Purchased RT, now only need one way

[Globaliser]

I'm not sure it is legal for them to keep your credit card number.

IME, if a credit card has been used to pay directly for the ticket, then the credit card number is recorded in the ticket.

 

Whether or not it's legal for the airline to keep the credit card number elsewhere (eg in the passenger's frequent flyer profile), the credit card number is then indelibly associated with the ticket.

 

That may not be enough information for the airline to make a further charge to the card, but it's at least a start, if they have to.

[Globaliser]

It's not clear to me what the date of your ticket was, but you can't extend the return (the one you think you probably won't use) more than a year from the original purchase date of your ticket.

I'm not sure that this is necessarily the case. It depends on the detail of the fare rules and the airline's ticketing practices.

 

Many fares are valid for a maximum stay of up to 12 months. Obviously, if you book the outbound flight 6 months out, you're not going to be able to book a flight for a return after a stay of 9 months. In normal IATA practice, as I understand it, the maximum validity of the original ticket is 12 months (although the ticket itself, or each flight coupon within it, can be endorsed with a shorter validity period). And in any case, the return date that you want is not yet on sale, because it's 15 months away.

 

So suppose you book the outbound flight for 6 months away with a return date 3 months after that. About 2 months before the outbound date, you become able to pick the return date you really want (because that's when it goes on sale). The original ticket can't be used if you want to change the return date to one 9 months after the outbound flight, because that will be after the original ticket's maximum validity. But if the fare rules and airline practices allow the ticket to be reissued for a change, rather than simply revalidated, then you can get a new ticket issued at this point (ie 2 months before the outbound date) in exchange for the original ticket, and the new ticket covers the return date that's 9 months after the outbound date.

 

That, as I understand it, is one of the ways in which you can change a ticket so that the return date is (in this example) 15 months after the date of the original ticket purchase. But whether it's possible in the case of any particular fare depends on many variables.

 

Another way is if the airline will extend the ticket's validity - but many fares expressly prohibit this.

[san diego sue]

Thanks for your replies Globaliser.

I have been looking at ways to use that return ticket and not waste it. It involves changing the date of the return by a couple of weeks and still be within the time frame of when I purchased the original ticket. This I can do for a fee but makes me feel much better. makes the purchase of the RT ticket okay as well. And an extra vacation is always a plus.

:D

[chloe kitty]

A few years ago, I did what you're proposing to do... I booking a round-trip from Japan to the U.S.(using miles), knowing we would not be using the 2nd half of the ticket. I posted on flyertalk.com, whether to call the airline or not. The majority of flyers said don't notify the airline, so I didn't. Although, nothing happened and I never heard from the airline, I felt guilty not calling and giving an excuse as to why we couldn't do the return flight. If I had it to do over again, I think I would call and let them know the seats would be vacant. Now many airlines are allowing one-way fares using miles, which is convenient when taking a cruise and only flying one-way.

 

Just left a vacant seat for an employee going standby.

[RickT]

I've had the airline short check my baggage on a return flight with no problem... can't see they'd do that and assume I'd take a leg of the flight after my bags were off loaded.

[kenish]

Although, nothing happened and I never heard from the airline, I felt guilty not calling and giving an excuse as to why we couldn't do the return flight. If I had it to do over again, I think I would call and let them know the seats would be vacant. Now many airlines are allowing one-way fares using miles, which is convenient when taking a cruise and only flying one-way.

 

As others explained, if you plan to do this NEVER call the airline! The probability is small but you can be charged for the difference and/or have your frequent flyer account cancelled. Both have been known to happen, usually to egregious and frequent "violators" but sometimes seemingly at random.

 

If you notice you're speeding, do you feel guilty and tell the first highway patrolman you see? :) Do NOT call the airline's attention to the situation. Now, if you legitimately can't make the flight due to illness, flat tire, etc. then I'd call the airline ASAP to get rebooked.

[6rugrats]

I've had the airline short check my baggage on a return flight with no problem... can't see they'd do that and assume I'd take a leg of the flight after my bags were off loaded.

Many airlines don't allow short checking, so you were lucky. If you intend to do this, highly recommend you take carry-ons only.

[chasinraynbowz]

I'm curious how they would even know that she got off in Memphis, unless she told them and had checked baggage that they had to dig out. Other than that, she could have gotten off and just "missed" the plane.

 

 

This was on Northwest and the only thing we can figure is that she got off the plane and did not check for in for the final leg. I think had she checked in, she would not have been charged an additional fee. She brought me her CC statement and I tried to fight it with the airlines.. thru our TA... but they would not budge.

 

Will this happen on a TA flight? I don't know, but I DO know it can happen here in the states.

[Globaliser]

This was on Northwest and the only thing we can figure is that she got off the plane and did not check for in for the final leg. I think had she checked in, she would not have been charged an additional fee.

It's more the other way around. As she was booked to fly BBB-MEM-AAA, when she checked in at BBB she would have been checked-in for BBB-MEM and MEM-AAA at the same time.

 

As vjmatty points out on another thread, if you don't check-in at all for the return half of your ticket, the airline won't be looking for you - you might just have missed the whole journey.

 

But if you check in for both of those flights and then at MEM you inexplicably vanish, it is not hard for the airline to work out what you've done. Especially if you are one of hundreds/thousands of people doing it and the airline wants to put a stop to it.