Any issue with checking in and not boarding?
 

I originally booked myself a flight and my family flights on separate PNRs (they are on award and I am on one way revenue). Something important came up at. work and they insisted that I stay an extra day and would cover the cost of changing the ticket. Turns out it was cheaper and easier for them to just buy me a new one way ticket for the following day. There is no value back to me if I cancel my original ticket

What I would like to do is check in and accompany them to the gate and the united club and see them off but just not show up for the flight. Would there be any repercussions? I was actually planning on letting them know at the UC once we get there. Since my upgrades have already cleared someone at the top of the UG list will get a happy battlefield upgrade I guess (my wife is pissed because had I flow I would have sat back in coach with the kids and should would have taken my F seat...well that's not the only reason she is pissed about this last minute change).

I know I can get a gate pass with a UC membership but it just seems easier to use a BP (plus I can get PRE).

Is UA going to exact some kind of revenge on you? Probably not. But you are going to inconvenience a lot of people. Check in and not board? They will hold the flight while they figure out what is going on.

Don't do it. See them off before TSA.

Call after you see them off and off-load yourself from the flight. It won't inconvenience anyone.

This ^

Please...people no-show all the time, misconnect, etc. There's a process for that.

Besides, CO is not concerned with staff efficiency. If it takes the agent an extra few seconds to figure it out, so what. It's peanuts compared to the amount of time they've wasted of customers through inefficient processes, systems, etc.

Keep the flight in tact, check in, and if it delays or cancels, call and get a refund. Otherwise, just no-show it.

Check in and do your thing with your family.

Why not go to the gate before boarding and see if your flight is overbooked? Don't lead on that you're going to cancel anyway.. just see what the flight's situation is, and offer your seat for a voucher..

Regardless, you can cancel at the gate or call in past security and cancel.. don't just "not show up".

Excellent point!

Is your original ticket a round trip? If so, your return portion will be cancelled when you don't fly the outbound. Then your work would need to buy you a return ticket as well.

Thanks for the tips (it is booked as a one way ticket). So it doesn't seem like I am breaking any serious rules.

I will wait a bit and see if the flight gets delayed before having them offload me.

I don't think it will be oversold but I will certainly volunteer if it is :).

This happens on almost every flight. All passengers in gate area board. FA does seat count, tells GA. GA then processes standby and/or upgrade from next on list and anyone checked in but not boarded is off loaded (and remaining flight legs cancelled, if any). Rarely takes much time as is part of the boarding process for GA's. Hardly a big inconvenience in most situations. And Yes, informing the GA before they board the last person in group 5 is a better idea for all the reasons listed.

You realize this is the United forum, right?

Just imagine if we had European-style announcements at UA hubs. "Immediate boarding at gate 84. Mr andyh64000 you're delaying the flight." We would never get a moment of quiet time in the terminals.

i would check in and print a boarding pass at T-24. once your boarding pass is printed, the barcode will still be good at TSA, even if the underlying reservation is canceled.

then, once i'm pretty confident the flight is going to run, i'd cancel a couple of hours in advance.

Even better, just go at the counter at the airport then to straighten it all out (like the good old times, still works...)

Interesting thought... cancelling further ahead of time will give a non-elite (possibly elites also) a TOD opportunity, where not boarding will give an elite a better chance of a battlefield upgrade. I know I am not inconvenienced when being given a BP as the doors close. I would much rather be in F instead of Y and many times the TOD's take the last seat...