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Hidden-City Ticketing.

http://matrix.itasoftware.com/

Using

Searching a one-way from LGA-CLE on 07/06 comes up $500 for a nonstop.
To find a hidden-city ticket:
Search for a one-way from LGA::CLE and then going to CLE and cities within 300 miles and it will come up with the same non-stop flight (along with a throw-away leg to PIT) for $140.
Just don't do it too often and don't check luggage!

There's lots of other useful codes if people want similar demonstrations.
« Last edited by elikay on September 13, 2014, 09:48:55 PM »

Author Topic: ITA Code Lesson #1: Hidden-City Ticketing.  (Read 51398 times)

Offline Dan

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ITA Code Lesson #1: Hidden-City Ticketing.
« on: June 30, 2010, 12:47:06 AM »
Code lesson #1: Hidden-City Ticketing.

http://matrix1.itasoftware.com/cvg/dispatch/guest

Using

Searching a one-way from LGA-CLE on 07/06 comes up $500 for a nonstop.
To find a hidden-city ticket:
Search for a one-way from LGA::CLE and then going to CLE and cities within 300 miles and it will come up with the same non-stop flight (along with a throw-away leg to PIT) for $140.
Just don't do it too often and don't check luggage!

There's lots of other useful codes if people want similar demonstrations.
« Last Edit: February 28, 2011, 09:28:29 AM by Dan »
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Offline aussiebochur

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Re: Using ITA Codes.
« Reply #1 on: June 30, 2010, 02:28:12 AM »
There is a massive thread on FT with these kind of things but you have you have to read 100's of posts to try and understand the codes they use.

Offline youG

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Re: Using ITA Codes.
« Reply #2 on: June 30, 2010, 08:34:19 AM »
Wow very cool! Is there a way to do it for round trips?

Offline steve2

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Re: Using ITA Codes.
« Reply #3 on: June 30, 2010, 10:36:41 AM »
Wow very cool! Is there a way to do it for round trips?

 sure its called Rinse and Repeat

 so per Dans post lets say the hidden city was FNT(Flint ,Mi) so for the way there t would be LGA-CLE-FNT with you walking away at CLE , you cant do a r/t since you never will be at FNT so for the return do CLE::LGA and find hopefully something from LGA to say BOS and walk away at LGA

 most people do an honest tkt to their final destination and only a hidden city for the way back, otherwise you are pushing it by doing 2 hidden citys which if caught and Yes people do get caught at times , its alot harder to justify why your trip had 2 hiddens to hit, alot easier when theres just 1. you would also have to book each as 1 ways which usually but not always will cost more then a r/t.

thats why the hidden city is usally the last segment of the whole trip which was purchased as a r/t, but 2 1 ways at times will price out the same as a r/t so then a person can do 2 1 ways

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Re: Using ITA Codes.
« Reply #4 on: June 30, 2010, 10:41:53 AM »
you would also have to book each as 1 ways which usually but not always will cost more then a r/t.
It rarely cost more to book 2 oneways on dowestic
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Offline Dan

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Re: Using ITA Codes.
« Reply #5 on: June 30, 2010, 10:53:37 AM »
It rarely cost more to book 2 oneways on dowestic
It depends on the market.  In CLE a RT on CO is always cheaper than a OW except on routes that directly compete with Southwest like ORD or BWI.
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Offline Dan

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Re: Using ITA Codes.
« Reply #6 on: June 30, 2010, 10:54:20 AM »
There is a massive thread on FT with these kind of things but you have you have to read 100's of posts to try and understand the codes they use.

Yup, I figured I'd just take 1 at a time and give a practical use for it.
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Offline aussiebochur

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Re: Using ITA Codes.
« Reply #7 on: June 30, 2010, 11:07:35 AM »
Yup, I figured I'd just take 1 at a time and give a practical use for it.
Plan on divulging everything?

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Re: Using ITA Codes.
« Reply #8 on: June 30, 2010, 11:52:30 AM »
Dan,

You surely wouldn't advise using your FF number on this type of flight, no?  Would you think you could get away with it once and have the miles post (say, with a reasonable excuse), or would it be worth risking having your account frozen?

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Re: Using ITA Codes.
« Reply #9 on: June 30, 2010, 05:34:54 PM »
Dan,

You surely wouldn't advise using your FF number on this type of flight, no?  Would you think you could get away with it once and have the miles post (say, with a reasonable excuse), or would it be worth risking having your account frozen?


i really dont think they will freeze your account for that
« Last Edit: June 30, 2010, 06:18:59 PM by Dan »

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Re: Using ITA Codes.
« Reply #10 on: June 30, 2010, 06:00:22 PM »
Code lesson #1: Hidden-City Ticketing.

http://matrix.itasoftware.com

Searching a one-way from LGA-CLE on 07/06 comes up $500 for a nonstop.
To find a hidden-city ticket:
Search for a one-way from LGA::CLE and then going to CLE and cities within 300 miles and it will come up with the same non-stop flight (along with a throw-away leg to PIT) for $140.
Just don't do it too often and don't check luggage!

There's lots of other useful codes if people want similar demonstrations.
that's great.  more demonstrations please


is there any way to pick that the stopover should be in cle or do you just have to skim through the results until you find one with a stopover in cle?

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Re: Using ITA Codes.
« Reply #11 on: June 30, 2010, 06:10:51 PM »
that's great.  more demonstrations please


is there any way to pick that the stopover should be in cle or do you just have to skim through the results until you find one with a stopover in cle?
You don't seem to pay attention
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Offline Dan

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Re: Using ITA Codes.
« Reply #12 on: June 30, 2010, 06:19:32 PM »
that's great.  more demonstrations please


is there any way to pick that the stopover should be in cle or do you just have to skim through the results until you find one with a stopover in cle?
Did you try it? Every stopover shown is in CLE with that code!
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Re: Using ITA Codes.
« Reply #13 on: June 30, 2010, 06:31:49 PM »
Please tell us more this is so cool!!!

Offline yare

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Re: Using ITA Codes.
« Reply #14 on: June 30, 2010, 06:43:33 PM »
lol, i did it without putting in the code.   just switched from non stop to 1 stop and then looked through for the cle stopover...   code is certainly much easier

when does it pay to look for hidden city ticks in general?  short hop domestic, trans-atl. etc?

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Re: Using ITA Codes.
« Reply #15 on: June 30, 2010, 06:51:48 PM »
lol, i did it without putting in the code.   just switched from non stop to 1 stop and then looked through for the cle stopover...   code is certainly much easier

but then you have to put in the cities within 300 miles and find cheapest with stopover now that Dan wrote pit made it easier but with this code you don't have to !!

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Re: Using ITA Codes.
« Reply #16 on: June 30, 2010, 07:41:54 PM »
lol, i did it without putting in the code.   just switched from non stop to 1 stop and then looked through for the cle stopover...   code is certainly much easier

when does it pay to look for hidden city ticks in general?  short hop domestic, trans-atl. etc?
My experience tells me transcontinental (lax-ewr, add a leg to bos or rdu), and very short haul, (phl to nyc, add a leg to rdu).
I'm assuming the reason being that the trans-con. is usually alot more expensive for a non-stop, and so is a short haul.

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Re: Using ITA Codes.
« Reply #17 on: July 02, 2010, 10:08:28 AM »

Offline Dan

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Re: Using ITA Codes.
« Reply #18 on: July 02, 2010, 10:17:33 AM »
Save your time, I don't answer PM. Post it in the forum and a dedicated DDF'er will get back to you as soon as possible.

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Re: Using ITA Codes.
« Reply #19 on: July 05, 2010, 05:45:48 PM »
Not accurate. For example dtw::nyc to nyc (including airports within 300 miles) on aug 4 the best fare is 561 on co to iad with a stop in ewr however if you check dtw::nyc to bwi then the best is 106 on co even though the original search should include bwi which is closer to nyc then iad is and under 300 miles