buying RT ticket and using only OW
 

I've heard that if you buy a RT ticket on Delta, and use only a one way(because it is sometimes cheaper to do so...)That Delta will track you down and want the $$ for the difference in ticket price. Is this a scare tactic or is it true? Something about the contract of the ticket. Can Delta legally hunt you down and make you pay?

I'm not a lawyer, but I doubt it. You purchased the ticket, but there's nothing they can do to FORCE you to use it. I purchased a RT bus ticket and flew back because I didn't like the ride... what could they do to me???

I've heard people who buy a RT ticket and make the return further in the future in remote possibility they will use it. The airlines don't like it, but there's little they can do about it. How do they know your schedule? I'm sure they are more involved in keeping their business alive than in tracking down people who don't use a ticket.

It is against the policy of most airlines to use 1/2 of a round-trip ticket because as you pointed out, one-way tickets often cost more than round-trips. However, it is not illegal and I wouldn't worry about being tracked down by the airline. People do this every day.

Just remember that this strategy only works if you fly on the <u>outbound</u> portion and don't use the return. It doesn't work the other way around, i.e., skipping the outbound and flying home. If you fail to fly on the outbound portion, the airline will cancel the remainder of your trip and the return portion of the ticket will not be available to you.

There was a thread on this same topic a few months ago, which I have brought it to the top for you.

Back in the days when travel agents actually wrote airline tickets, airlines threatened debits to agents who engaged in that practice and the other practice of using back to backs.

What is a back to back.

You are a businessman and want to make 2 trips from NY to LA but want to spend the weekend at home. No Saturday night stayover so you can't get cheapest fare.

What you do is buy a round trip NY to LA leaving on the first Monday and returning on the second Friday. Then you buy a round trip LA to NY leaving on the first Friday from LA and returns from NY on the second Monday. Airlines didn't like that but the reality is that it was perfectly legal as nobody can determine what is a round trip.

Then of course there were hidden cities.

If you do this once or twice, and you don't book it through your corporate travel office, you don't have to worry about anything. Just make sure you do the outbound and throw away the inbound only, as the ticket would be cancelled if you tried to it the other way.

Now, if you do this on a regular basis, the first option the airline has to punish you, would be to subtract or totally cancel your miles if you happen to be in the program. There is also a rumor, and that's all there is, that they do keep a list of regular abusers, which they share with each other. Delta is known for strict enforcement of their rules to protect their revenue, but again only if you do this on a regular basis, not once or twice.

Some will tell you to fly SWA or Jetblue, as they sell one way tickets without penalties, and that's fine, but not always practical.

Actually, in 7 years as a TA, I have booked more RT tickets that were throwaways than I could count. I am in a major hub, and have clients that are Elite, Million Milers, etc. These ladies and gentlemen purchase these tickets the same as ones with fewer miles and are less traveled and not one client has ever had mileage deducted, threatened, or fined. We receive debit memos from the airlines for everything under the sun ($25 for a paper ticket! C'mon!). NEVER for what you are asking. My personal feeling is they created the loopholes; one-way carriers like Airtran and SW are doing great as compared to the big guys. So why spout the necessity for the roundtrip fares?

Sorry, my soapbox just popped right out there! But in answer to your inital question; yes, it is a scare tactic that is not enforceable.