Booking Direct Flights Is Great but Risky
A few months ago, here at Lifehacker headquarters, we discussed the possible consequences of hidden city tickets – when a traveler deliberately skips a stop because it’s cheaper to book a multi-stop flight on a direct route to their destination. While stories of travelers being “punished” by airlines for this and other similar acts make headlines from time to time, it may happen less often than we think.
On a recent Reddit thread discussing airfare, one user mentioned another tip that a family member often used to get better deals – airlines probably don’t like that either.
“My mom leaves South America for Europe quite often to see her parents, and she usually has everything planned out, so if she knows she needs to go to Europe for the weekend and then again for the weekend after three months, she buys two three-month round-trip tickets, and it’s much cheaper, ” writes u / s2g .
Here’s another example that might better illustrate this situation: Let’s say you’re driving home for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Instead of booking one round trip for Thanksgiving week and another for Christmas because it can be too expensive, you can book a Thanksgiving flight and a return flight during Christmas (and another one in the opposite direction) when prices can be cheaper if you fly by plane. on certain dates.
Honestly, this is a damn good idea, especially if you travel frequently to a location and have a good idea of the planned travel dates in advance. But will this advice get you in legal trouble?
Why is it against the “rules”
Here’s some good news. No, it is not illegal and you will not end up in an airline jail, but in contracts with several airlines for transportation. This action is commonly referred to as “two-way ticketing” and is prohibited by most major airlines, including United and Delta . (For reference, selling back-t0-back tickets is also referred to as one form of “nested” or intersecting route tickets.)
In particular, pursuant to Delta’s contract of carriage, any attempt to purchase tickets one after the other and “circumvent the minimum stay requirement” is expressly prohibited. Without going into the nuances of minimum stay requirements, many airlines have long introduced a Saturday night rule for cheap tickets.
The theory is that airlines are trying to separate holidaymakers, who usually stay overnight on Saturday and receive cheap deals, from business travelers who often return before Saturday and are willing to pay more. And, well, if you bypass this rule by booking parallel tickets at “vacation” fares, airlines technically have the right to cancel your ticket, revoke your elite status, or worse yet, file a “lawsuit.”
You probably won’t get caught, but you understand the risks
But the real question – and the reason you’re probably here – is this: Will you get caught? Well, we can’t say for sure, but unlike selling hidden city tickets, it is probably much more difficult for airlines to catch ticket sales back. After all, you are taking both round trip flights and the airline attendant probably won’t notice the difference. As a result, our advice is very simple: Without telling you about breaking the rules, be aware of the risks before you decide to book. (Obviously, the more you do this, the higher the risk, but it’s hard to find any evidence that people have been “punished” for using this strategy.)
And if you need to change flights at the last minute, be sure to read our guide on what fees you can expect to pay.