mediamonkey

Is there anything to stop be buying a return ticket (which is cheaper than a one way) and then cancelling for the return leg?

eefor jfp

Some airlines, especially in the US frown on this practice and it's against their terms and conditions. If you do this regularly, they can close your frequent flier account and if you use a travel agent, they can come after them for the difference. If you just don't use the ticket, then there is little that will happen. If you try to cancel (for a refund), they will reprice and may end up charging you, especially if you have a credit card on file. Not sure what BA's exact position on this is but others will certainly chime in soon. Bottom line is that if you do this sparingly you should be fine.

mediamonkey

Thanks - so no-showing would be better than cancelling

eefor jfp

I would think so, unless there is a significant change in fares that makes it worth it. You can also book as far out as possible and then maybe you can use the ticket next year combined with an Avios ticket for the return. Obviously play around with dates so that you're spending the minimum for the return leg that you're not going to use. Not sure what the sweet spot is there but use the BA website or a site like ITA Matrix to find the cheapest date for the return leg.

Jon MilnerMatthews

The law...

If you deliberately buy a return ticket with no intention to travel on the return leg solely because it is cheaper than a one-way ticket, this could constitute fraud and the airline could pursue you for the fare difference, it is also a breach of pretty much every airline's terms and conditions so announcing one's intention to do it in advance is generally not a good idea). Airlines have cracked down on people buying ex-EU tickets to avoid taxes and charges and not taking the last leg and this is a very similar situation.

The important thing here is intent, if you intended to take the return flight but were unable to and so cancel it as a result, that is one thing and generally is not a problem (and the airline should not reprice the ticket as a single); however, if you had no intention to ever take the return flight, you have purchased a discounted ticket under false pretences and have therefore taken advantage of pricing for which you are not eligible. Buying a return ticket with a flexible return leg would make it easier to indicate intent to use the return flight at some point within the ticket validity, even if you do not know the exact date on which you would use it, but for this to be a valid approach, you would still need to have a genuine intent to use the return leg.

mediamonkey

Makes sense. Thanks

mario

Here we go again 🙄

I assume you're asking for a ticket pertaining BA as you're posting on the BA forum.

There's nothing stopping you buying a ticket and flying part of the itinerary. It's not going to result in any action against you, despite what was said above which is plainly wrong, at least as far as a BA ticket is concerned.

The actions and remedies for this situation are set out in the BA Conditions of carriage, so no further action than what is set out in that would happen.

If you buy a return ticket and want a refund of the return sector, you can ask but this will reprice your ticket to just one way (the sector you flown) and probably you'd be owing money to BA if the one way was more expensive than the return. Therefore it is just easier to drop the remaining sector(s).

Tafflyer

Many a time have I even been encouraged at ticket desks to buy a "throw-away" return rather than a single, so fear not, nothing will happen.

I continue to find the idea of charging more for less, or indeed less for more totally absurd, and that's regardless of the environmental effects. All the while airlines charge less for a return than a one-way, or charge me less for London to Miami when I start in Amsterdam, I will avail of it. They can write what they like in their terms and conditions, but until they successfully enforce this ridicule in court we are free to optimise our travels as we like. The one instance I can recall of an airline trying to enforce it was Lufthansa and they got two black eyes from trying in a German court.

orbitmic

Oh wow. And what does our criminal mastermind risk? Death penalty? Caning? Drowning? Death by a thousand cuts?

Am I risking the same for buying hundreds of books I never end up reading?

Sometimes, I am genuinely by this forum's propensity to systematically try to translate what are essentially contractual questions into criminal matters complete. At times, considering how rife major crime seems to be amongst the leg-dropping and can of coke drinking jetsetting community one might wonder if it is a true miracle that airlines are not building giant frequent flyer prisons instead of lounges...

SK AAR

There is no criminal offence/fraud by dropping the return flight. Let's not make this into a drama.

Buy a return fare and hope for a schedule change or cancellation that will allow you to cancel and get a (full) refund for the return segments (without repricing the ticket to a o/w fare).

corporate-wage-slave

No, let me be clear. BA doesn't care in the slightest. It's 101% OK to buy a return and not use it, and Contact Centres often suggest that if the agent spots that you are proposing to buy an ultra expensive ticket. Not all lower fare buckets are available on single tickets. Well, they were when there was a pandemic on and BA wanted any business it could get, but that's another story. The point I sometimes make when this point is made is that BA knows what you are going to do before you do. It's a bit like that feeling that Google is reading your emails and coming up with adverts a bit close to the bone - actually Google doesn't do this, but they don't need to.

corporate-wage-slave

Only one lot of CW catering rather than two, is the usual outcome. More painfully, one strike of Tier Points and one whack of Avios.

orbitmic

In fairness, considering the great lengths some of our forum mileage runners go to in order to ensure that flying from Paris to London takes them 8 segments and 39 hours in the air, I have to admit that this sounds like a painful outcome for most and one which may well, in due time, be the focus of some scary period drama the way contemporary film makers like to scenarise public school kid's visits to the headmaster's office!!

More constructively, as the Robin Hood I am deep inside,, I am in half a mind to speaking to the bar-tender in my next CCR visit in a few days, ask him to create a vibrant, spicy, and powerful cocktail laced with reasonably awakening amounts of chili for me, name it the "Dangerous Leg-Dropping Mafioso" and gift it to the Flyertalk community in my will!

Ghoulish

There will be no legal consequences, to suggest otherwise is absurd and not based in reality.

In a minuscule number of isolated instances involving repeated, extreme abuse, frequent flyer accounts are terminated.

More importantly is that you attempt to preserve some value in the otherwise unised portion of the ticket. Book it as far out in advance as possible, as you were advised.

Sometimes, a one way outbound fare can be had for a bargain, then you can use your unused return to make a compete trip.

Don't expect to be able to change departing or arriving airport however, unless the flight is cancelled/changed affording you the opportunity to rebook. You can of course change the date to something that suits you, if the fees and fate difference work out.

bisonrav

All of that said

Our EX-EU Horror story - FlyerTalk Forums

It did all get sorted out though.