<p>Trying to rearrange some flight plans to allow attendance at an admitted students’ weekend. Is it true, as an airline where we have previously purchased non-refundable tickets has told me, that you can’t just use part of an airline ticket (i.e. just the return portion) and sacrifice the outgoing part (just not show up)? The airline told me “that’s illegal,” and, of course, they would charge a fee far exceeding the original ticket price for the entire trip, just to cancel the outgoing part. Or will we be hauled off as terrorists?</p>
<p>Well, if you are hauled off, by definition you ARE terrorists, so you deserve what you get, especially now that we have been assured you can’t challenge it in court.</p>
<p>I think it’s rotten, but as far as I know it’s all too true.</p>
<p>Can you set up the return as the first part of your roundtrip ticket? Then cancel the return part of your ticket. </p>
<p>I just think your entire ticket gets cancelled if you miss your outgoing flight.</p>
<p>I don’t know if that’s legal, but it’s just an idea.</p>
<p>We have often completed only part of our ticket, but it does have to be the first part. Coronax has the right idea.</p>
<p>so what if you call the airport and say</p>
<p>I have fallen and I can’t get up…give my seat away…owwwiiieeee</p>
<p>what can they possibly do</p>
<p>If you don’t leave, you cannot return. You must use part one to be eligible for part two or the ticket is voided.</p>
<p>I have used the first part of a reservation and not the second part (or rather my sons have in reservations I have made for them), because it was cheaper to buy a round trip ticket than a one way ticket. The first time I did this I called the airline to see if it was OK, and they said it was fine. However, they did say that you could only do that with the first part, not the return ticket, since, as others mentioned, the entire ticket is cancelled if you don’t show up for the first part.</p>
<p>It’s not the law, it is the contract for carriage that you accepted when you bought the ticket. It is fairly easy to use the first half and not show up for the second half. I don’t know of any cases where they bill you for the difference in a one way fare. In your case, when you don’t show up for the first half, they automatically cancel the second half.</p>
<p>Thanks, everyone. We’ll have to work something else out.</p>
<p>Last spring D and I had round trip tickets (Spokane to Seattle). We missed our outbound Alaska flight?.. the next scheduled Alaska flight would arrive in Seattle too late for a performance we were attending that day. I had to purchase one-way tickets on another airline, but used our Alaska tickets for the return flight (Seattle to Spokane). I was able to get a credit (minus the $50 change fee) for the unused portion of our Alaska ticket when I booked a future flight.</p>
<p>I did this once, but they did not like it…the part I missed was the last segment
I flew in to LA and was supposed to continue on to Long Beach or Ontario (can’t remember which), but got off in LA as it was more convenient…the whole fare was the cheapest one I could get but I did not need the last leg</p>
<p>the airline was nasty about it but didn’t do anything to me
this was last year</p>
<p>Orbitz writes cheap one-way tickets.</p>
<p>Back to Back is the game. I have not had any trouble. Out matched to a return…not so hard to do.</p>
<p>My daughter often flies one way and drives the other to her college, thanks to Southwest that’s very doable. I prefer her to fly both ways and tell me far enough in advance that I can have her fly into our small nearby airport. It’s only economical if I can get her booked in advance, and Southwest doesn’t fly there. </p>
<p>For her Spring break this year, that was the plan but a couple of weeks before she was to come home a friend asked if there was any way she could drive back with her. The friends parents were willing to pay for the 1/2 flight that she would miss. We took them up on it and I never did call the airline to tell them she wouldn’t be on the return flight. I assume that someone on stand-by got her seat.</p>