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posted by martyb on Thursday February 14 2019, @12:11AM   Printer-friendly
from the getting-a-leg-up dept.

Lufthansa sues passenger who skipped his flight

A method commonly used by airline passengers to get cheaper fares is at the center of a court row between a German airline and one of its customers.

Lufthansa has taken a passenger, who didn't show up for the last leg of his ticketed journey, to court in an apparent bid to clamp down on "hidden city" ticketing. The practice involves passengers leaving their journey at a layover point, instead of making a final connection.

For instance, someone flying from New York to San Francisco could book a cheaper trip from New York to Lake Tahoe with a layover in San Francisco and get off there, without bothering to take the last leg of the flight.

The unnamed passenger skipped a flight from Frankfurt to Oslo and flew using a separate Lufthansa reservation from Frankfurt to Berlin instead. Lufthansa is calling this a violation of their terms and conditions and has sued the passenger for €2,112 ($2,386).

This method does not work if you have checked bags, and other people have reported retaliation from airlines for the practice.

Also at Fortune and Popular Mechanics.

See also: Airlines hate 'hidden city ticketing,' but it's still one of the best ways to save a ton on your flights — if you know how to do it
Travel Site CEO's Reddit AMA Backfires When Redditors Turn on Him


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  • (Score: -1, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 14 2019, @12:43AM (8 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 14 2019, @12:43AM (#800804)

    My pet peeve.
    In this age of computized ticketing there is no excuse for it. So when the airline complains about something like this, time to bring out the tiny violin.

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  • (Score: 2) by bob_super on Thursday February 14 2019, @12:56AM (6 children)

    by bob_super (1357) on Thursday February 14 2019, @12:56AM (#800809)

    > In this age of computized ticketing there is no excuse for it.

    That depends on when you're asking for a refund.
    If people can cancel without harm, they do it a lot. As late as possible.
    The airline isn't sure to fill those seats, since other people were already told to go buy elsewhere, because the plane is full (or the price went up for the last seats).
    Net loss for the airline.

    • (Score: 2) by sjames on Thursday February 14 2019, @01:23AM (2 children)

      by sjames (2882) on Thursday February 14 2019, @01:23AM (#800818) Journal

      The people doing this aren't asking for a refund at all.

      • (Score: 2) by bob_super on Thursday February 14 2019, @01:47AM (1 child)

        by bob_super (1357) on Thursday February 14 2019, @01:47AM (#800827)

        OP has deviated a bit, and is griping about ... well, check the title.
        I'm just answering that topic

        • (Score: 2) by sjames on Thursday February 14 2019, @02:59AM

          by sjames (2882) on Thursday February 14 2019, @02:59AM (#800852) Journal

          That makes sense. I was reading your reply as an answer to the second part of OP while you were replying to the first part.

          I can see why a ticket would be non-refundable, but I would add only if you're allowed to sell it to someone else.

    • (Score: 5, Informative) by Snotnose on Thursday February 14 2019, @01:24AM

      by Snotnose (1623) on Thursday February 14 2019, @01:24AM (#800819)

      If people can cancel without harm, they do it a lot. As late as possible.

      He didn't cancel without harm. He paid for a ticket he didn't use. Not like he's asking for a refund for the flight he didn't take.

      Fuck the airlines, it's their own greedy pricing algorithms that make this a thing. It's stupid from all sides, but don't blame me when I realize it's cheaper to book an A -> B-> C flight for cheaper than the A -> B that I want, so I just get off at B and call it a day.

      --
      Why shouldn't we judge a book by it's cover? It's got the author, title, and a summary of what the book's about.
    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 14 2019, @03:06AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 14 2019, @03:06AM (#800854)

      "If people can cancel without harm, they do it a lot. As late as possible."

      It's a no cost "option" of course you should use it. Cancellation fees are simply options for services that have a cost

    • (Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 14 2019, @06:12AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 14 2019, @06:12AM (#800898)

      shilling hard everyday, eh, "bob_super"?

  • (Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Thursday February 14 2019, @03:07AM

    by JoeMerchant (3937) on Thursday February 14 2019, @03:07AM (#800856)

    If we're lucky, this is some reverse psychology move by Lufthansa to establish legal precedent that it's alright to buy and use hidden city discount fares.

    --
    🌻🌻 [google.com]