Understanding Airline Married Segments & How They Can Benefit Your Award Travel

Airline revenue management involves numerous factors when determining the price of each ticket. Behind the scenes, sophisticated algorithms analyze elements like demand forecasts, historical data, and booking trends, all aimed at maximizing profits by selling every seat at the highest possible price.

A key concept in airline revenue management is the use of married segment logic, which applies to both paid and award tickets. A married segment refers to two or more flight segments that must be sold and managed together as part of a single itinerary.

In this article, we’ll have a detailed look at what exactly married segment logic is, why airlines use it, and how you can leverage it to your advantage when booking flight awards.  

What Are Married Flight Segments?

Many airlines may offer better award availability or different pricing for flight segments when they’re part of a connecting itinerary, rather than when booked as individual segments. This means that an airline may decide to only make certain segments available as a flight award when paired with a specific connecting city. These paired segments are referred to as married segments.

When segments are married, they cannot be issued, canceled, or managed individually.

When an airline opens up award seats, the number available might vary depending on whether you’re flying directly or connecting. Additionally, the airline may have conditions where multiple flights need to be booked as a single itinerary, meaning you can’t book each segment separately at the same price.

I’ll provide an example of how this concept works in practice, and what you might encounter when searching for award availability. 

In the example below, we’re looking to redeem Aeroplan points for a business class flight from Vancouver (YVR) to Frankfurt (FRA), preferably on Lufthansa to avoid Air Canada’s dynamic pricing. If we sort the search results by lowest price in business class, we are only offered connecting flights that involve a mixed-cabin itinerary. 

However, if we instead search from Vancouver (YVR) to Zurich (ZRH) on the very same day, the Lufthansa business class flight from Vancouver to Frankfurt is now available, but only bookable when combined (“married”) with a connecting flight to Zurich.

This is a general overview of how married segment logic works. The operating airline may choose to only release an award seat when paired with a specific city, which is determined by the airline. In most cases, you cannot substitute it with a different city of your choice. To access the transatlantic award space on the Lufthansa segment of the itinerary described above, you must include the connecting flight to Zurich specifically, rather than to any other European city.

While this Lufthansa flight example is just one instance of an airline utilizing married segment logic on flight awards, the practice is quite common across the industry. I think it’s safe to assume that most, if not all, major international airlines implement some form of married segment pricing for both award inventory and cash fares.

Why Do Airlines Marry Flight Segments Together?

At first glance, the logic behind the “married segment” may seem counterintuitive. Why would an airline want to fly you a greater distance for the same price? The answer, of course, lies in what drives any multi-billion dollar business: money.

For the airlines, the goal is to extract the maximum revenue from each seat on a flight. Revenue management teams work continuously to optimize their systems, ensuring that every seat on an airplane generates as much income as possible.

How married segment logic comes into play is rather simple. Airlines know that both leisure and business travelers will pay a premium for the convenience of a nonstop flight over one that requires a connection. This is especially true for premium cabins, where the price difference compared to an economy seat can be significant. 

Referring to the earlier example, Lufthansa knows it can expect lower demand for a connecting flight through Frankfurt than compared to a nonstop flight to Frankfurt. As a result, the airline is only willing to make award space available on specific connecting itineraries. 

Airlines aren’t relying on guesswork or wishful thinking. They have decades of historical data that clearly show passengers’ tendencies to pay a higher cash price for these nonstop flights, which leads to a reduction or limitation of award availability.

This same married segment logic also applies to cash fares, which has led to the rise of what’s known as hidden-city ticketing and websites like Skiplagged.com. We’ll take a closer look at hidden-city ticketing later on.

Can You “Divorce” Married Flight Segments?

Is it possible to book a married segment itinerary and then later on call the issuing agent to have the segment you don’t want removed? In almost all circumstances, the answer is no.

Referring to the earlier example of a Lufthansa flight booked through Air Canada Aeroplan, you would need to reach out to Aeroplan to make any changes, since they are the issuing agent. However, agents cannot separate a married segment without the permission of the operating airline, as the operating airline—Lufthansa in this case—controls the inventory and how it’s issued.

Furthermore, there is little incentive for the issuing agent to try and break a married segment, as these tickets come with rules that require the itinerary to remain as initially booked. Agents who attempt to or succeed in splitting a married segment may also face penalties from the operating airline for violating the terms of the ticket.

How Can You Take Advantage of Married Segments in Award Travel?

Airlines have introduced married segments as a way to maximize their revenue from passengers, so it’s fair to say that married segments aren’t designed with the best interests of consumers in mind. Because these types of awards cannot be split into separate segments and require flights to and from specific cities, their practicality is significantly limited. However, there are a few key factors to consider when evaluating these award flights.

Flights With Connections May Have Lower Prices

You might assume that flying more miles always translates to an award requiring more points. However, it’s important to understand that married segment logic is a tool used by airlines to limit availability based on the origin and destination, rather than the distance or the number of individual segments flown. 

To illustrate how the origin and destination affect award pricing and how this applies to all carriers, I’ll use a United MileagePlus redemption in this example.

If you want to fly from Houston (IAH) to Cedar Rapids (CID), this is available on United for 15,000 MileagePlus Miles in economy or 30,000 MileagePlus Miles in business class. This itinerary would require a stop in Chicago (ORD).

Want to fly just the first segment to Chicago on the same day? Well, that will cost you more. The nonstop to Chicago will cost 17,600 MileagePlus Miles in economy and 44,800 MileagePlus Miles in business class.

The pricing above reflects United’s expectation of higher demand from passengers who are only traveling between two of its primary hubs (IAH and ORD) compared to those connecting to a secondary regional airport.

A second example, this time using American Airlines, illustrates how this type of award pricing applies to the same origin and destination, this time focusing on the difference in pricing between nonstop and connecting flights.

Looking at a nonstop American Airlines flight from Los Angeles (LAX) to Miami (MIA) shows a price of between 12,000 and 17,500 AAdvatange Miles in economy and 100,000 AAdvantage Miles in business class.

If you’re open to a layover along the way, you can save a few points on your journey. While the savings aren’t significant, and the travel time is nearly doubled, it highlights the often illogical pricing schemes of airlines and the influence of passenger preferences on them.

Although this isn’t true for all airlines and routes, it’s often the case that flights with connections can offer more favorable pricing compared to nonstop flights. While most people who prioritize their time on vacation will prefer a direct flight, the option is always there for those who are looking for a better deal. 

Lastly, even if you find most of the arguments about direct vs. connecting flights irrelevant to your travel habits, I believe it’s important to have a foundational understanding of how airline pricing works in order to properly assess your options when considering any flight redemption.

Married Segments May Be the Key to Accessing Certain Award Space

For those of us in Canada, you’re likely familiar with the idea of taking a positioning flight to the U.S. in order to catch a redemption flight, as major U.S. airports typically offer greater award availability across a wider range of airlines.

If you have the flexibility to take a positioning flight or don’t need to travel to or from an airline’s main hub, a married segment award could be the perfect solution for your travel needs.

I know that for many travelers Japan is a very desirable destination; however, securing award space on either of Japan’s main carriers can be very challenging.  

Looking at a full month of availability on the Alaska Airlines website for a Japan Airlines business class redemption flight from Tokyo to San Francisco doesn’t paint a pretty picture. The cheapest available flight is 170,000 Alaska Miles for one passenger, one way. Although this is just a look at one month, the pattern below remains consistent across most months of the year.

Looking closer at the details, none of these redemptions even include a flight on Japan Airlines and is instead a mix of Hawaiian Airlines and Alaska Airlines flights that all have a stop in Honolulu. 

However, if we instead change our point of origin to a secondary city airport, such as Osaka International Airport (ITM), things begin to look a lot more promising. We’ve gone from zero days of Japan Airlines business class availability to what appears to be seven days.

A closer look at one of the available dates does indeed show the Japan Airlines business class flights, including the previously unavailable Tokyo to San Francisco flight, which cannot be booked as a standalone award segment.

Common advice suggests that when searching for award availability is to start by searching for the long-haul oceanic segment, then build the rest of your itinerary around it, as this often produces the best results. However, the existence of married segment awards can sometimes complicate this approach, but this may be the only way to secure some of the more sought after awards.  

Skipping Flights on Married Segment Awards

You might be wondering if it’s possible to book a married segment award ticket—such as our earlier example of a flight from Vancouver (YVR) to Zurich (ZRH) via Frankfurt—and simply get off the plane in Frankfurt and leave the airport, skipping the second segment to Zurich if Frankfurt is your intended destination.

Yes, you can do this, as it’s not illegal, and there is little an airline can do to physically prevent you from doing so. However, it’s important to be aware of the risks involved.  This isn’t an endorsement of the practice but rather an effort to inform you about the potential consequences of intentionally skipping the final segment of an itinerary, should you choose to do so.

Foremost, all airlines strictly prohibit the practices of hidden-city and throwaway ticketing, where passengers book a fare with the intention of not completing the entire journey.

Below is a section from Air Canada’s terms and conditions of carriage document outlining its prohibited practices. You can expect that every major airline will have its own comparable document containing similar wording.

Furthermore, if an airline determines that a passenger intends to utilize a ticket inconsistent with its terms and conditions, the airline may deem that ticket invalid.

If a ticket becomes invalid due to the passenger’s failure to comply with any term or condition of sale, the airline has the right to cancel any remaining portion of the passenger’s itinerary, refuse check-in, or boarding of the passenger. 

In addition to the above measures, the airline may choose to take further action impacting a member’s frequent flyer account, including revoking points earned from an invalid flight, restricting or limiting the ability to earn and redeem points, or even closing the account altogether.

There are several other logistical hurdles to consider regarding hidden city ticketing to be aware of as well:

  • You cannot check any luggage, as your bags will be tagged to your final destination
  • If you skip any segment of your itinerary, other than your final segment, the remaining portion of your itinerary will be canceled
  • In the event a flight is canceled or you miss a connection, the airline is only concerned about getting you to your final destination as listed on your itinerary. To do so, the airline may reroute you through a different city on the way to your destination.
  • You must meet the entry requirements for the country you’re ticketed to, such as holding an entry visa if required, even if you don’t plan to fly there. The airline may deny boarding at the point of origin if you don’t have the necessary entry documents.

Despite all the intimidating legal language and potential consequences, many travelers engage in hidden city ticketing without facing repercussions, as the risk is relatively low when done infrequently. If you decide to intentionally skip a segment of your itinerary using hidden city ticketing, it’s important to be aware of the potential risks.

How to Find Married Segment Awards

If you’re unable to find award availability on nonstop flights to your desired destination, you’ll need to expand your search to include other destinations. Using an award search tool can save significant time and help uncover married segment awards that might otherwise go unnoticed.

A favorite of ours is Seats.aero, an award inventory aggregator that lets users enter multi-city codes to search across an entire geographic region, eliminating the need to search dozens of individual city pairs and dates.

For instance, in the Japan Airlines example I used above, you could filter results for flights departing from any major airport in Japan across a range of dates to anywhere on the West Coast of North America.

To perform this search, enter “JPN” for the origin airport. This multi-city code searches all major airports in Japan. For destination, enter “WST.” This multi-city code will search all major airports on the West Coast of North America. 

You can apply additional filters to exclude airlines and expand your search by adding a flexible date range, allowing you to view results across several days.

In the results below, you can see that seats.aero found one direct flight from Osaka (KIX) to Los Angeles (LAX). It also found a handful of flights that originate from Osaka (ITM) that include a connection in Tokyo.

Looking at the details for this route, we can see that this redemption would include the Japan Airlines Tokyo–Narita (NRT) to San Francisco (SFO) business class flight that is unavailable as an individual segment flight award.

Using multi-city search codes on Seats.aero is one of the most effective ways to uncover married segment awards that might otherwise be hiding just under the surface, saving you a significant amount of time and effort. If you’re struggling to find a direct flight between your origin and destination, try broadening your search. With a bit of flexibility, you might just find the availability you’re looking for.

Conclusion

Airlines utilize complex systems to manage inventory and optimize fares, one of which is married segment logic. This approach often results in connecting itineraries having greater award seat availability than nonstop flights, as there is typically lower demand for itineraries requiring a connection.

This practice has become increasingly common across the industry and can impact both cash and award bookings. Airlines are aware that passengers are willing to pay a premium for direct flights, which can result in limited award space on nonstop routes. However, connecting flights may offer more availability. If you’re unable to find direct flights between your preferred origin and destination, try searching for connecting itineraries to nearby cities, as they may provide better award options.

When traveling on a married segment award, you might consider skipping the final leg of your itinerary. However, this isn’t without its risks. While doing so on rare occasions is unlikely to result in any consequences, I would encourage you to play by the rules. Repeat offenders may face the wrath of the airlines and potentially put your loyalty account at risk.

Frequently Asked Questions

Married segment logic refers to a pricing rule that requires certain flight segments must be purchased together as part of a single unit. The individual segments may not be available for purchase separately at a similar fare.

Airlines implement married segment logic to maximize profitability on all routes and prevent the sale of lower-priced individual segments that could disrupt revenue management goals. Passengers are generally willing to pay a premium for nonstop direct flights over those requiring connections. As a result, airlines can charge higher fares and limit award availability for nonstop flights.

Airlines place rules on married segment tickets stating the itinerary must remain as originally booked. The operating airline can enforce penalties against the issuing agent for splitting married segments.

Yes, this is completely legal and you can skip the final segment of a married segment itinerary to reach your intended destination. However, airlines are strongly against this practice, and it goes against their terms and conditions of carriage. Skipping any segment will result in the cancellation of the remaining flights in your itinerary. Additionally, frequent abuse of this practice may result in penalties related to your frequent flyer account.

Jeff Jamieson

Jeff Jamieson

Contributor at Frugal Flyer
Jeff stepped into the ring of points and miles in 2018, this was during his first trip to Italy where he had only just dipped his toe into what was possible with loyalty programs. After eating pizza twice a day for two weeks straight and taking in all that Tuscany of Rome had to offer he knew he was hooked on “la dolce vita” of points and miles. Always fascinated with aviation, Jeff obtained his Private Pilot’s License in 2006. Now he fuels his affection for travel and aviation by seeking out new strategies while building upon existing opportunities along with the help of his close circle of fellow travel enthusiasts.

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