Please answer for me - "hidden city" ticket use

I fully understand the concept of the hidden-city ticket, i.e. deplaning in
an intermediate city to get a cheaper fare. What I don't understand is how
in hell are you supposed to get back? If you don't complete your flight,
your return leg will be inactivated, and even if you had a return ticket
with your real destination listed as an intermediate city, you couldn't get
on the plane because the computer would show that you didn't get on the
plane at the city where your flight originated. E.g., if I wanted to fly to
Phoenix, but EWR-PHX-LAX was cheaper than EWR-PHX, I can get off the plane
in PHX. If the return ticket is LAX-PHX-EWR, how can someone get on the
plane in PHX, after the flight has left LAX without you?

"Carl Perretta" cjperretta[at]comcast[dot]net wrote in message
...
I fully understand the concept of the hidden-city ticket, i.e. deplaning in
an intermediate city to get a cheaper fare. What I don't understand is how
in hell are you supposed to get back? If you don't complete your flight,
your return leg will be inactivated, and even if you had a return ticket
with your real destination listed as an intermediate city, you couldn't get
on the plane because the computer would show that you didn't get on the
plane at the city where your flight originated. E.g., if I wanted to fly
to Phoenix, but EWR-PHX-LAX was cheaper than EWR-PHX, I can get off the
plane in PHX. If the return ticket is LAX-PHX-EWR, how can someone get on
the plane in PHX, after the flight has left LAX without you? You can't.
That's why you'd have to buy a return PHX-EWR-BOS or similar.

Jeff

You can't. That's why you'd have to buy a return PHX-EWR-BOS or similar.

Thanks. I thought that was the answer, but I wanted to have it confirmed.

i used to do it all the time from DEN - SNA, but i'd buy PAPER ticket
from ABQ - DEN - SNA, and SNA - DEN - ABQ for return.

i simply separated my PAPER TICKETS and only used my DEN - SNA
portions. never had any trouble departing DEN (which would have been
the halfway point) or returning.

BUT - i did that from 2000-2002. since then they charge for paper
tickets, and the little UAL offices i would get the paper tix at have
all closed, so now if i did it i would have to go to the airport to
get paper tix.

maybe it would still work, but i don't travel as often as i did so
haven't tried. BUT - it worked every time in that case. (oh i also
used Kansas City a few times