For this one, let\u2019s tackle forced routings.<\/p>\n
Why Forced Routings?<\/h3>\n
A forced routing is one of the simplest travel hacking concepts out there. All it means is that you want to buy an airline ticket, but you only want to pass through certain hubs or use certain carriers to do it. <\/p>\n
I use forced routings to the following airports at times:<\/p>\n
- \n
- ORD in the spring (Tortas Frontera<\/a>, AA and UA hubs and a DL focus city)<\/li>\n
- DFW year round (Centurion Lounge<\/a>)<\/li>\n
- LAX for long layovers (Take a bus to Santa Monica or go plane spotting at In-n-Out on Sepulvida<\/a>)<\/li>\n
- DEN for it\u2019s easy connections with lots of backup options<\/li>\n
- SLC for its unparalleled ability to deal with winter storms<\/a><\/li>\n
- My destination airport for hidden city ticketing, which we\u2019ll address another day<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
I use forced routings to avoid:<\/p>\n
- \n
- ORD in the late summer and early fall (delays run rampant)<\/li>\n
- SFO most of the year (delays run rampant when the fog sets in or a runway is under construction, which is approximately always)<\/li>\n
- PHX in the summer (aircraft are often weight restricted and have to kick people off to meet reduced takeoff weights)<\/li>\n
- ATL in the late fall and in January (delays run rampant)<\/li>\n
- ATL the rest of the year (I really dislike the airport)<\/li>\n
- MIA\/PHL\/CLT when traveling to Europe (I want my time in the wide-body plane to be long enough to sleep, not just a short hop so I\u2019d rather connect further west)<\/li>\n
- United when I know they\u2019re flying a regional jet on a particular route<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Forcing Routings in ITA Matrix<\/h3>\n
How do we use forced routings in ITA Matrix? It\u2019s actually really simple.<\/p>\n
- \n
- Turn on \u201cAdvanced controls\u201d if they\u2019re not already enabled<\/li>\n
- Enter the airport abbreviation in \u201cOutbound routing codes\u201d as appropriate:\n
- \n
- Enter \u201cATL\u201d to force routing through ATL<\/li>\n
- Enter \u201c~ATL\u201d avoid routing through ATL (the tilde means \u201cavoid\u201d)<\/li>\n
- Enter \u201cDEN,ORD\u201d to route through one of DEN or ORD, either way is fine<\/li>\n
- Enter \u201c~DEN,ORD\u201d to avoid routing through either DEN or ORD<\/li>\n
- Enter \u201cDEN ORD\u201d to route through two hubs, DEN and ORD in that order<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n
- Enter the rest of the data as needed for the trip<\/li>\n
- Click \u201cSearch\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
Here\u2019s a screenshot showing a trip that avoids passing through DEN or ORD (scenario 4):<\/p>\n
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/milesearnandburn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/image-1011x1024.png\")
Sample forced routing from San Diego to Orlando, avoiding Denver or Chicago O\u2019Hare as layovers.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n Forced Routings and Carriers in ITA Matrix<\/h3>\n
Not bad, eh? Let\u2019s get a little more complex though. With a little elbow grease you can force yourself to be on specific carriers and<\/em> route through particular hubs. Let\u2019s say I want to fly Delta to ORD and United to ATL on the same ticket. No problem, carriers just go before and after the hub as carrier codes. <\/p>\n
Let\u2019s look at this example:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Turn on \u201cAdvanced controls\u201d if they\u2019re not already enabled<\/li>\n
- Enter carriers and hubs in \u201cOutbound routing codes\u201d as appropriate:\n
- \n
- Enter \u201cDL ORD UA\u201d for a direct flight on Delta to ORD, then a direct flight on United to the destination<\/li>\n
- Enter \u201cDL+ ORD UA\u201d for a direct or connecting flight on Delta to ORD, then a direct flight on United to the destination<\/li>\n
- Enter \u201c~F9 ORD UA+\u201d to fly a direct flight on any airline but Frontier to ORD, then a direct or connecting flight on United to the destination<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n
- Enter the rest of the data as needed for the trip<\/li>\n
- Click \u201cSearch\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
The carrier codes for the major US airlines are: Delta: DL, United: UA, American: AA, Frontier: F9, Southwest: WN (though Southwest is different<\/em> and doesn\u2019t show fares through ITA Matrix, so that one is just trivia for now). Also, in case you didn\u2019t glean it above, the \u201c+\u201d means \u201cone or more legs\u201d.<\/p>\n
My example (Delta to ORD then United to ATL) will look like this:<\/p>\n
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/milesearnandburn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/image-2-1008x1024.png\")
Forced routing through O\u2019Hare on Delta from SLC to ORD and United from ORD to ATL, all on the same ticket<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n Booking the Results<\/h3>\n
- DFW year round (Centurion Lounge<\/a>)<\/li>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/milesearnandburn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/i-hate-my-inlaws.png\")