Hi there -- I don't know if this is the right place to ask this question, and I'm sorry if it is super obvious, but I just had to ask!

I booked a roundtrip economy flight from JFK to TLL through HEL. On the way there, I would REALLY like to just stay in Helsinki and not fly the segment to Tallinn, but from what I understand this would cancel my return trip. Is this true? Is there any way around it?

Thank you for any insight!!

For most fares the return flights will be cancelled, yes. It depends on the detailed fare rules, but they generally include such a rule.

This is because direct/non-stop services generally attract higher fares than connecting services. Probably, JFKHELJFK is more expensive than JFKTLLJFK via HEL. Most people are prepared to pay higher fares if they don't have to change planes and airlines make a business out of it ... but they, also obviously, don't allow you to take advantage of it by cutting your trip short.

Here in Europe, there are a number of recent court decisions, some in favour of the customer, some in favour of the airlines. The legal situation is currently not clear, but certainly the airlines monitor their customers anxiously. So you shouldn't count on their negligence ...

Yes. You would need to reissue your ticket to JFK-HEL-JFK, if you do not want to continue to TLL .. but by doing so, you would need to pay whatever fare the JFK-HEL-JFK is. Do not be surprised that it costs more to fly to HEL than it is to fly to TLL.

Remember, if you skip TLL, not only would your onward and return trips be cancelled, your entire ticket may be deemed unusable.

Welcome to FlyerTalk, by the way!

Thanks so much for the replies! It is the answer I expected but hoped not to see.

Yes, direct to Helsinki was about $200 more, so I booked to TLL (and back from Vilnius, actually - I was thrilled to get such a cheap fare in and out of different airports) for a lot, lot less. Of course that means that I have to wait 5 hours for a connection to TLL, and then take a boat back to Helsinki. Oh to chase a deal!! If anyone knows of fun things to do in the airport let me know

Thanks again!!

You can kill a couple of hours at Jumbo shopping mall close the the airport:

http://www.jumbo.fi/from_airport_to_jumbo

...which is connected to the Flamingo leisure centre:

http://www.flamingospa.fi/index.php/...-have-fun.html

You should check expedia.com or similar for a cheap one-way fare TLL-HEL if you don't want to take the slower (but in some sense much nicer) boat option. Last time I flew one I got it for 50 EUR all-in. Just don't try to book it from Finnair's website as the stupid POS rules and obscene service charges make it much more expensive.

It gives you a few meager miles as well.

Thanks! Jumbo looks like a great destination! I normally hate shopping, but it foreign countries it is a thrill.

So, one more (possibly stupid) question: will I have to collect my luggage in HEL or will they check it through to the TLL flight? Is there a rule about that with connection times?

Also, I looked into the one-way flights from TLL to HEL and while I found a cheap one, it wouldn't get me to HEL any faster than the boat -- and now I am looking forward to the boat anyhow. And also looking forward to getting off the boat and walking to the hotel without worrying about a bus. (Got a super cheap rate at the Blu Plaza and it looks great!)

It will be checked all the way through to TLL. With your connection time it should also make it just fine.

Just be aware that if your luggage for whatever reason ends up not making it to TLL it might be a bit troublesome to get it routed to your hotel in HEL instead of TLL.