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= How to get free airline tickets and how to make some money selling them! =
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                            By Garraty
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   The best time of the year to do this is
  
   A) In March/April when schools are going on Spring Break and college kids are heading
      off to the fun in the sun
  
   B) When the cold is so cold that your toes have turned a shade of blue only an
      optometrist would recognize. (i.e. November/December).
 
   Goto the major airline or your choice, most major airlines are pretty good
about this, but don't keep repating it to the same one over and over again.
BUY a ticket, round trip to destination: Sunny Place, USA. (Ie. Florida, or
someplace where EVERYONE wasnt's to go that time of year), then with cash,
shell out the plane fare ... (Don't worry... you'll get that back...)
Then... when that March or April day comes around (you better time this JUST
right!) ... wait for all the DELAY signals the airlines give you... eventually
they will come around to passengers and ask if they would like to wait until
the next flight, so that they can make space on the plane. IF THIS HAPPENS, JUMP!
ask to be placed on the next flight out... they will issue you a bump ticket.
(more on this later). If you DONT get any DELAYS, you don't get and requests
for a WAIT FOR NEXT FLIGHT and you don't see any real big time need for space
on the plane, then CANCEL your reservations... you get the cash back, because,
until you actually step on the plane, you ticket is only a reservation, and not a sale... MAKE SURE you can get refunds! Make SURE that if you cancel, you only do this LAST MINUTE.
 
Bump Tickets (AKA the Free Trip anywhere).
You hear about these everywhere, but here is how they work. An airline will
make you wait at the terminal for the next AVAILABLE plane out (which may be 6
hours later) and they issue you a "bump tickets" to repay you for your troubles. With this "ticket" in hand, cancel your reservations, and walk out with money
in pocket and a free ticket. This ticket will be issued with your name on it,
so make sure that when you buy the actual ticket, you give your actual name,
unless you have plans for this new ticket. If you want to sell a "bump ticket",
most airlines will require you to sign something or for the user of the ticket
to ONLY be the person whos name is on the ticket, in which case a good $30
fake ID will be very able to do the job (such as a state ID made by any
passport service...), it will pay for itself. Bump tickets have a value of
about $100 resale, since they are sometimes harder than others to sell.(and
to use to get a boarding pass). When you goto the airport next time, check
out ALL the major airlines, and find out what there policy is on Bump Tickets
and Canceledled flight/Reservations.
 
   Also, see if you can do this much prior to the rush season, that way you
can see what time of the year is busyiest... try a travel agent, and just ask
them "I'd like to take a flight from Boston to Miami" or "from Chicago to Atlanta
Los Angeles:" and ask "What is the worst time of the year to travel, and when are
the rates the highest."?"
 
   From there, it's all up to you... you have you to find out WHAT airline's
are the best for doing this. what time of year, and what day SPECIFICALY it
will happen on. Return time does not matter.
 
   This year, 1990, most high school students get out on April take flights
to the South on April 13th-15th and return on the 22nd-23rd. try some guess
work for this December break, remember... One flight out near Christmas time
is going to be VERY difficult to get, so RESERVER EARLY... for a surefire
sell out, get December 23rd or 24th, or better yet, January 1st in the
afternoon... remember TIME COUNTS too! 5-6PM flights are usually the
busiest for Boston or to Miami.
 
   See ya soon! And have fun... this may or may not be legal, but it's sure a
great money making opportunity... make 5 reservations that day for under
different names... that way you spend 5 times as much initialy, but get back
5 round trip tickets, or less... depending on availabity of flight and
cancelations. Adios.
 
-Garraty 47 (Maine's Own)
 
 
 
 
 
 

