trans pacific stopover

[upupandaway]

Hi Everyone

I have a trip to South America coming up: MEL-SYD-PPT-IPC-SCL-SYD.

The final leg of the journey is booked on LA801 SCL-SYD. This plane stops in AKL and I wish to travel with some friends in New Zealand for a few weeks. Howver, I have received conflicting reports about whether I will be able to disembark the plane in AKL.

Is it possible to only check in for the SCL-AKL leg when at the airport in Santiago? Has anyone done anything similar to this in the past? I will of course have proof of onward travel with a separate flight from AKL-MEL and am fully aware that the remaining AKL-SYD leg would go unused.

Any advice appreciated.

 

[bigjobs]

one time i flew LAX - AKL - BNE. i wanted to stop in NZ for about a week on this trip so when i booked the ticket i made sure that i flew LAX - AKL on XXdate and then 7 days later flew AKL - BNE. it was all booked as one ticket/fare.

i suspect the rules of the fair i was on allowed this sort of stopover. it was a J class fare.

i guess it will depend on your fare type and rules etc.

 

[NM]

If you have purchased the ticket as SCL-SYD then you cannot break the journey in AKL without having the ticket re-issued. Then it depends on whether the fare you have purchased will permit a stopover.

The agent will not tag your bags to AKL if your ticket says SCL-SYD.

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

Welcome to AFF upupandaway

Since your ticket currently shows SCL-SYD you would need to get it changed to have SCL-AKL on a separate coupon from AKL-SYD. It depends on the fare rules as to if you can do this, and any extra cost.

It may turn out to be easier and cheaper to fly to SYD as ticketed and get a separate ticket from SYD to AKL (or elsewhere in NZ).

 

[upupandaway]

Thanks everyone for your responses.

The fare is in S class, not sure about the rules of the fare. How do i find these out?

Additionally, if i was to carry on all my baggage (I travel light!) and just hopped off the plane to go through customs and immigration (rather than a transit lounge) with an australian passport and an onward ticket, would I have any issues?

It seems silly to fly all the way to SYD then buy another SYD-AKL ticket when the plane stops there anyway!

Thanks again

 

[bfmi]

Additionally, if i was to carry on all my baggage (I travel light!) and just hopped off the plane to go through customs and immigration (rather than a transit lounge) with an australian passport and an onward ticket, would I have any issues?

Don't do this...If you were to do this you have no valid coupon electronic/paper when you front up to fly on AKL/SYD. Thus no flight and no refund applicable either.

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

Additionally, if i was to carry on all my baggage (I travel light!) and just hopped off the plane to go through customs and immigration (rather than a transit lounge) with an australian passport and an onward ticket, would I have any issues?

Don't do this...If you were to do this you have no valid coupon electronic/paper when you front up to fly on AKL/SYD. Thus no flight and no refund applicable either.

The OP doesnt intend flying AKL-SYD on that ticket. However if you no-show for the AKL-SYD leg you will inconvenience the airline and other pax while they search the airport for you. There is a (small?) risk the airline may reprice the ticket as MEL-SYD-PPT-IPC-SCL-AKL which could be more expensive and thus chase you for additional fare owing.

More importantly, I expect you would get questioned by NZ immigration since the airline supplies a list of all arriving pax and you wont be on it (since you've been issued boarding pass to SYD not to AKL). You may be held for questioning or refused entry to NZ. For this reason I would not recommend just getting off the a/c (all pax deplane at AKL) and not getting back on, at least not unless I had changed my ticket.

 

[NM]

Thanks everyone for your responses.

The fare is in S class, not sure about the rules of the fare. How do i find these out?

Relevant part of fare rules for LA S class return fare SYD-SCL-SYD

FARE BASIS CODE
SLELE776

BK CODE
S -

PENALTY
CANCELLATIONS BEFORE DEPARTURE TICKET IS NON-REFUNDABLE. AFTER DEPARTURE TICKET IS NON-REFUNDABLE. CHANGES BEFORE DEPARTURE APPLICABLE ALL SEGMENTS CHARGE AUD 130.00. CHILD/INFANT DISCOUNTS APPLY. AFTER DEPARTURE APPLICABLE ALL SEGMENTS CHARGE AUD 260.00. CHILD/INFANT DISCOUNTS APPLY. NOTE - BEFORE DEPARTURE APPLIES- BEFORE DEPARTURE DATE. AFTER DEPARTURE APPLIES- ON/AFTER DEPARTURE DATE. --- NOTE - CANCELACIONES ANTES DEL DIA DE SALIDA DE CADA SEGMENTO - BOLETO NO PERMITE DEVOLUCION. DESDE EL DIA DE SALIDA DE CADA SEGMENTO - BOLETO NO PERMITE DEVOLUCION. . CAMBIOS ANTES DEL DIA DE SALIDA DE CADA SEGMENTO - APLICA AUD 130 POR CAMBIOS. APLICA DESCUENTO DE NINOS E INFANTES.. DESDE EL DIA DE SALIDA DE CADA SEGMENTO - APLICA AUD 260 POR CAMBIOS. APLICA DESCUENTO DE NINOS E INFANTES.. ///

Additionally, if i was to carry on all my baggage (I travel light!) and just hopped off the plane to go through customs and immigration (rather than a transit lounge) with an australian passport and an onward ticket, would I have any issues?

How do you propose getting back to SYD? Your LA ticket will now be invalid and you will need to purchase a one-way AKL-SYD ticket to get home.

It seems silly to fly all the way to SYD then buy another SYD-AKL ticket when the plane stops there anyway!

Perhaps this is something you should have considered when making the original booking. The fare quote above includes the provision for a stopover of desired:

STOPOVERS
A FREE STOPOVER IS PERMITTED. A STOPOVER OCCURS WHEN THE PASSENGER DOES NOT DEPART AN INTERMEDIATE POINT WITHIN 24 HOURS. *** 2 STOPOVERS PERMITTED - 1 IN EACH DIRECTION LIMITED TO 1 FREE AND 1 AT AUD 100.00. CHILD/INFANT DISCOUNTS APPLY. NOTE - /// 2 PARADAS INTERMEDIAS PERMITIDAS. 1 SIN CARGO Y 1 A AUD 100. APLICA DESCUENTO PARA NINOS E INFANTES. /// WILL NOT OUT PRICE...

But now that the ticket has been issued, and travel commenced, with the sector marked as SCL-SYD, you must have the ticket re-issued in order to have the stopover. My reading of the penalties section indicates it will cost you $260 to make the change, and some places may charge you an additional fee to do it.

 

[QF WP]

But now that the ticket has been issued, and travel commenced...

NM, the OP (upupandaway) in their original post said:

I have a trip to South America coming up

so from my reading they are yet to commence the trip. Therefore, thus shouldn't this part of the fare rules apply:

CHANGES BEFORE DEPARTURE APPLICABLE ALL SEGMENTS CHARGE AUD 130.00.

Thus I agree with your assertion that if they want to reissue the ticket and change the SCL/SYD coupon to two coupons (SCL/AKL and AKL/SYD), then it's $260 to be charged (plus other possible fees by TA).

 

[NM]

But now that the ticket has been issued, and travel commenced...

NM, the OP (upupandaway) in their original post said:

I have a trip to South America coming up

In that case you are correct.

 

[upupandaway]

I've spoken to the good folk at lan chile. They are telling me that becuase the fare is in S class and is not an exclusive LA fare, but rather LA/QF/TN, it means that only two stopovers are permitted in addition to SCL, which in this case is IPC and PPT on the outbound trip. Thus stopovers are not permitted in AKL when coming home Or are they pulling my leg?

We depart SYD 17/4.

So my thinking is that it is either a case of buying an additional SYD-AKL-MEL ($550?), or hoping that somehow we can get off the plane in AKL in the firstplace, then buy an AKL-MEL to get home ($250?)

Does anyone think it is still feasible that it would be possible to get a boarding pass for AKL while checking in at SCL? And if I did this, would i lose my FF points for SCL-AKL as well?

 

[QF WP]

Come on, that can't be right :shock: ..I'm never right :roll:...are you sure :?:

It seems silly to fly all the way to SYD then buy another SYD-AKL ticket when the plane stops there anyway!

I agree, but you entered into a contract to purchase a discounted ticket with flights to certain cities (your offer) and they accepted the fare on certain conditions. You bound the contract by paying. Now you want to vary the contract, so they will allow you to vary however they have variation expenses. Simple.

uberrimae fides (latin phrase for "let the buyer beware")...you should always investigate these things before you buy, rather than afterwards :idea:

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

Unless you have reticketed to SCL-AKL then you wont get a boarding pass to AKL. However everyone deplanes at AKL so getting off the plane isnt the issue.

Where I believe you'll run into significant problems is trying to get through immigration.

 

[QF WP]

are they pulling my leg

No, if that's the clauses of the contract (ticket) then the are sticking by their bound contract.

So my thinking is that it is either a case of buying an additional SYD-AKL-MEL ($550?),

That's the only way you're going to be able to get to AKL...

Does anyone think it is still feasible that it would be possible to get a boarding pass for AKL while checking in at SCL?

Absolutely not feasible, quite impossible. You will be issued a BP for SYD as that is the coupon in your ticket. Any bags will hopefully join you in SYD. No CSA would issue you with a BP to AKL as that would be breaching their duty to their employer, the airline and would probably result in their suspension/dismissal. If you tried to go through customs in AKL, you'll be refused and only increase the risk of putting a black mark against your passport for the future - do you really think all of this is worth it??

And if I did this, would i lose my FF points for SCL-AKL as well?

Just fly SCL/SYD and get those points. If you want to go to AKL, then you'll book another ticket and get the points on that as well.

 

[NM]

The quote I included from the fare rules specifically states max of 2 stopovers. If you are stopping more than 24 hours in IPC and PPT, then they are your two stopvers in addition to the turnaround point of SCL.

 

[upupandaway]

That's the only way you're going to be able to get to AKL...


Wrong. Thankfully there are some less rigid folk still working in the airline industry. The Lan office in La Paz were only to happy to separate my ticket to SCL-AKL (LA) and AKL-SYD (QF). They reprinted a new one on the spot for no charge.

Thank you Lindsay for your elegant lesson in Latin. Quid quid latine dictum sit, altum videtur. Sapiens nihil affirmat quod non probat.

 

[Mal]

Good to see things worked out for you, however I feel someone bent the rules for you to have this happen (unless of course the fare rules on your ticket allowed the changes/stopover for free. Even in this case, you probably should have been charged a small change fee).

Enjoy your time in AKL. A nice city.