Bob Cowen used to save as much as 60 percent on the price of an airline ticket between Boston and Detroit by tacking an extra leg onto his trip. But when Northwest Airlines discovered that the Michigan native left the airport in Detroit without connecting to Columbus-traveling on what’s called a “hidden city” itinerary-it threatened to dock him all his frequent-flier miles and charge his employer the highest full-fare price for the business trip.
Cowen learned the hard way that modern-day airline tickets come with strings firmly attached. Most tickets can’t be transferred to another person, for example, and travelers who can’t stay over a Saturday usually pay plenty more than those who do. In the past year, however, airlines have stepped up their battle against travelers who have come up with creative ways to skirt the rules. According to Bob Moss, an airline analyst with Travel Intelligence in Newton, Mass., airlines are tracking the movements of travelers such as Cowen; in almost every reported case, the airlines promised to strip the passengers of their mileage benefits if they didn’t stop abusing their tickets.
Airlines are also targeting travel agents who try to get customers cheaper fares by skirting the ticket rules. Helpful agents have found themselves on the receiving end of bills from the airlines charging them the difference between the cheap but illegal fares and the more expensive legal ones.
But a backlash against the airlines has begun. Consumer groups and Congress-and even smaller airlines looking to grab a bigger share of the market-are pressuring the major carriers to relax the rules governing how tickets are used. One domestic flier, Spirit Airlines, based in Miramar, Fla., lets travelers transfer tickets to another person. At least two others, Southwest and JetBlue, have adopted simplified fare and ticket structures that in some cases would have made flight plans such as Cowen’s hidden-city scheme perfectly acceptable. In a surprise move, United Airlines earlier this month lifted Saturday-night requirements on its routes be- tween Chicago and such major markets as New York, Washington, and Los Angeles.
Revolting. Why the new permissiveness? United and other major airlines are finding they can’t ignore the competition from the low-fare carriers. They’re also facing a revolt from business travelers who are balking at a fare structure-dictated by the Saturday stay-over rule-that forces them to pay hundreds and at times even thousands of dollars more per ticket than a leisure traveler. And with business travel already slumping as the economy stalls, others may have to copy United. “This could be a permanent change,” says Kevin Mitchell, chair of the Business Travel Coalition, an advocacy group for corporate travelers.
That would be big news for travelers like Tim King, a radio traffic reporter in Pittsburgh, who often face an unsavory choice: Buy a legal but expensive airline ticket or lie and get a less expensive fare. King hasn’t let guilt keep him from bending the rules. “Airlines routinely lie to me about maintenance, schedules, and reasons for delays-everything short of the true color of the sky,” he says. “Why should I suddenly play fair with them?”
Bob Cowen used to save as much as 60 percent on the price of an airline ticket between Boston and Detroit by tacking an extra leg onto his trip. But when Northwest Airlines discovered that the Michigan native left the airport in Detroit without connecting to Columbus-traveling on what’s called a “hidden city” itinerary-it threatened to dock him all his frequent-flier miles and charge his employer the highest full-fare price for the business trip.
Cowen learned the hard way that modern-day airline tickets come with strings firmly attached. Most tickets can’t be transferred to another person, for example, and travelers who can’t stay over a Saturday usually pay plenty more than those who do. In the past year, however, airlines have stepped up their battle against travelers who have come up with creative ways to skirt the rules. According to Bob Moss, an airline analyst with Travel Intelligence in Newton, Mass., airlines are tracking the movements of travelers such as Cowen; in almost every reported case, the airlines promised to strip the passengers of their mileage benefits if they didn’t stop abusing their tickets.
Airlines are also targeting travel agents who try to get customers cheaper fares by skirting the ticket rules. Helpful agents have found themselves on the receiving end of bills from the airlines charging them the difference between the cheap but illegal fares and the more expensive legal ones.
But a backlash against the airlines has begun. Consumer groups and Congress-and even smaller airlines looking to grab a bigger share of the market-are pressuring the major carriers to relax the rules governing how tickets are used. One domestic flier, Spirit Airlines, based in Miramar, Fla., lets travelers transfer tickets to another person. At least two others, Southwest and JetBlue, have adopted simplified fare and ticket structures that in some cases would have made flight plans such as Cowen’s hidden-city scheme perfectly acceptable. In a surprise move, United Airlines earlier this month lifted Saturday-night requirements on its routes be- tween Chicago and such major markets as New York, Washington, and Los Angeles.
Revolting. Why the new permissiveness? United and other major airlines are finding they can’t ignore the competition from the low-fare carriers. They’re also facing a revolt from business travelers who are balking at a fare structure-dictated by the Saturday stay-over rule-that forces them to pay hundreds and at times even thousands of dollars more per ticket than a leisure traveler. And with business travel already slumping as the economy stalls, others may have to copy United. “This could be a permanent change,” says Kevin Mitchell, chair of the Business Travel Coalition, an advocacy group for corporate travelers.
That would be big news for travelers like Tim King, a radio traffic reporter in Pittsburgh, who often face an unsavory choice: Buy a legal but expensive airline ticket or lie and get a less expensive fare. King hasn’t let guilt keep him from bending the rules. “Airlines routinely lie to me about maintenance, schedules, and reasons for delays-everything short of the true color of the sky,” he says. “Why should I suddenly play fair with them?”
Christopher Elliott is the author of Scammed: How to Save Your Money and Find Better Service in a World of Schemes, Swindles, and Shady Deals. Critics have called it “eye-opening” and “inspiring” — it’ll “grab your attention and won’t let go.” Order your copy now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble or iTunes.
Elliott is consumer advocate 
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