One way for lounge access?
 

My mom is visiting. On her way back home she really wants to see my centurion lounge. If I buy a one way on frontier ($30) with no intention of using it... will frontier be unhappy when I’m a no show?

It is a corporation. It will be neither happy nor unhappy.

You will pay $30 and your ticket will be cancelled when you no show. The end.

Why not purchase a refundable ticket and refund it after you check in and visit the lounge? Southwest makes this process super easy if they serve your airport.

He would be better off just eating the lowest possible ticket cost since the works is only refundable 24 hours prior to departure. From the terms and conditions "All change and refund requests must be made 24 hours prior to departure."

Additionally, if you go to the airport and buy your ticket it likely would be cheaper since you avoid the convenience fee. Might be worth it since you plan on eating it anyway.

A a FlyerTalker my question is how much could you justify on a trip, even a day trip, that would earn adventure (if not points) by using the $30 you'd waste towards something a little more and actually going somewhere?

This is fraud. Beyond a waste of money it's also a bad thing to do. My suggestion would be not doing it.

How is it fraud?

Buying a ticket you do not plan to use to gain access to a lounge is absolutely fraud. Just do some searches on what happens to people who buy tickets to access lounges or buy tickets they don't intend to use. The airlines do not look fondly upon this.

I honestly don't think Frontier will give a crap about collecting $30 and the person not flying. It is AMEX that would look down on this given that it is gaining "fraudulent" access to their lounge.

The Airlines and others like to call all kinds of things that are not illegal fraud. They are sometimes violations of company imposed contracts. They are not criminal and in most instances do not harm anyone. The company may impose some kind of punitive action for violations of their rules, that does not make it fraud.

Yep. Congress has also refused to criminalize it, and there was even a move quite a few years ago (led by Sen. McCain, IIRC) to stop airlines from imposing penalties on some types of hidden city ticketing as part of reform legislation.

Airlines will say it's a violation of their contract of carriage.