One Way Round Trip

Silver Cloud Voyage 1511 disembarks Athens, Greece. One way airfare to Phoenix is about three times the round trip fare. It makes more sense to buy the round trip ticket and not use the return. Has anyone had a problem using this approach.?

It is doable. But if you do it too often, and have a frequent flier account, in theory you are putting your miles at risk. As well, in theory, they could charge your credit card for the one way flight if they can 'prove' you are abusing return flights.

Two things to remember:

1. book the return as far in the future as possible (usually around 11 months from the day you book the flight), one never knows when the return flight might be useful. You may be able to use the ticket by just paying a change fee (with my airline it is about $200.)

2. Don't simply forget about the return, but phone and tell them that your situation has changed and you won't be taking it (do so on the day of or day before the 'flight.') Aside from it being common courtesy, it also implies you didn't book the return flight in bad faith but did intend to take the return segment but circumstances changed. Don't bother with this if you aren't collecting frequent flier points because the airline has no 'leverage' to punish you.

I once needed a flight from Norwich to Oslo (and was then flying back to Canada.) The lovely KLM agent insisted that I was returning to Norwich at some point in my life and insisted on selling me a return ticket as a result! So my sense is that many airlines turn a blind eye to this. At least those who are interested in cultivating loyalty, do.

You might also check with Silversea and see if their air department can get you a decent one way fare. We have had great success with them several times.

Silver Cloud Voyage 1511 disembarks Athens, Greece. One way airfare to Phoenix is about three times the round trip fare. It makes more sense to buy the round trip ticket and not use the return. Has anyone had a problem using this approach.?

In crude and simplistic summary, unless you are doing this as a member of a frequent flyer programme (they might cancel your membership if doing this regularly) then this approach is almost guaranteed risk-free and nearly always going to be the best and cheapest way of providing the return fare. If so, you don't need to call or discuss. For your non-arrival of the return leg - just don't turn up for the return leg. Not a prob. :)

If you are however missing an outward leg - then if you don't turn up for your outward leg (first) then the ticket will probably be cancelled for the return leg - so you won't be able to return. You will be a "no show". So ... in summary ... missing return legs ... no probable issue ... missing outward legs ... a real probable issue.

Ask any questions.

:)

How are you getting to Barcelona to start the cruise? Under normal circumstances that would be the first leg of a R/T ticket.

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How are you getting to Barcelona to start the cruise? Under normal circumstances that would be the first leg of a R/T ticket.

 

 

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Good question. Unless you are using miles for one way, you should be able to get a ticket on a Star Alliance carrier or the American Airlines network that is a multiple destinations ticket but roundtrip from/to the US. The fact of the matter is that the airlines don't like to sell one way tickets to Europe and make it very expensive as a deterrent. For example, I recently priced US to Florence, with the return being Venice to the US. A one way ticket was $2600, while a multiple destinations round trip was $1500. It was Swiss on the way over and United on the way back, both of which are Star Alliance carriers. Pricing yours on United is about $1500 in coach and $3000 one way from Athens with some random dates and flights. On Amerircan $1300 roundtrip but had to log on to see the one way and didn't have time...though American seemed to have the better schedule.

You might also check with Silversea and see if their air department can get you a decent one way fare. We have had great success with them several times.

works for us!

People miss flights all the time. You can definitely buy a round trip ticket and just use one way. Just don't be doing it every week. And contrary to what someone else suggested, I would not phone and let them know. I think that would be more risky.

People miss flights all the time. You can definitely buy a round trip ticket and just use one way. Just don't be doing it every week. And contrary to what someone else suggested, I would not phone and let them know. I think that would be more risky.

Only if you miss the return, not outward. To explain.

Most cheap tickets are non-flexible. Fully flexible tickets are fully priced tickets so no saving. If you miss your outward on most airlines with a non-flexible ticket then your return will normally be automatically cancelled by the system and you will not receive a refund. You have agreed to check in within compliance check in times for the outward leg and failed to - so the whole ticket is void. This is to stop some of the people who buy cheap tickets for one way trips. Your seat may then be offered to someone at the airport and wait-listed.

If you miss your outward on fully flexible tickets and haven't warned them then unless you have two separate booking numbers and PNR, most airlines will cancel all of your ticket and reimburse automatically on a no show. This is because they reserve the right to give your seat to a wait-list if you do not check in with the minimum compliance time and if you try to check in after minimum compliance time you risk being rejected if it's too late or there's now no space.

You mention it is ok unless done "every week". This isn't relevant to an individual ticket, only risks membership of the FF scheme. If you try this scam often then your membership will be cancelled. It is in the terms and conditions.

BA for example always cancel the return leg of non-flex return ticket if you do not show. Obviously it doesn't matter if your only flight is the outward leg. Lufthansa has had several cases where they tried to charge customers for missing one leg the difference between ful and discount flights ... and they win some and lose some ... this topic is regularly discussed on FT.

People do do this every week, but are only safe to if they dump the return not outward leg.

:)

works for us!

Checked with Silversea and found they were able to beat even the round trip fare. We're taking back to back cruises from Ft. Lauderdale to Athens. Silversea priced it at $1200 per person (Phoenix to Ft Lauderdale and Athens to Phoenix). Should have looked into that in the first place. Thanks for the suggestion.