Yesterday we discussed that hidden city ticketing is when you get off the plane before reaching your final ticket destination. Part 2 of this blog, courtesy of View From the Wing, will discuss how to utilize this information to save money on airfare.
Begin your search by selecting one-way using ITA Software Matrix (Remember the July 5, 2012 blog). Then specify your real starting city, and then let the system find fares to a variety of cities that you know to be generally cheap, and might connect through the city you actually want to go to. Allow your search to include other airports within 300 miles of the one you specified too, why not? To make it easier, limit the search by specifying my connecting point as the city I want to go to.
The cities you’ll try depend on what’s in the same general region of the country as where you’re actually going . So here’s a real world example. Flying DC to Phoenix almost three months from now non-stop on US Airways without a Saturday night stay is pricing at $1574!
But searching for DC through Phoenix to Long Beach, Orange County, Tucson, Oakland, San Jose, and Las Vegas I stumble upon the DC-Phoenix flight I want (combined with a Tucson flight I don’t) for $159.
And searching for Phoenix through DC to Charlotte, Raleigh, Orlando, Jacksonville, Atlanta, Providence, Boston, and New York LaGuardia I stumble upon the Phoenix – DC non-stop flight that I want (combined with a connecting flight to Providence or New York LaGuardia that I don’t) for $186.
We see that the $1574 itinerary can be purchased for $345.
Just remember if you plan to use this technique to follow all the guidelines in the August 31, 2012 blog.
Just remember if you plan to use this technique to follow all the guidelines in the August 31, 2012 blog.
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