I'd appreciate your advice. Here's the deal. Some time ago we booked these flights through Orbitz: PHL to LAX on United, & overnight in LA. LAX to HNL on Hawaiian; and HNL to KOA on Hawaiian. Returns are basically the same in reverse.

We have since found a one-way PHL-LAX flight on USAir we like a lot better for departure time & the fare is reasonable enough so that we are willing to buy these tix & absorb the additional cost.

I am concerned, however, that if we do that, and simply do not show up for the PHL-LAX leg of the trip on United, do we somehow imperil the remainder of our booking?

If it's all on one ticket, chances are near 100% that a no-show will cancel out all the remaining flights.

Phone Orbitz and see how much it would cost to change the flights.

Chances aren't "near 100%," they are 100%. The remainder of your trip will be canceled.

Gardyloo, the USAir flight isn't offered by Orbitz-- it would be booked direct with USAir.

No, call Orbitz and see if they will switch the reservation (you'll be charged a change fee if they'll do it at all) so that you fly on your desired USAir flight rather than the UA one.

Otherwise you're probably stuck with your original itinerary.

And EricH, not 100% - depends on what the PNR looks like. Probably 90%+ though. Definitely not something for the OP to gamble on though.

Thanks to both of you for your advice. I called Orbitz & they've told me that since UA is the validating airline for the whole trip, I can't switch our first flight from UA to USAir.

Ah well, it was a thought. I should have had it before I booked our trip. Lesson learned.

If you want to switch really bad, then have them reprice and reissue your original ticket without the PHL-LAX leg. Maybe that will be allowed.

Then buy your separate PHL-LAX on US.

rkkwan, thanks. Interesting idea, but I am going to leave it alone. I actually spent hours this morning simply trying to confirm our flights as we have them-- it seems that UA didn't have the leg we were flying on Aloha, though Orbitz did and Aloha did. I leave it to you experienced hands to imagine what the round robin phone calls were like. At one point I was having the fantasy that all of this was taking place through the same phone bank somewhere in India, and if I could just get into that room for a moment, all my problems would be solved. The final explanation was that Aloha's computers are not synchronized with UA's. Was that supposed to be a comfort?

I can only imagine what hell it would have been if I had actually tried to change these reservations in any way!