Airline consolidators
Apr 8th, 2003, 02:28 PM
#1
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Airline consolidators
Can anybody out there give me the name, phone number and/or website of any flight consolidators? I know that major newpapers have travel sections with this info, but I live in a pudunk town and down subscribe to the paper. I have to make a major travel decision by Friday, which means I can't wait to get the weekend edition of any paper. I'd appreciate any help you can send my way. Thanks!
Apr 9th, 2003, 03:22 AM
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I have used (with good success), the consolidator named: 1stair.net.....They are based in Jamaica NY and have a good route network for Asia and Europe....<BR><BR>I think they are probably "marginally" better for Asia, but I have used them for biz class tix to Europe....Cost was about 2000$.....They actual used a "hidden city" approach and routed me out of / back to Montreal, even tho my desired route was ORD-LHR...<BR><BR>best wishes for a great trip!! Dave
Apr 10th, 2003, 01:22 PM
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Apr 17th, 2003, 11:21 AM
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Be careful of the "hidden city" consolidator. It is illegal and if the airlines find out a consolidator has used this method to secure a fare, they will flag your itinerary as "fraudulant" and you will be denied boarding.
Apr 17th, 2003, 03:27 PM
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Pet Peeve Alert!<BR><BR>>It is illegal ...<BR><BR>NO! It is NOT illegal. There are no laws in this or any other country prohibiting this.<BR><BR>It IS against the rules of many airlines and they have the right not to honor the ticket. Net result is the same, but please don't go giving a company's operating rules the weight of law.
May 7th, 2003, 12:15 PM
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What is a "hidden city" ticket anyway? I have been using a consolidator in Washington by phone for years now for Europe tickets and have never had a problem. The tickets are issued from the airline as normal and they Fed Ex or Courier them to me. They just buy a bunch of seats at a good rate and are able to sell them a little cheaper and in some cases a lot cheaper. This is not illegal by any means. This "hidden city" thing might be illegal. That is why I am curious what it is and how you can identify it. Can you put some light on that subject Sister2?
Thanks.
Thanks.
May 7th, 2003, 12:34 PM
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Hidden City is a term used when you are ticketed for travel to a city but you are not actually going to travel there.Hence the term "hidden".It is "illegal" in the realm of airlines rules.It is NOT against the laws of the USA.It can be done on a domestic ticket as well as international tickets.For example.You want to travel from Seattle to Dallas.And lets say that whoever is issuing your ticket (consolidator/TA/whomever) knows that a fare from Seattle to San Antonio changing plans in Dallas is cheaper than just a Seattle to Dallas.So they issue a Seattle to SanAntonio ticket.You get off the plane in Dallas with no intention of continuing on to SanAntonio.There used to be a fare LA to Taipei thru Hong Kong several hundred dollars less expensive than a direct flight.So you buy to Taipei get off the plane in Hong Kong and go about your bizness with again no intention of going to Taipei.Thats it in a nutshell.
May 7th, 2003, 12:50 PM
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What I do not understand about the "hidden city" ticket is what happens when you return? If the airline picks up on it, wouldn't they just cancel your return itinerary. ie: you buy a ticket Seattle to San Antonio via Dallas and get off in Dallas. But on the way back, they see that you did not travel on the San Antonio to Dallas portion of the ticket. It is my understanding that the Dallas to Seattle portion would automatically be canceled as a result of missing the first flight.
May 7th, 2003, 01:01 PM
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SFer,
You are correct. If you did not continue on to your final destination, and then try to do a return, you will be denied boarding, and your ticket will be cancelled. Otherwise everybody would be doing it all the time.
You are correct. If you did not continue on to your final destination, and then try to do a return, you will be denied boarding, and your ticket will be cancelled. Otherwise everybody would be doing it all the time.
May 7th, 2003, 01:03 PM
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SFer
Correctomundo!! The "hidden city" ticket usually works on a one way basis.So you are absolutley correct.If you "no show" any segment of your itinerary,the remainder will be cancelled.But if all that's left is the Dallas to SA,you are cancelled as a no show but, so what??Another usual hidden city has been Barcelona.You buy a ticket SF to London to barcelona.You are only going to LON. You get off the plane.Voila!!I personally dont buy hidden city tickets.I buy cheap round trip simple tickets
Correctomundo!! The "hidden city" ticket usually works on a one way basis.So you are absolutley correct.If you "no show" any segment of your itinerary,the remainder will be cancelled.But if all that's left is the Dallas to SA,you are cancelled as a no show but, so what??Another usual hidden city has been Barcelona.You buy a ticket SF to London to barcelona.You are only going to LON. You get off the plane.Voila!!I personally dont buy hidden city tickets.I buy cheap round trip simple tickets
May 7th, 2003, 01:16 PM
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Thanks AAFrequentFlyer and BeachBoi. I thought that it could only be done on a one way basis. I figured that the airlines would pick up on it on the return. I guess that you can't really blame them.
I am also a loyal American Airlines flyer. Let's just keep our fingers crossed that they can avoid bankruptcy. Thank goodness that Preseident and CEO Don Carty was forced to resign. What a corrupt moron.
I am also a loyal American Airlines flyer. Let's just keep our fingers crossed that they can avoid bankruptcy. Thank goodness that Preseident and CEO Don Carty was forced to resign. What a corrupt moron.
