A woman thought she found a clever way to save money on flights to Los Angeles, but a single delay turned her whole plan into a $1,000 lesson

TikTok user Nikki Pindor, who goes by @nikkipindor, tried to save money on airfare by splitting her trip across two different airlines. She planned to fly Delta from Virginia, connect in New Jersey, and land in Miami. From there, she would travel independently to Fort Lauderdale to catch a separate airline for the final leg to Los Angeles.

According to Brobible, the problem started immediately when her first Delta flight got delayed, meaning she would miss her connecting flight from Fort Lauderdale. “Now, I won’t make my connecting flight in Fort Lauderdale,” she explained in her viral TikTok video.

When she contacted Delta about rebooking her directly to Los Angeles, they could do it, but quoted her around $600. Added to the $300 she had already spent on the now-unused second flight, her attempt to save $100 ended up costing her close to $1,000.

Booking flights across multiple airlines is a risky move that can cost far more than it saves

Pindor openly shared what she learned from the experience. “Two lessons learned. One, buy travel insurance, because now my flight from Miami to LA is just gonna be $300 down the drain,” she said. Her second piece of advice was simple: “Two, buy with one airline.” She summed it up by saying, “There goes a band.”

When you book flights with different airlines, each booking is treated as independent. Airlines generally only protect passengers flying with their own company or a partner airline. So if a delay on one airline causes you to miss a connection on a different airline, the second airline is not obligated to rebook you or offer a refund. Had Pindor booked her entire trip with one carrier, she likely would have been rebooked for free.

Credit card travel insurance may not save you either. Many policies only activate after delays of 12 hours or more, and they may not pay out if your original booking still gets you to your destination, even if it is much later than planned.

While booking across multiple airlines can seem like a smart way to save money, it is generally not a safe bet unless you are very flexible. You could book refundable tickets for the second leg, but these are often significantly more expensive, sometimes double the price, which wipes out any savings entirely. On top of that, if you miss a flight, the next available one could be hours or even days later, depending on the route.

One user in Pindor’s video said, “That’s a wild travel path lmao”, while another wrote, “this is like the true 19yr old experience.” A third commenter advised, “NEVER travel with connecting flights on separate bookings.”

There are more reliable ways to save on flights, such as using credit card points to book cheap or free flights. Some people take unconventional approaches to getting ahead financially, like a man who never leaves his workplace to achieve his dreams. Pindor’s experience is a clear reminder that trying to save a little with multi-airline booking hacks can sometimes end up costing a lot more.