nested ticket when it's on 2 separate airlines technically.

You've just joing the cockroaches offically by doing that too.......WELCOME!!

HPTunco

There is no way that a vendor can arbitrarily charge your credit card. Nothing in the "sales agreement" for purchasing an airline ticket allows them this power.

Better check back with those "folks".

CPRich

US Airways Terms of Transportation
http://www.usair.com/customers/trave...erms/terms.htm

US Airways specifically prohibits the practices commonly known as:
o "Back-to-Back Ticketing" - the combination of two or more round-trip excursion fares for the purpose of circumventing minimum stay requirements.

Where a ticket is invalidated as a result of the customer's non-compliance with any term or condition of sale, US Airways has the right in its sole discretion to:
o Cancel any remaining portion of the customer's itinerary,
o Confiscate unused flight coupons,
o Refuse to board the customer or check the customer's baggage,
o Assess the customer for the reasonable remaining value of the ticket, which shall be no less than the difference between the fare actually paid and the lowest fare applicable to the customer's actual itinerary, or
o Cancel any Dividend Miles credits accrued as a result of non-compliant ticketing.


I think it's pretty clear that it violates US's terms, and that they do indeed have recourse and that this "sales agreement" allows them this power (you buy the ticket, you agree to the terms, usually explicitly through a "I have read all the Terms..." that you check but never really do).

Catch you/enforce it? Unlikely?

Worth the risk when it's so easy to avoid violating these terms via code shares and other airlines? Your decision



[This message has been edited by CPRich (edited 09-22-2003).]

USFlyerUS

Well, if you're at the airport and want to get home, I think you're kinda stuck and have to authorize the charges. Also, our corporate travel office now has safeguards in place to keep people from booking against the rules.

CPRich

user error

[This message has been edited by CPRich (edited 09-22-2003).]

dcmike

I haven't heard about this being enforced on US, but I do know a coworker who used to fly CO a lot for business - she got a call from CO once for doing this type of booking saying they were cancelling her tix.