Buying RT, Discarding Return Ticket - Can It be Done?
 

My daughter's friend wants to go to CDG but is thinking of staying on until her parents arrive - uncertain return time. She'd then fly home with them buying her a ticket.

My question, and I apologize if this has been addressed - I did do a search but didn't see a new answer - can she just buy a much cheaper RT and then not use the return portion? It's a difference of at least 2 grand it seems.

Thanks!

I've done it with no negative consequences. Bought a RT ticket Marseilles-Rome and just used the outgoing portion.

It is 'technically' against the rules. But people do it every day. Unless she makes a practice of it the airline won't go after her.

I am doing this in July. We are flying Prague to Florence with a stop in Frankfurt. I couldn't get the time nor the fare I wanted with a one-way so we went for a round trip and will dump the return portion. As janisj said, it's technically not allowed but many people have done it without issues.

I did this back in 2004. We were visiting Spain and Italy and we didn't want to backtrack to come home and it was much cheaper to buy the RT ticket from Madrid to Rome than the one-way. When we flew home (from Venice), they did ask us about the unused flight, but we told them that we changed our plans. No problems at all.

We just did this on Virgin Atlantic, one way on points for me, round trip with cash for husband, ditching the return as we are sailing back.

Only because we like Virgin, not an obligation, we will cancel online or phone. They probsbly could care less.

You can do it just fine. The airlines realize that extraordinary circumstances sometimes happen, so they are not going to pay for an army of lawyers to investigate the circumstances, nor risk newspaper articles about hospitalized travelers in dire straits being penalized by the airline after experiencing terrible misfortune.

Just do not associate the ticket with frequent flyer miles if the passengers have accounts with extensive point balances and benefit contingencies that they do not want to lose (it can indeed still work to accrue FF miles with the missed return, but technically gaming the system violates the rules-of-contract of FF programs).

If they don't have a lot to lose in their FF accounts, then go ahead with the booking, and go ahead trying to get them FF miles on their itinerary with the missed return.

Thank you all for the help! Looks like it'll be no problem.

And, no, dfourh, no FF miles involved here but thanks for the info.

If a passenger misses his return flight, does the airline blacklist him? Or seek to prosecute him?

No.

How would yr case be any different?

soogies,

you didn't state several different points.

When is your daughter's friend flying?
From where is your df flying from?
How many airlines did you check, as a savings of 2 grand is a bunch?

Many airlines have one way rates that are 1/2 or so, of a round trip ticket. It all depends on when and where from.

Before you leap before you look, try looking at various combinations of airlines and dates.

Hi Rasta

Yes, I've considered all your points. The girls want to travel together, and their travel dates are fixed. So this seems the only option, but thanks for the thoughts.