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{{Orphan|date=November 2018}}
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{{Infobox Company

⚫
| company_name = Airhitch
⚫
{{Infobox company
| company_logo = [[Image:Airhitch_logo.gif|130px]]
⚫
| name = Airhitch
| company_type = [[gay]]
| logo = Airhitch logo.png
⚫
| foundation = 2007
| logo_size = 220px
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| location = [[up the owners ass]]
| type = [[Non-commercial]] [[organization]]
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| key_people = [[Robert Segelbaum]], Fag
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| foundation = 1969
| defunct = 2009
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| location = [[Cyberspace]]
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| key_people = Robert Segelbaum, Founder
| industry = [[Air travel]]
| industry = [[Air travel]]
| products = Dildo for men
| products =
| revenue = 99999999
| revenue =
| operating_income =
| operating_income =
| net_income = 99999999
| net_income =
| num_employees = .9
| num_employees =
| parent =
| parent =
| subsid =
| subsid =
| homepage = [http://www.airhitch.org/ airhitch.org]
| homepage =
| footnotes =
| footnotes =
}}
}}


⚫
'''Airhitch''' was a user-run system for [[hitchhiking]] on commercial airliners. It was started by [[Robert Segelbaum]] in 1969.<ref name=Frommers>{{cite web|url=http://www.frommers.com/deals/airfare/what-a-difference-a-hyphen-makes-untangling-the-air-hitch-confusion |accessdate=30 August 2016 |publisher=Frommers |author=Sascha Segan |title=What a Difference a Hyphen Makes: Untangling the Air(-)Hitch Confusion}}</ref> People, who travel in this way, generally refer to themselves as '''Airhitchers'''. Most airhitchers fly between the United States and Western Europe. Before Airhitch migrated to internet based communication in the 1990s, it operated out of [[North America|North American]] offices including [[New York City|New York]], [[Los Angeles]] ([[Santa Monica]]), [[San Francisco]], [[Seattle]], [[Montreal]], and [[Vancouver]], and numerous European cities including [[Paris]], [[Amsterdam]], [[Berlin]], [[Bonn]], and [[Rome]]. Airhitch is a [[non-commercial]] system/method/process. Today, virtually, all exchange of Airhitch information takes place in an [[AOL Instant Messenger|AIM]] [[chat room]]. In the chat room, Airhitchers use their real names, while the staff use [[Screen name (computing)|screen names]] such as Airhitch01, and Airhitch08.


Since 2006, the cost and availability of "Airhitchable" flights has been questionable. Before the website (airhitch.org) and business went defunct in 2009, the majority of "AHers", opt to help each other find conventional airfare to their destinations.
⚫
'''Airhitch''' is a user-run system for [[hitchhiking]] on commercial airliners. It was started by a group of U.S. college students in the [[1960s]]. People who travel in this way generally refer to themselves as '''Airhitchers'''. Most airhitchers fly between the [[United States]] and [[Western Europe]]. Before Airhitch migrated to internet based communication in the [[1990s]], it operated out of North American offices including [[New York]], [[Los Angeles]]([[Santa Monica]]), [[San Francisco]], [[Seattle]], [[Montréal]], and [[Vancouver]], and numerous European cities including [[Paris]], [[Amsterdam]], [[Berlin]], [[Bonn]], and [[Rome]]. Airhitch is a [[non-commercial]] system/method/process. Today virtually all exchange of Airhitch information takes place in an [[AIM]] [[chat room]]. In the chat room Airhitchers use their real names, while the staff use [[Screen name (computing)|screen names]] such as '''Airhitch01''', and '''Airhitch08'''.


==The Airhitching Process==
==The Airhitching process==
{{prose|section|date=October 2015}}
⚫
*Registration: Airhitchers formally commit to participation in the Airhitch system by sending an online registration to the staff.
⚫
*Flight-Briefing: With the guidance of the staff, Airhitchers explore the best possibilities for catching rides on flights and the procedural mechanics of how to take advantage of them.
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*Decision: Airhitchers decide which flight they will attempt to board.
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*Boarding: Airhitchers go to the airport and attempt to board the aircraft.


===Registration===
==Controversy==
⚫
Airhitchers formally commit to participation in the Airhitch system by sending an online registration to the staff.


Around the year 2000, there were two websites with very similar names claiming the name Air Hitch, and both denied any affiliation with the other. At the time, the system used prepaid vouchers. Due to the similar websites and general nature of online reviews, it was not clear which website was part of the legitimate airhitch system.<ref name=Frommers/>
===Flight-Briefing===
⚫
With the guidance of the staff, Airhitchers explore the best possibilities for catching rides on flights and the procedural mechanics of how to take advantage of them.


Some online user reviews talked of invalid vouchers and scam tactics.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/air-hitchorg/new-yorkny-new-york-10001-1820/air-hitchorg-ordered-two-standby-plane-tickets-to-hawaii-never-available-promised-refu-165759|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180315134517/https://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/air-hitchorg/new-yorkny-new-york-10001-1820/air-hitchorg-ordered-two-standby-plane-tickets-to-hawaii-never-available-promised-refu-165759|archive-date=15 March 2018|title=Complaint Review: Air-hitch.org|website=Ripoff Report}}</ref> Including invalid mailing address for the returns office and refund policies designed with procedures and time frames just long enough to prevent credit card payment chargebacks; as well as falsely advertising frequent flights from certain large regions where no airline was actually accepting the vouchers, leading to a costly round of ground transit from region to region chasing phantom flights followed by the refund policies previously mentioned.
===Decision===
⚫
Airhitchers decide which flight they will attempt to board.

===Boarding===
⚫
Airhitchers go to the airport and attempt to board the aircraft.

===Controversy===
Many users believe that there is only one actual staff member, Robert Segelbaum, and that he uses a variety of screen names to create the appearance of a large staff. <br />There is also no evidence available outside of Segelbaum's own website that Airhitch existed prior to the 1990s. Segelbaum also occasionally appears in the Airhitch<br /> chatroom under the screen name "Faye McQueen" and masquerades as a woman.


==See also==
==See also==
*[[Hitchhiking]]
*[[Hitchhiking]]
*[[Standby (air travel)]] (but note that not all Airhitching is or need involve "standby")
*[[Standby (air travel)]]


==References==
⚫
== External links ==
{{reflist}}


⚫
== External links ==
* [http://www.airhitch.org Airhitch website]
* [http://www.air-hitch.com Air-Hitch website]
* [http://www.frommers.com/articles/1276.html What a Difference a Hyphen Makes: Untangling the Air(-)Hitch Confusion] at frommers.com
* [http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PG01&s1=airhitch&OS=airhitch&RS=airhitch Airhitch's US Patent application for an "Internet air travel system" ]
* [http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PG01&s1=airhitch&OS=airhitch&RS=airhitch Airhitch's US Patent application for an "Internet air travel system" ]
* [http://www.digihitch.com/article788.html The downside of using airhitch] at digihitch.com
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060507230830/http://www.digihitch.com/article788.html The downside of using airhitch] at digihitch.com
* [http://www.boston.com/travel/blog/2009/06/remebering_airh.html Remembering Airhitch founder Robert Segelbaum] at boston.com


[[Category:International transportation|Airhitch]]
[[Category:Hitchhiking]]
[[Category:Hitchhiking|Airhitch ]]
[[Category:Online chat]]
[[Category:Computer-related organizations]]
[[Category:American travel websites]]
[[Category:Non-profit organizations| ]]
[[Category:Defunct American websites]]
[[Category:On-line chat]]
[[Category:Defunct non-profit organizations based in the United States]]
[[Category:Aviation organizations]]

Latest revision as of 17:31, 27 February 2023

Airhitch
Company typeNon-commercial organization
IndustryAir travel
Founded1969
Defunct2009
HeadquartersCyberspace
Key people
Robert Segelbaum, Founder

Airhitch was a user-run system for hitchhiking on commercial airliners. It was started by Robert Segelbaum in 1969.[1] People, who travel in this way, generally refer to themselves as Airhitchers. Most airhitchers fly between the United States and Western Europe. Before Airhitch migrated to internet based communication in the 1990s, it operated out of North American offices including New York, Los Angeles (Santa Monica), San Francisco, Seattle, Montreal, and Vancouver, and numerous European cities including Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin, Bonn, and Rome. Airhitch is a non-commercial system/method/process. Today, virtually, all exchange of Airhitch information takes place in an AIM chat room. In the chat room, Airhitchers use their real names, while the staff use screen names such as Airhitch01, and Airhitch08.

Since 2006, the cost and availability of "Airhitchable" flights has been questionable. Before the website (airhitch.org) and business went defunct in 2009, the majority of "AHers", opt to help each other find conventional airfare to their destinations.

The Airhitching process

[edit]
  • Registration: Airhitchers formally commit to participation in the Airhitch system by sending an online registration to the staff.
  • Flight-Briefing: With the guidance of the staff, Airhitchers explore the best possibilities for catching rides on flights and the procedural mechanics of how to take advantage of them.
  • Decision: Airhitchers decide which flight they will attempt to board.
  • Boarding: Airhitchers go to the airport and attempt to board the aircraft.

Controversy

[edit]

Around the year 2000, there were two websites with very similar names claiming the name Air Hitch, and both denied any affiliation with the other. At the time, the system used prepaid vouchers. Due to the similar websites and general nature of online reviews, it was not clear which website was part of the legitimate airhitch system.[1]

Some online user reviews talked of invalid vouchers and scam tactics.[2] Including invalid mailing address for the returns office and refund policies designed with procedures and time frames just long enough to prevent credit card payment chargebacks; as well as falsely advertising frequent flights from certain large regions where no airline was actually accepting the vouchers, leading to a costly round of ground transit from region to region chasing phantom flights followed by the refund policies previously mentioned.

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Sascha Segan. "What a Difference a Hyphen Makes: Untangling the Air(-)Hitch Confusion". Frommers. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
  2. ^ "Complaint Review: Air-hitch.org". Ripoff Report. Archived from the original on 15 March 2018.
[edit]
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