Hidden City Question - London to Cape Town
I'm looking to fly one way from London to Cape Town on Nov 23rd. A direct flight on Virgin Atlantic from London Heathrow to Cape Town is £2,500pp on the flight VS478
Yet booking a flight that departs from Paris or Amsterdam to the same destination is significantly cheaper. This is despite using the exact same London Heathrow-to-Cape Town flight, VS478, as above, as the main leg of the journey.
I've read about 'Hidden City' routes before, which tend to focus on throwing away the last leg of a flight. However, since all the routes transit through London (where I live), I'm considering skipping the first leg of the flight.
I've found an option that looks promising: separate airlines, with separate airports, booked via a travel agent:
British Airways, Amsterdam Schiphol > London City Airport
(4hr Airport Change in London, LCY to LHR)
Virgin Atlantic, London Heathrow > Cape Town (VS478)
This is significantly cheaper at £900pp.
Would these two legs be issued as separate tickets? (And so could I simply throw away the first portion and depart from London?) The airport change means I don't have to worry about luggage connections. Could I simply join for the Virgin Atlantic leg? For two passengers, this is a decent £3,000 saving for the same flight!