Flying only the first half of a R/T ticket
Jan 3rd, 2005, 09:50 AM
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Flying only the first half of a R/T ticket
Seems like I've heard that airlines are cracking down on this sort of thing...but how can they if you use the outbound portion of your ticket....and never show for the return? We need one/way travel to England (from Boston)to board a cruise that will bring us back....IS there any reason I shouldn't try to book us on a cheaper R/T ticket, and just not use the return? Thanks!
Jan 3rd, 2005, 09:54 AM
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A lady in my office needed a one-way ticket from Ireland to AUS. She found it was cheaper to buy R/T and not use the return portion. She had no problems. I don't see what the airlines can do to crack down on this. It's not like they are incurring a loss because you DON'T show up for a flight.
Jan 3rd, 2005, 09:57 AM
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I haven't heard anything about airlines cracking down on this, and I agree - how does it hurt them
Our family of four did this a few years ago. The cost of a RT ticket Rome-Marseilles/Marseilles-Rome was less than half the cost of a one-way, so all four of us flew from Rome to Marseilles and tossed the other tickets.
Our family of four did this a few years ago. The cost of a RT ticket Rome-Marseilles/Marseilles-Rome was less than half the cost of a one-way, so all four of us flew from Rome to Marseilles and tossed the other tickets.
Jan 3rd, 2005, 11:24 AM
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Nothing will happen, although you are breaking the fare rules.
That said, you may also look into www.aerlingus.com. The airline just simplified their fares, and they do sell one-way fares. In June it's about $300 from Boston to London connecting in Shannon or Dublin.
That said, you may also look into www.aerlingus.com. The airline just simplified their fares, and they do sell one-way fares. In June it's about $300 from Boston to London connecting in Shannon or Dublin.
Jan 3rd, 2005, 12:23 PM
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When they come to your house to arrest you for not using the return, just insist that you were there, but couldn't clear customs in time and you missed the flight. Then DEMAND they pay you half your fare back since they didn't provide you with the return. That ought to work.
In case you can't tell, I'm kidding. Tear up the ticket for the return and don't look back.
In case you can't tell, I'm kidding. Tear up the ticket for the return and don't look back.
Jan 3rd, 2005, 12:43 PM
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If you have a balance in freq fly miles with this airline, they might choose to deduct some miles; they might also pass the extra fare to the travel agent who requested your ticket.
http://www.thetravelinsider.info/2002/0816.htm
However, on the ASTA website it lists this 'passenger right':
"Use all, part or none of the segments on any ticket purchased.
Use of a combination of roundtrip tickets, a ticket with a point beyond the consumer's final destination, or only one leg of a roundtrip ticket is sometimes necessary to achieve the most economical travel under an airline's fare structure. Regardless of an airline's fare restriction policies, and in keeping with the treatment of all other consumer purchases, a consumer who purchases a ticket buys the right, but never the obligation, to travel to the points covered by the fare. "
http://www.astanet.com/govaffairs/trav_rights.asp
http://www.thetravelinsider.info/2002/0816.htm
However, on the ASTA website it lists this 'passenger right':
"Use all, part or none of the segments on any ticket purchased.
Use of a combination of roundtrip tickets, a ticket with a point beyond the consumer's final destination, or only one leg of a roundtrip ticket is sometimes necessary to achieve the most economical travel under an airline's fare structure. Regardless of an airline's fare restriction policies, and in keeping with the treatment of all other consumer purchases, a consumer who purchases a ticket buys the right, but never the obligation, to travel to the points covered by the fare. "
http://www.astanet.com/govaffairs/trav_rights.asp
Jan 3rd, 2005, 01:16 PM
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<<why in the heck do they charge more for one-way than R/T?>>
For one-way travel - - which is fully refundable, changeable and can be bought at the last minute (as many business people require) - - they charge the full, logical and TRUE price of providing that seat in a profitable way. For some (many) kinds of roundtrip tickets, they offer substantial (sometimes huge) discounts because they know that people will tolerate paying, in advance, for both directions, with such conditions as non-flexible return - - to get the reduced fares.
They fill up as many seats as they can, each at the highest price they can get for the varying needs of the travelers willing to buy them.
Best wishes,
Rex
For one-way travel - - which is fully refundable, changeable and can be bought at the last minute (as many business people require) - - they charge the full, logical and TRUE price of providing that seat in a profitable way. For some (many) kinds of roundtrip tickets, they offer substantial (sometimes huge) discounts because they know that people will tolerate paying, in advance, for both directions, with such conditions as non-flexible return - - to get the reduced fares.
They fill up as many seats as they can, each at the highest price they can get for the varying needs of the travelers willing to buy them.
Best wishes,
Rex
Jan 3rd, 2005, 01:28 PM
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If you check around you may find one-way tickets that are cheaper than round-trip (such as the AerLingus deal mentioned above). Try consolidators (listed in your travel section, or online ones like airdeals and justfares).
I've taken one-way transatlantic flights several times in the past few years, and have always found cheaper fares than the best round-trip ones.
I've taken one-way transatlantic flights several times in the past few years, and have always found cheaper fares than the best round-trip ones.
Jan 3rd, 2005, 01:29 PM
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I don't really know, actually, it doesn't make any sense to me either (one-way tickets are not by definition full-fare or last minute, I'm not sure if that is what Rex is implying, that they must be). Some carriers don't charge more, such as Southwest in the US, where each leg is whatever price it is, whether you go one-way or RT.
I suspect it may be because they think one-way fares are more attractive to business people who can pay more. That is the usual reason, but I'll admit I don't really see why that would be true, as most business people must return, also, but that's usually the reason fares are higher inexplicably.
I read an explanation once which made some sense to me, but unfortunately, I can't recall the reasoning (I guess it isn't intuitive).
I suspect it may be because they think one-way fares are more attractive to business people who can pay more. That is the usual reason, but I'll admit I don't really see why that would be true, as most business people must return, also, but that's usually the reason fares are higher inexplicably.
I read an explanation once which made some sense to me, but unfortunately, I can't recall the reasoning (I guess it isn't intuitive).
Jan 3rd, 2005, 01:29 PM
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This has been discussed before...
Technically it is a violation of the airline's tariffs. Your ticket, in highly legal terms, is a contract where you agree to abide by the tariff rules for a particular fare and the airline agrees to provide transportation.
Over the years, dodges around the airline's illogical fare structure have been devised including back to back ticketing (discussed by me on the airlines forum), hidden cities and this one i.e. using 1/2 of a return ticket.
That's the theory. Back in the long ago era when passengers actually used travel agents (you remember travel agents, don't you) the travel agents were threatened with debit notices for selling tickets in violation of the tariffs and of course if the agent was debited, then the agent would supposedly go after the customer.
That's the theory.
In practice, it is highly highly unlikely that anything will happen although technically they could bill your credit card for the difference in fare or take it out on your frequent flyer miles.
What are the odds of anything happening? About 1,000 to 1 so go for it.
Technically it is a violation of the airline's tariffs. Your ticket, in highly legal terms, is a contract where you agree to abide by the tariff rules for a particular fare and the airline agrees to provide transportation.
Over the years, dodges around the airline's illogical fare structure have been devised including back to back ticketing (discussed by me on the airlines forum), hidden cities and this one i.e. using 1/2 of a return ticket.
That's the theory. Back in the long ago era when passengers actually used travel agents (you remember travel agents, don't you) the travel agents were threatened with debit notices for selling tickets in violation of the tariffs and of course if the agent was debited, then the agent would supposedly go after the customer.
That's the theory.
In practice, it is highly highly unlikely that anything will happen although technically they could bill your credit card for the difference in fare or take it out on your frequent flyer miles.
What are the odds of anything happening? About 1,000 to 1 so go for it.
Jan 3rd, 2005, 01:30 PM
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I explained this few times here, but let';s try it again.
Airlines have many different fares for the same class of service. The very cheap economy tickets have many restrictions, such as minimum stays, Saturday stay, traveling on certain days, etc.
The more expensive the economy tickets the less restrictions, including no minimum stays, no Saturday stays, etc.
So, in order for the airline to sell the more expensive tickets to the people that can't have restrictions, the airline has to sell a one-way ticket at a 1/2 price of the no-restriction tickets, NOT the very cheap, very restricted tickets. If they did sell one way tickets for 1/2 price of the cheap economy ticket, the entire fare structure would collapse. Everybody would be buying one-way cheap tickets, thus avoiding all the restrictions.
As much as most tourist don't think this is fair and many think it's stupid, it is the higher fares that allow the airlines to sell certain number of deeply discounted fares. If the airlines were to have just one fare for each class of service, the coach ticket may cost about $2000, not $500 that one can find on US-Europe routes, so then most of the leiosure travelers would be crying about the high cost of flying.
So as silly as this may look to the casual flyer, s/he should enjoy the benefits of these structured fares.
Airlines have many different fares for the same class of service. The very cheap economy tickets have many restrictions, such as minimum stays, Saturday stay, traveling on certain days, etc.
The more expensive the economy tickets the less restrictions, including no minimum stays, no Saturday stays, etc.
So, in order for the airline to sell the more expensive tickets to the people that can't have restrictions, the airline has to sell a one-way ticket at a 1/2 price of the no-restriction tickets, NOT the very cheap, very restricted tickets. If they did sell one way tickets for 1/2 price of the cheap economy ticket, the entire fare structure would collapse. Everybody would be buying one-way cheap tickets, thus avoiding all the restrictions.
As much as most tourist don't think this is fair and many think it's stupid, it is the higher fares that allow the airlines to sell certain number of deeply discounted fares. If the airlines were to have just one fare for each class of service, the coach ticket may cost about $2000, not $500 that one can find on US-Europe routes, so then most of the leiosure travelers would be crying about the high cost of flying.
So as silly as this may look to the casual flyer, s/he should enjoy the benefits of these structured fares.
Jan 4th, 2005, 09:25 AM
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Thanks to all for the helpful and informative responses! I especially liked reading that ASTA language and the Aer Lingus tip. Looks like we go looking for the cheapest avaialble fare, r/t or not.
