10 Ways to Game the Airlines

By Harry Kimball,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 18, 2009 7:34 PM CDT
10 Ways to Game the Airlines
Travelers queue up at the ticketing counter for Continental Airlines at Denver International Airport.   (AP Photo)

Airlines offer more than you know—and would rather you didn't know about it. The Chicago Tribune runs down a list of ways to benefit from airline secrets:

  • Complain early and often: Whatever the problem, "airlines tend to buy grouchy passengers off with frequent-flier miles."
  • Travel agents work magic: Want a first-class seat for coach fare, or a code on your ticket that automatically upgrades your seat? Call an agency.

  • Wait until the gate: Upgrades to first-class at the ticket counter may be pricey at $500 or so, "but it's a LOT cheaper than if you'd booked first class to begin with."
  • Travel agents again: Many of the best deals never reach online clearinghouses like Expedia. Agents "have access to net and consolidator fares that the discount sites do not."
  • Round trip is cheaper: Instead of buying a nearly $700 one-way return from a hunting trip, Antonin Scalia booked a $218 round-trip flight home. Take it from a Supreme Court justice.
  • Rule 240: Sounds top secret, "but really it's simple: If the airline can't get you where you're going on time, the airline MUST put you on a competitor's flight if it will get you there faster."
For the full list, click the link below.
(More air travel stories.)

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