Apologies if this was discussed again (I'm sure SOMEONE will find a link if it has been talked about before...)

I'm curious to what would happen if I book a roundtrip but only end up using one "half" of the ticket. (I don't show up for the return flight, let's say for example.)

Is the rest of the ticket invalid? Can I get a refund or a credit towards a future ticket with the unusued portion?

This is for my own knowledge if I ever did it. also...


OMNI: I ask this becuase my friend's sister, who thinks she's psychic, says I will NOT be going home on my flight back from Texas on New Years Eve. She said I would meet someone interesting who would convince me NOT to go home.

I do not believe in psychics, most times, but she did say I would meet a lot of new friends this year through a new "club" I would join.

I guess "Flyertalk" is that club?

my return tickets are (always?) cheaper than a one-way-ticket - so I would just try to have to pay the 'refund' myself to the airline ...

for the rest you might look under my good friend's guerilla tips ... (on this board or in the book).

Depends on whether it is a refundable ticket or a non refundable ticket. If its non refundable, I don't think that you could get a refund or apply it to another ticket. But you could use it on a later date to go back to pack up things in your apartment, and then drive back to Texas or get a one way ticket to Texas (I read that the Southwest awards can be used as two one ways, and Diners Club is having a special with Southwest).

Also see this recent posting: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum94/HTML/000687.html

Hopefully some day we will have a semi useful search function.

Following is refund language copied from the AA site regarding using half of a round-trip ticket:

"FULL REFUND WILL BE MADE WHEN NO PORTION OF THE TKT HAS BEEN USED. THE REFUND WILL BE THE AMT PAID MINUS THE NORMAL ONE WAY FARE APPLICABLE TO THE TRANSPORTATION USED, WHEN A PORTION OF THE TKT HAS BEEN USED."

Generally, when I am forced to fly on a full-fare, refundable ticket , I try and compare the full-fare round trip refundable to two separate, one way full fare-refundable tickets. Generally, on the LAX/SJC route, the round trip and two one way tickets cost the same. This way if I need to skip one of the flights, the other leg is not affected and I can get my money back.

Last week the "regular" last-second-full- fare round trip ticket LAX/SJC of $188.00 was not available (higher price as a result of coach was almost sold out on the return flight I wanted). Instead AA was charging $274! (I considered the $274 price obscene since most of my tickets are only $88 r/t) So I booked a full fare refundable LAX to SJC ticket for $94 on AA and a SJC to LAX refundable ticket on Southwest for $94. The next day a few hours before my desired AA flight, I checked on the internet and the regular $94 one way ticket was again available. I purchased the ticket on AA and refunded my Southwest ticket.

In your situation, if you only used half of the ticket (and that half happened to be the portion priced at higher than a full-fare one-way ticket), your refund may be less than you would have received if you had bought two separate one way tickets.

Did my explanation make sense, or did I just confuse myself? Hope it helps.


[This message has been edited by onedog (edited 12-15-1999).]

On the major airlines, if you are not going to use the return portion of your ticket on the date you are scheduled, call the airline and cancel it. On a restricted ticket, the unused portion can then only be used on the same routing typically within 30 days from the outbound flight after paying a $75 change fee and any fare difference if the fare class in which you were booked is not available. If that fare class is available on your re-scheduled flight, then you will be asked to pay a $75 change fee. Some tickets are even more fully restricted (special promotional fares like e-saver fares and others) so your unused return portion may have no value.

On Southwest Airlines, again, call the airline to cancel any reservation you will not use, and then the value of the unused portion can be applied to any Southwest routing up to 365 days from when the original ticket was purchased.

Other discount carriers have different rules, so you should just call the particular airline.

It makes no difference whether you issue the ticket as two one-ways or a r/t unless there are advance purchase or non-refundability restrictions on one portion. The airline will refund the unused portion based on the fare calculation printed on the ticket or receipt. The only exception to this is with fares that require a round-trip purchase. Some airlines will recalculate the o/w fare and refund the difference, others will be very lax and refund half the ticket anyway.

I can't address the return ticket question. All empirical evidence available to me suggests that the airlines just make up the rules as they go along.

OTOH, I think your friend's sister (who wants you to think that she thinks she's psychic) is planning to introduce you to someone.

OMNI for RichG:

You probably won't be surprised at this, but I thought the same thing (about meeting someone interesting) when I read Catman's post.

RichG and shadow are on the beam, my dear buddy Catman.

I mean, just how long did you really think you would last? If you were 5years younger, I'd have already nailed you for my daughter (23, unmaried, not yet seriously involved with anyone truly worthy, been around the world, grew up on an Air Mic cargo 727, college degree and impeccable pedigree...5'8', green eyes and legs that go all the way to the floor).

I thin the Catman's days are numbered; sounds to me like YOU'RE GOING DOWN!!!!

hnechets.... LOL! You are setting up your daughter now. This truly a community. (reminds me of my mother trying to fix me up with her friend's unmarried daughters years ago).

LOL.... Well Refund right? Oh it all depends. UAL is kinda strict with that.. sometimes when I use to cancel returns, they would question if I was back-to-back-ing my fares... I wasn't but it was funny how defensive they get... Big Meanies!

Well, that IS how legs usually go....

That'd be a fun one to explain to one's normal friends... getting set up with the daughter of a fellow Flyertalker. "You met this woman how again?"