sydneyracquelle

I did this last year as primary and it was no big deal. Companion cannot fly alone but primary can. Primary has a regular, valid ticket. Companion does not.

flyerCO

Just have him board the outbound. When you no-show, you'll be split off the reservation and your reservation cancelled. His should be left alone.

jordyn

This seems to be the only data point of someone actually trying this. Lots of people assert that there might be a problem for a companion, but is there anyone who's actually tried and had a problem? (I'm specifically interested in the case of a companion returning without the primary traveler on a nonstop flight.)

Mr. Tickets

I think it is a YMMV thing. Is it allowed? No. (By the T & C's of the certificate) Will a diligent agent catch it? Maybe, but probably not. They have too many other things to worry about when boarding an aircraft. Since it is not (supposedly according to the T & C) an option, it will always be a question as to whether you will be successful.

jordyn

I'm asking for actual experiences, not speculation. I understand what the rules say and I have read all of the speculation. So far it seems like precisely one person (who has written in this thread) has actually tried and the result was successful. Which doesn't necessarily give one much confidence that a second or third attempt will be successful, but at the same time also doesn't really support the notion that "YMMV" either.

According to the T&Cs, cancelling the companion ticket will also result in the paid ticket being cancelled, yet people seem to state with confidence that that's not the case, so it doesn't seem like the T&Cs necessarily describe real-world practice.

Mr. Tickets

Sorry, I am not sure what actual experiences will do for you. Anytime you are working around the T & C's of something you will never know what will happen for sure. As I said, it probably wouldn't get caught on a return leg. Good luck

Colin

just board at gate using the paid ticket boarding pass.
or, is goal some next-level plan to request refund of unflown paid return segment?

jordyn

No, the only goal is to be able to use half of the return ticket. Using the paid ticket boarding pass makes sense assuming that Delta actually cares about one vs. the other being cancelled despite what the T&Cs say.

flyerCO

The main reason for T&C is to ensure if one passenger doesnt fly, that other doesn't still have a valid ticket. (Wjich can then be rebooked) This is most important when it is the paid ticket passenger that doesn't fly. In that case they would have an unused eticket with value attached. If the opposite occurs, it doesn't matter. There's no "value" attached to companion ticket except taxes/fees.

daslax

You can make that two people now who've been successful. Primary and companion both checked in for the return (non-stop) flight, primary never boarded and companion flew without incident. It was not a completely full flight and the seat that should have been occupied by the primary was never occupied.

dmac1418

Curious if anyone has experience cancelling the return leg (for both passengers)?

Would primary passenger get an eTicket/eCredit for the return portion if we cancel? Essentially I'm asking if its possible to get a companion pass one-way by booking RT and cancelling the return?

I know the remainder of the companion pass would be lost, and that's a non-issue since I have 3 of them expiring in January - trying to get some value out while I can.

Spanish Forker

We are having a potential companion pass issue. I bought flights for my aunt and I round trip SLC-PNS for 26 Oct - 01Nov to see my parents and go to a football game. My other aunt and uncle from South Carolina were going to meet us in Tallahassee for the game, but cannot due to medical issues. My aunt wants to now fly to see them so TLH-CAE-SLC leaving TLH on 30Oct and still flying home on 01Nov. She called Delta and they said if she breaks away from me that I will not be able to board the plane. I am the "lead" on the ticket and she is the companion. We are not looking to use her return flight or anything. She would book the TLH-CAE-SLC as a completely separate ticket. She just wants to use the SLC to PNS portion we already have booked then have a separate ticket for the other part, but allow me to still fly home.

Is the best thing to do to just cancel her off of my ticket (negating the companion ticket) and buy a SLC-PNS (drive to Tallahassee) TLH-CAE-SLC ticket?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

emma dog

Not true for issues on your ticket, but she may have difficulty flying flying the return tlh-cae-slc without DL cancelling it due to overlapping tickets. It’s safest to have her fly another airline for the return.

Spanish Forker

So her not joining me for the return leg should not hurt me...correct? That is what I thought, but Delta reps over the phone told her differently...saying i wouldn't be able to board without her. That seemed wrong to me.

I get booking the other segments on another airline just to keep overlapping itineraries from happening. If we did need to book it on Delta do they notice that issue if we dont give a SkyMiles number for the "other" itinerary?

Just for clarification the return itinerary for her would include a few days in Columbia SC.

Mr. Tickets

Delta is telling you that it will be an issue since that is the published rule. There are a number of threads which indicate they won't care as long as it is the return half of the ticket. As far as the overlapping bookings on Delta. There are many people who will dispute the fact it will be caught. It may or not happen. I know plenty of people who have been caught. The frequent flyer number doesn't make a difference. They can run a check by names (since legal names and birthdates are now part of the reservations process). I would book on another airline for the other reservation. YMMV