Originally Posted by
CPRich
That's probably the last thing you should do. They may hold the plane waiting for him, continually ask you to try him on his cell phone, ask if you still want to fly without him, etc.
Just say that he won't be traveling today, plans have changed.
You should also inform the airline in advance. You can retain the credit for the ticket (maybe) instead of losing it if you don't cancel. And it also allows the airline to know one additional seat is available if standby pax are available.
OK, I think we are trading semantics (and saying the same thing.) I was not suggesting the OP puts on the blubbery show that the husband is going to make it if they just cut him a little slack. I doubt any airline will hold a flight unless you are a serious customer.