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Back Again!
ChrisCrossings · March 30, 2000

This back-to-back ticketing debate is starting to resemble a game of ping-pong. It must end eventually, and I can think of no better person to conclude the discussion than the same person who started it - the infamous Joe Luehrmann. Here he is with the final word on ticketing tricks:

Q: I have had travel agents book back-to-backs tickets for me. Most of the corporate travel agents that I have worked with will do that for me. However, most of the "holier than thou" agents that protest a lot realize that it reduced their commissions.

Having said that, I would like to respond to those complainants who say booking back-to-back tickets is immoral.

First, assume I take a flight from St. Louis to Los Angeles. I purchase a ticket leaving on Nov. 14 and returning Nov. 26. There is nothing on the contract that is provided to the customer either by the agent or by the airline that forbids me from entering into another contract with that carrier, much less another carrier for air transportation during the period of the first contract. If any of my opponents wants to show me that, I would be happy to be corrected.

Second, the Macy's example is comparing apples to oranges. An airline might sell a coach ticket on the same route for twenty different prices. Every time that I have bought a suit at Macy's, there is one price on the suit, whether I buy that suit the day before a big interview or a month before it. If the suit goes on sale within 30 days, they will often give me an adjustment to the lower price. In fact, if Macy's would charge businessmen $40 per shirt and people who intend to wear the shirt for leisure $25, how long would they be in business?

Third, operating costs, not ticket prices, dictate airline profits. If you review the 10-K reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission for the most recent quarter, you will find that Southwest Airlines which offers the lowest fares on average generates greater operating income as a percentage of revenues than say, US Airways.

Finally, Henderson's point about contracts also doesn't hold water. Whenever I sign a contract for a lease, an operating agreement, or an employment contract the party states in writing the terms of the agreement prior to the signing. Even software companies ask you to review the text of the agreement prior to use or in some cases, the opening of the package. When is the last time that you received a copy of this mythical contract with the airlines prior to purchasing the ticket? Many of the airline rules, quite frankly, would be laughed out of court if challenged.

-- Joe Luehrmann

A: Joe, thanks for the letter. I'm sure that your answer will give our readers more to think about. I'm disappointed with many of the answers to last week's column, too.

Several readers suggested that airlines weren't just penalizing travel agents for booking back-to-back tickets, but travelers as well. However, when I followed up with the agents who claimed that airlines were punishing their customers, I found no evidence to support the claims.

I find such tactics disingenuous at best and dishonest at worst. By saying 'Oh, we're not the only ones who will get in trouble for a back-to-back itinerary,' travel agents are trying to vilify airlines more than they deserve to be.

I mean, it's bad enough that carriers cut their commissions down to their current substandard rates, but leveling charges against the airlines that are unprovable in order to make them look even worse? I'd say the airline industry looks bad enough already. No need to bend the truth and beat a horse that, if it isn't dead, is on its last leg.

If I'm wrong, then of course I would be willing to make a public correction. Unitl then, I put the challenge out to every travel agent reading this column: Show me one client who has been punished by an airline for booking a back-to-back, and I'll take it all back. Right here. In this very column. I don't think it's going to happen. And until it does, I stand by my advice that a back-to-back ticket is a viable option for the traveler that should be considered when trying to save money.

Christopher Elliott's column appears on Thursdays. All e-mailed questions to ChrisCrossings become property of Ticked.com and may be edited, condensed or republished at the site's discretion. You may reach Elliott at chris@ticked.com. Or visit his home page at http://www.elliott.org.