I have a Oneworld ticket based on continents (I have 4 continents).

I don't want to fly the last couple of flights in Asia, as I am planning to stay longer. I heard a rumour that I could be fined for not flying.

Does anyone know anything about this? Or should I just call and tell them I don't need the other tickets so they can cancel them?

A common question asked & answered many times on this forum
The last time is here http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=439565

They do not fine you. They have the option of charging you point to point fares for the used segments, as you will have not complied with the ticket conditions. However it may not happen. Your risk

If you want to take the risk and are holding confirmed reservations for the segments you will not fly, do cancel the reservations (without announcing to the agent what your real plans are).

As the previous poster observed, OW's recourse is to charge you or your TA the unrestricted point to point fares for the segments you did fly - a sum that if collected would allow them to offer salted peanuts to their pax on a LOT of flights. Although no one has ever heard of it happening, if you find yourself having become the poster child, it will be too late to do anything but pay, beg for mercy, or litigate.

Is this not another reason for keeping the ticketing and the reservations seperate (i.e by having the ticket issued as OPEN for all after the first international segment)?

Christep, is it possible to have most of your flights issued as "open"? My travel agent said that I can change the dates at no cost, but I need to put down exact dates for each of my flights before purchasing the ticket.

No you can have as many open-dated segments - after the first flight - as you want. Only the first flight needs to be confirmed.

This is from the Star files at http://www.hardlink.com/~markdu/OWFi...Explorer.html:

sorry I'm new to the site, didn't realise it had just been asked.

OK based on the fact that I have flown across both the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean, how does that affect my chances? (I read that you have to fly across both as part of the terms of carriage).

Also, I have the option, I guess of paying the 75 pounds (I think) to cancel the last flights as a route change right?

Only problem is, my flights are for the next few days and I am in CAmbodia! Anyone know if any of the Oneworld carriers fly into Cambodia, as I need to speak to them about cancelling my last flights.

Last thing, when you guys say you haven't heard of any cases where people were charged, is that based on what you know from this website, or other expert knowledge?

Basically I'm trying to work out the odds on me being charged. I don't want to be charged for a China to England fare!

OK sorry, in my haste, I didn't realise that cancelling the last lflight doesn't really qualify as a route change as I won't have reached my original destination still right?

You can't get any firm info on this, it is a trade secret (anyone who knows can't post here). So any info is 2nd hand but often correct. The airlines have different rules for different tickets in order to segment the market; for example staying more than 30 days often results in doubling the fare on a roundtrip discounted ticket (the theory being that long-stay travelers are willing to pay more than short-stay tourists). The RTW fare rules are specifically intended to prevent using this fare basis for one-way travel or relocation to another country; they want you to buy a point-to-point (higher) fare if you are doing that. Detection, enforcement and action varies a lot from airline to airline, but current computer systems make detection trivial. Which makes what happens more a question of policy than luck. I have heard stories of huge chargebacks (more than the cost of the ticket) often enough that I'm sure it happens. My opinion is that it happens rarely and maybe only if there are other reasons (such as a pattern of abuse). The ticket is good for a year; you can defer your flight, and buy another RTW next year (continuing the cycle). Lots of other creative solutions that abide by the rules (and give the airlines more money so they should be happy). I've made sure that all of my tickets were used and abided by the rules, even when it wasn't very convenient, as I just don't want to run this risk. Airlines do stretch rules at times, so your status probably has a factor in this, but it must be the dream of every revenue enforcement group to find tickets like this (worth 10x their normal catch).

I think the lack of "mea culpa" reports in FT is hardly an indication the airlines are not willing to punish wrongdoers. Would anybody who got hit with a huge $ bill for dumping the last segment come here and confess? I know I would not.

Why not? I certainly would step up and issue a warning to the group. The individual caught red-handed would have nothing to hide, and if the airline was willing to negotiate might even get a break for putting the word out that dumping the last segment(s) is a bad idea.

Nonetheless, I personally will never take the risk of not finishing the trip.

I've left it all a bit late really. I can't believe they can charge you for something you've officially paid for.

As I mentioned on another thread, it seems like I have to pay 10 per cent penalty, which I can deal with. I had no idea before about the point to point fare and can't see anything about in the conditions of carriage.

I am supposed to fly to Beijing in three days time, and then from Beijing to London (home) the day after. That is the last valid day of my ticket. I don't even have the visa for China if I wanted to fly there now. And I've already bought a separate flight to get home later.

I guess all I can do is cancel my reservations for the last two flights and hope that they don't charge more than the 10 per cent.