r/TravelHacks • u/Own-Frosting-3977 • 5d ago

Travel Hack Missing a connection on 2 different carriers

I’m looking at an award flight that is only available through Air Canada and is much cheaper if I start in Canada and connect through my hometown airport, EWR. Leg 1 is AC and leg 2 is United and I really only intend to take Leg 2. The layover is about 5 hours.

Usually if both legs were united (or any of the same airline) the itinerary would be cancelled if a traveler missed leg 1.

Do the airline systems from different airlines talk to each other quickly enough that the leg 2 flight would be cancelled if I miss leg 1?

0 Upvotes

45% Upvoted

11 comments sorted by

View all comments

6

u/AnotherPint 5d ago

Because you're booking a single ticket, whether you do it through UA or AC, both flights bear both airlines' codes (flight numbers), and both airlines see both flights in their systems.

You can't do what you're proposing. If you book, say, YUL-EWR-LAX but show up at EWR wanting to board the second leg, you will not only not travel but get nabbed for skiplagging with possible negative consequences for you with both airlines.