Air Canada - Unintentional "Hidden City Ticketing"
Unintentionally, I found myself in a Hidden City Ticketing phenomena.
I bought 4 one-way tickets (family of four) from Vancouver to Quebec City, connecting thru Montreal to travel in Early Feb 2015 from Air Canada website.
Now we have a change in plans, and we would like to skip going to Quebec City and stay in Montreal.
Instictively, I logged in to Air Canada and tried to change the itinerary. My natural thinking as I am not really changing anything, just dropping from one leg of the trip, and the airline would be better off. U was not expecting any compensation. However, the airline tried to charge me an additional $480 (I already paid $1200 for the original tickets).
So I am trying to understand my options, and while I was googling around, I came across this Hidden City Ticketing thing.
My question is, Can I simply check-in my luggages to Montreal (not to final destination) and walk away in Montreal with a no show to the connecting flight. I understand you can do this if you have only carry ons, but how about if you need to check-in luggages. Can I simply politely and nicely ask to the counter in Vancouver to tag my luggage to Montreal only? Also, I have a Star Alliance Gold card, so I will use Business Class check-in counter (even though I'm travelling economy). Will this make a difference?
UPDATE: I manage to cancel the whole trip without any charge, and rebooked the relevant portion with a marginally increased price, which I was ready to bear. Thnks for all the answers.
Best Answer
I don't think so. The airline charges you because sometimes they cannot sell the empty seats that you "reserved". You could try to see the costs of canceling and buying new tickets, but you're really in an ethical grey area here. Other options would be calling the airline and asking them if you can just change your flight.
The ticketing technique “interferes with United’s ability to sell unused seats on the final leg(s) of connecting flights, resulting in the loss of revenue that United would have earned by selling the unused seats,” the company said in its lawsuit last month in U.S. District Court in Chicago. The companies also are seeking at least $75,000 in damages and attorney fees.
“This practice violates our fare rules, and we are taking action to stop it to help protect the vast majority of customers who buy legitimate tickets,” said Christen David, a spokeswoman for United.
From: Washington Post
Also, as @Relaxed said in the comments, another reason airlines dislike Hidden City Ticketing is that most trips must go through a hub, and nobody is going to pay extra because they transit through London, etc.
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What does hidden city ticket mean?
Also known as point beyond ticketing, hidden city ticketing is a way to find cheaper nonstop tickets by booking a connecting flight to a final destination beyond yours, but ending your journey at a layover point.What does hidden city itinerary mean?
Hidden-city ticketing, in short, is when an itinerary is booked in which the final destination is never reached. This is because the itinerary to a city where the traveler has no plans of going is less expensive than an itinerary stopping at the city where the traveler is bound.Is hidden city ticketing illegal?
Is hidden city ticketing legal? Hidden city ticketing is looked down upon in the travel industry but is not technically illegal \u2014 yet. You are free to use this method and there's no denying that Skiplagged features some amazing deals. If you decide to utilize hidden city ticketing, however, you do so at your own risk.What does hidden city mean on Skiplagged?
A hidden-city flight is a flight where you get off at the layover rather than the final destination. For example, a flight from New York to Orlando might be $250, but a similar flight from New York to Dallas with a layover in Orlando might be $130. If you're going to Orlando, we'll show you both flights.Hidden City Ticketing: What is it? Is it safe? How do you use it?
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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