Originally Posted by
studentff
I've considered doing this for NOOD too. My only reservations (other than my time) are some guilt about needlessly blocking an airline seat on an otherwise swamped day.
As a former corporate-level airline manager, I can tell you with absolute certainty that you should not feel guilty. Airlines forcast oversells and no-shows into the equation, so you will not be depriving someone of a seat in this situation.
What the airlines also want is revenue. If you purchase a refundable ticket, clear security, then request a refund, you have deprived the airline of revenue, and hence one of the overall goals of this campaign. The airlines will notice if refundable tickets are processed on NOOD.
Everyone should note, though, that you may not get as lucky as John Tyner. He had a non-refundable ticket refunded by AA. I would not recommend expecting a similar outcome. It's likely that he found a sympathetic TA. The rest of us may not be so lucky.
I have already purchased several refundable, round-trip tickets for NOOD across a number of airlines, and will opt-out through the c/p, leave, and request refunds 10 minutes prior to departure. Letters will follow to the CEO of every airline explaining that I refuse to fly under these conditions.
To the OP's point, all that is required is that one clears "security". If you clear the c/p and then decide to leave, there is no law against it. They only require that you complete the process.