Getting Charged for No Show Domestic Flights or banned from Priority Pass abuse?

Fat Horny Ghost on 23/08/2024 - 10:58
Last edited 23/08/2024 - 10:59

If I book multiple cheap flights over the course of a year and do not show up for most of them despite paying for the fare will I get charged a no show or be banned from the airline?

I have seen in some airline policies charge a no show fee, so a bit confused how that gets applied.

I live right next to the aiport and plan to use the unlimited priority pass within the aiport's restaurants and lounges which would get more value compared to a $100+ one way fare.

Would priority pass find out that I'm not going on some of the flights and ban me?

Travel

Related Stores

Priority Pass
Priority Pass

Comments

  • Trying2SaveABuck on 23/08/2024 - 11:03
    +47

    This post is why i love Ozbargin

  • altomic on 23/08/2024 - 11:04
    -1

    What do the terms and conditions say?

  • Hybroid on 23/08/2024 - 11:05
    +1

    It will of course depend on each airline but the 'no-show fee' is either a fee added on when you rebook your tickets (like an admin charge) or deducted when you refund your flight ticket (where applicable). You do not get automatically charged an additional penalty fee.

    A better option may be buying an easily flexible ticket so you can keep pushing it out further and futher with no additional fees maybe? Not sure if that would work with what you are proposing to do, check how late you can change flights.

  • scrambledeggs on 23/08/2024 - 11:06
    +50

    If you grab some cured meats from the lounge, you could BBQ them up in the local park (to save on gas/electricity) - might help save on the repayments for your high yield investment Audi! This one's going in the hall of fame for sure.

    • DashCam AKA Rolts on 23/08/2024 - 11:44
      +1

      That'd go well with the risotto.

    • spackbace on 23/08/2024 - 13:13

      This one's going in the hall of fame for sure.

      Nah, it's too lazy for that

    • starspawn on 23/08/2024 - 14:10

      Omg the park bbq guy, that had me choking

  • leiiv on 23/08/2024 - 11:14
    +4

    Do you need a boarding pass before you can get into the lounge?

  • Duckie2hh on 23/08/2024 - 11:15
    +7

    I live right next to the aiport and plan to use the unlimited priority pass within the aiport's restaurants and lounges which would get more value compared to a $100+ one way fare

    doubt.

    • Drakesy on 23/08/2024 - 11:22

      Agreed

    • freefall101 on 23/08/2024 - 12:51
      +11

      Just watch me as I drink $100+ of airport lounge coffee.

      It really doesn't add up. Most airport terminals have one or two restaurants available for Priority Pass and it's a $36 cap on spending per restaurant, at overpriced airport food prices. OP could go through all the restaurants and spend some time in the lounge to get to $100, but it'd take ages and involves being stuck in the airport for a long time. Maybe include taking the shuttles between terminals and munch down on some extra meals?

      And now I just feel silly that I clearly put more time into researching this idea than OP did (about 5 minutes).

      • Duckie2hh on 23/08/2024 - 13:55
        +2

        You took the bait.

      • Fat Horny Ghost on 24/08/2024 - 03:59

        Depends on the priority pass as some you can add +1 guests which doubles the value.

        So you get $72 credit to use per restaurant + lounge access.

        Terminals

        T2 Sydney - 2 restaurants ($144 credit) with 1 lounge +1 guest

        Brisbane Domestic - 4 restaurants ($288 credit)

        T2 Melbourne - 4 restaurants ($288 restaurant vouchers) with 3 lounges +1 guest

        Airport restaurants are all over priced overpriced by 15-50% based on experience to your average price in a restaurant.

        By factoring in over priced meals to make it more reasonable (let's say the true value is 50% of the original cost - i.e. Big breakfast was $25 now $14.50 or Grilled scotch fillet for $30 to $15.

        You will need to consider the credit you're getting is 50% less, so you're getting about the equivalent of $36 credit (around 2 cheap main meals per restaurant).

        My nearest terminal has 2 restaurants with 2 main meals = 4 main meals at around $15 = $60 value. You spend additional $20 per person for lounge access for alcoholic drinks, light snacks, coffee, wifi etc.

        This brings it exactly to $100 fair value.

        But considering that I enjoy drinking and have 3-5+ beers or wine on a good outing ($30-80).

        In total $130-$180 for food and drinks elsewhere for 2-3 people vs. $100 or less throwaway flight.

        Brisbane Domestic and Melbourne T2 Terminal's have 4 restaurants which offer in total about 8 main meals. I would consider a buffet 2-3 meals (that's about $33pp to eat till you puke + alcoholic drinks at Melbourne T2).

        Using flex booking and constantly changing the flights would likely get you banned and in a news article.

        But I was wondering if you can get banned/charged for continual no shows to abuse the priority pass (usually cheap domestic flights around $30-80 but $100 you will still get value based on the above).

        • redforever on 24/08/2024 - 07:00
          +1

          Melbourne T2 is the international terminal. The restaurants and lounges are airside and you need to clear immigration to get to them.

          The 20 dollars lounge co payment for premium alcohol is also only available in international terminal. You wont get 100 dollar international flight tickets and you will have a hard time trying to leave the airside area without flying.

          I believe the only lounge accessible under priority pass at domestic terminals is the rex lounge. Not sure if they are still operating with rex under administration.
          You are really only limited to the restaurants at domestic terminals.

        • Smol Cat on 24/08/2024 - 11:20

          You thinking half of $25 is $14.50 of “value” perfectly explains why you asked this cooked question in the first place.

          The true travesty is me wasting time reading these clearly s#itposts

        • freefall101 on 24/08/2024 - 11:43

          I feel really sorry for the poor soul you drag along with you.

          “Can I order a drink with my meal?” “Sorry, no, you need to wait until the airport lounge part of this date, where I get drunk to ensure I get value for money from this”.

          How’s the parking situation looking? Also, what value do you put on your time?

  • coffeeinmyveins on 23/08/2024 - 11:37

    I live right next to the aiport and plan to use the unlimited priority pass within the aiport's restaurants and lounges which would get more value compared to a $100+ one way fare.

    This is dead in the water because you need a boarding pass to use these lounges and aren't they past security anyway?

    So what's your plan?

    • 6079 Smith on 23/08/2024 - 11:58
      +7

      Reading the post it seems OP wants to buy a flight, obtain a boarding pass and enter the airport to eat food

      • DingoBilly on 23/08/2024 - 13:33
        +2

        And somehow thinks they can eat $100+ worth of food making it cost effective to forgo their ticket…

        • bloom on 23/08/2024 - 20:53
          +2

          Make sure you check in a small bag to really piss of the airline

        • Fat Horny Ghost on 24/08/2024 - 04:10

          Yep I always do this when I travel with my partner, family or friends but always wondered if I can get cheap tickets and do a no show (also known as skiplagging).

          Others usually do it to skip secondary legs they don't intend to fly as it sometimes it would be cheaper to book additional legs (which is what I am assuming for the additional no show charges).

          Not sure how the no show works though as you're meant to inform the company i.e. https://sites.google.com/view/jetstarcancellationpolicy/home

          What if you have a no show once a fortnight?

        • Smol Cat on 24/08/2024 - 11:22

          Yeah this is up there as one of the dumbest plans ever. Considering they state they only get $36 of credit per visit on food, not even unlimited buffet. The fact they’re even thinking about this is pure delusion

    • Fat Horny Ghost on 24/08/2024 - 04:17

      The international lounges are better, but they have less restaurants.

      Anyone can pass domestic security scan, but they scan boarding passes regularly now, so go in eat and drink then leave.

  • Dollar General on 23/08/2024 - 11:40

    Email me the boarding passes

  • jv on 23/08/2024 - 11:59
    -1

    Fourteen.

  • capslock on 23/08/2024 - 12:02
    +1

    Paging Fat Horny Ghost. Your flight is ready to depart. Please head to Gate 666 immediately.

    I guess we'll be hearing this a lot.

    I don't think you can do this indefinitely. You'll probably get sick of eating the same food over and over again.

  • 6079 Smith on 23/08/2024 - 12:05
    +1

    I’d explore the flexible ticket option, i.e book the last flight of the day on a flex ticket, check in and go to the airport to have your priority pass lunch or dinner, then a few hours before the flight call the airline to cancel check in and either refund or reschedule the ticket. Probably don’t link it to your FF account.

    Furthermore I find PP restaurants much more relaxed about scanning boarding passes than lounges. Eg in my 3 visits to the noodle bar in CBR they’ve not asked for a boarding pass.

    There was a story many years ago about a bloke doing this with I believe China Southern where he was going into the first class lounge for dinner every day for a year on the same business ticket. Got caught and just refunded the ticket and bought a new one.

  • No on 23/08/2024 - 12:23

    As 6079 Smith mentioned something similar has been done before:

    https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/6mv626/til_a…

    Give it a go and let us know!

  • djones145 on 23/08/2024 - 13:58

    dont forget to live stream it in youtube.
    we here in ozbragain are rooting for ya

  • SnowDragon on 23/08/2024 - 15:03

    Find an airline who will let you rebook after you've got your boarding pass

  • sumyungguy on 23/08/2024 - 16:19

    Assuming you're able to walk to SYD T2/T3 this may be a genius hack, but… airport restaurant prices are jacked which will kill your yield from the $36 discount; and you'll only be dining on the limited days when you can get a mythical low-cost one-way fare ex-SYD

    • Fat Horny Ghost on 24/08/2024 - 04:11

      $72 discount per restaurant (+1 guest) which is where the value comes in ;)

      • woolton on 24/08/2024 - 08:30

        But you would need two boarding passes for that.
        Unless you find flights that cost less than $36 it hardly seems worth the effort.

  • coxjon on 23/08/2024 - 20:04
    +2

    I hope you’re doing all your toileting at the airport to save on TP/hand soap.

  • mattmel96 on 24/08/2024 - 07:56

    How did you get a unlimited PP. Mine only provides 2 visits per year and if I take a guest they consume one of those visits?

    • woolton on 24/08/2024 - 08:31

      He/she has probably spent hundreds of dollars to get the unlimited entries just to save about $5.

  • jhaley3180 on 24/08/2024 - 08:24
    +1

    So let me get this right, you want to go to an airport to eat as a leisure activity, like go on a date? Wow… I'd be so excited about going through security etc and fighting airport idiocy to "dine", it would be so relaxing and pleasurable…. Argh can't think of a worse idea.

  • HappyPuppies on 24/08/2024 - 11:06

    Probably why people can't have nice things. Have to appeal to the lowest common denominator.

  • Cartmanizm on 24/08/2024 - 11:11

    Reminds me of the Chinese guy that did this in China using a single flexible First Class ticket and kept it up for 1 year. When he finally got caught and confronted, he stopped and applied for a refund for his full flex ticket.

    https://nypost.com/2014/01/29/man-uses-first-class-plane-tic…

    Will OP beat this record?

    • Smol Cat on 24/08/2024 - 11:24

      Yeah but that Chinese dude had access to a proper great lounge with what was essentially good quality buffet food and drinks. OP is thinking about trying it with some crap tier place that caps you at $36 per visit

Login or Join to leave a comment
Login Join