FCF’s Backup Booking Strategy Could Save Your Travel Life

Two tickets are better than one to guarantee the best seat on the right flights or to save your vacation altogether.

Let me tell you about a recent airline experience I had and why I think you should book two tickets for your next trip.

I was flying from San Francisco to New York — and me being me — for that length of flight, I wanted the last, non-redeye flight with a widebody aircraft that didn’t only have seat 1A (not my favorite) available. For that privilege, I had to part with $1,398 for a United Business Class one-way fare. Pain point #1.

That was quickly followed by pain point #2 when at 10 o’clock the night before my flight, United sent me an email informing me of an equipment (aircraft) change. BUT, they couldn’t tell me what my seat or aircraft would be for the next day’s flight.

I paid $1,398 flippin’ dollars for a one-way domestic ticket and they couldn’t tell me that?! As I’m sure you know, such flight changes and outright cancellations are rampant these days.

So now I’m thinking, are they going to throw me in someone else’s favorite seat like 1A? We all have different seat and aircraft preferences, but I’m an aisle, second from the last row, middle section (no obstructed exit) on a 2-2-2 configuration kind of guy, not a 1A kind of guy. I know I always say, “see you up front,” but not THAT up front!

Now, if the ticket was $600, that’s a different story. But for $1,398 for a one-way domestic flight, I want a nonstop, on a widebody aircraft, at a convenient time, with a seat that suits me.

The Airline Threw Me a Curve Ball, Now What?

I try to practice what I preach. I did some quick research and spotted a one-way Delta ticket for $999 from San Francisco to JFK, not my favorite New York airport, but it was a reasonable hit to take after United couldn’t tell me anything about my flight the next day. In other words, I went with the sure airport instead of the mystery aircraft and seat.

So I bought the Backup Booking Strategy ticket on Delta for $999 like any self-respecting buyer of a $1,398 one-way domestic ticket would do.

At this point I was on my way to SFO with two tickets, when finally United informed me of my fate: They assigned me a seat I didn’t want, 1A! The last premium seat I want. With no option to change! So I canceled the United ticket and flew Delta. With no cancellation fees, I can use the United credit within 12 months. (When an airline has an equipment change, the airline automatically re-books on an alternate aircraft. However, your seats could be very different, perhaps undesirable to you, as mine were in this example, and they could even be on a different type of aircraft. You can easily get downgraded to coach as well, by the way.)

That’s my story. Let’s break it down a little further.

A Tale of Two Tickets

I think the Backup Booking Strategy is a smart move right now given the turbulent nature of air travel in 2022 with a lot of flights being canceled. Just because an airline chops and changes, doesn’t mean you should miss out on that vacation or important business meeting. With the major U.S. airlines still not charging cancellation fees, you won’t lose any money if you buy another ticket. But you will have to reschedule your original ticket within 12 months. Of course, if you shelled out for a refundable ticket, you could get a refund. (Delta offered me an upsell to a fully refundable fare for another $250, but because I can re-use the ticket value in the next 12 months if I didn’t use it, I passed. In fact, I re-used a previously unused Delta ticket for this one.

Is FCF’s Backup Booking Strategy Simply a “Double Booking”?

While this may appear to be a double booking, it’s not. A double booking is a technical airline industry term that means you have two tickets booked for the same trip, on the same airline. It’s usually against airline policy.

FCF’s Backup Booking Strategy, on the other hand, is a second ticket for the same trip on a different airline, so you’re fine. In other words, while Democrats and Republicans talk to each other about your taxes, American doesn’t talk to United about your tickets.

Is This Right?

I realize that some might consider this strategy unethical, given that you’re holding two tickets on two separate airlines for two different flights and potentially depriving an airline of revenue. But since I can’t be in both seats at once, the other seat will become available for them to fill, for one.

Moreover, my rationale on the ethics is that the airlines are constantly trying to upsell me to a refundable ticket, which is essentially insurance. But, they can change the aircraft or cancel the flight altogether, often without making you whole. That’s lopsided to me.

While aircraft changes are one thing, flight cancellations nowadays are caused by poor airline operations so I’m just trying to make the best of the situation (pilots are picketing right now for gosh sake). I don’t feel bad for the airlines given that when I do cancel the ticket, they still have my money in credit for another flight later. Plus, they can fill it.

Backup Booking Strategy Tips

• If you are booking two tickets, do so on separate airlines. Otherwise you’ll have a “double booking,” which is not allowed by the airlines, and they might cancel one of them.
• This strategy works best for frequent or semi-frequent travelers – those who know they can easily use the credit within 12 months.
• Consider whether it’s worth paying the extra $250 or so for the airline-offered refundable ticket option if you don’t fly much or don’t envision using the credit of your unused Backup Booking Strategy ticket.