Slightly off topic, but it is about airline ticket pricing. A few years ago (maybe 10) I read about a incident where a man wanted to go from A to B. It turned out a ticket from A to C (with a plane change at B) was cheaper. So the guy bought a ticket to C, got off the first plane and never got on the second plane. The article said it was a common practice for those “In the know”. The airlines caught on, and filed suit ( I don’t remember against who) claiming that the ticket constitutes a contract, and failure to continue to C is a breach. I never heard how it came out. I have taken three commercial flights in my life, (okay six, three round trips). I got more time than money so Greyhound is an option for me. It is not a hot button issue for me, but airline pricing is a mystery. Costs less to fly to C than to B which is half as far? Anyone remember the “Half a flight” issue? If so, how did it turn out?
One quick look around an airline website and you will see that ticket prices have little or nothing to do with distance. Sometimes (but very rarely) the cheapest ticket from San Francisco to Denver is more expensive than the cheapest ticket from San Francisco to London (yes, England). Prices depend on demand, and demand depends on who wants to go from where to where, why and when. The distance is simply an operations cost that has to be accounted for in the price, but does not determine it.
A flight A-C with a connection in B is just a flight A to C. A to B and B to C legs of the flight do not necessarily have to even be flights you can buy tickets for in the first place.
If you are ticketed from point A to point C but get off at point B with a roundtrip ticket, the remainder of your itinerary (including the return) will automatically be canceled by the airline’s reservation system…on ANY airline. A ticket from point A to point C is a completely different market than A to B.
Check out this thread:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-270743.html
to Huerta88:
WOW! Thanks for the link. I suddenly remember why I like to stay at home and if I have to go I take the bus and a good book to read. I don’t want to think that hard at work, let alone for casual travel. Good thing my job rarely reguires travel more than a hundred miles. In ten years I had to go on one roundtrip flight, and all the arrangements were made by the company.
I guess I was just not meant to be a part of the “Jet-set”! I did do some helicopter time in the army, (Peacetime thankfully), arrangements were simple, “Get your butt in the chopper” the Sgt yelled.
Thanks for the info.
Last weekend, I was doing the self check-in at the airport in Columbus, Ohio for my flight to Chicago and then Dallas. The computer offered me an upgrade to first class on the Chicago-Dallas leg for $90.00. First time I had ever seen anything like that. Decided not to do it, (I had already had dinner, and I don’t drink much alcohol) but maybe next time for the leg room!)
A bit of a hijack - how to get an upgrade to first class: http://www.lifehacker.com/software/travel/how-to-get-an-upgrade-to-firstclass-170947.php
I suppose if this is possible, bargaining for a seat might work occasionally.
Gate agents, concierges have operational upgrade authority. As far as sell you a ticket at a lower, discretionary price . . . I just don’t see it, because I doubt the computer would cooperate.
I’ve been op-upgraded on a number of occasions. All very random. It’s always (except once) been the agent’s offer/decision; I’ve never succeeded by asking for it. (Exception: on a flight to England my GF pointed out, correctly, that it was my birthday and we had platinum status. Yay, it worked, but then, coach was full and they were going to have to upgrade someone).
Offering an agent $200 for an upgrade from coach to first or business on an International itinerary is seldom going to work. A gate agent may offer this on a domestic flight but if your going from Detroit to London off-peak season, you may have paid $500 for your ticket where a business class ticket is easilly $2000, any airline would rather let the business seat go empty rather than offer a $2000 seat for $700, it would completely devalue the business class product were they to do this. I’m not saying this never happens but I travel to Europe frequently and worked in the travel industry for five years and I’ve never seen it…on the other hand, as an Elite level flyer, I have been offered a Business upgrade for free when Coach has been oversold, and coach is oversold alot these days on NWA flights to London and Frankfurt.
The solution becomes evident. We need Samuel L. Jackson.
“I want this muthafuckin’ space off the muthafuckin’ plane!”