Had to change a trip from the US to the EU around, and now we’re departing out of a different city in the EU. To get back to the US from Paris, Delta wants like $3k total. No thanks!
I found a roundtrip Paris → NYC for ~$400. I don’t intend to take the return flight back to Paris; I just want to get back home to the US for a reasonable amount of money.
I know people do this, but I’ve never done it. Anything to know? Will the airline bill me or something for violating terms?
This question pops up frequently, so it should probably be in a FAQ somewhere, if it isn’t already.
To summarize, there are no issues with this. The conventional wisdom is that you should schedule your return flight for a date in the future that you might actually use it, or as far in the future as possible at that cheap price. If the airline cancels or reschedules the return flight, you can then request a refund for that flight.
@Hadi
Thanks! This is what I did – booked the return for December. Might use it, might not.
Alden said:
@Hadi
Thanks! This is what I did – booked the return for December. Might use it, might not.
They’re quite likely to change the flight time that far out as well so you might walk away with a refund!
@Kit
And what’s crazy is that it might only be a 10 minute difference in schedule. I recently had this happen for me with a Korean Airlines flight that, due to a change in plans, I wasn’t going to be able to use. Got a 100% refund.
@Conn
I tried this and they didn’t listen. They said I couldn’t get a refund despite changing my flight.
Brown said:
@Conn
I tried this and they didn’t listen. They said I couldn’t get a refund despite changing my flight.
Usually there is a time requirement for the change. 10 minutes is too little; 3 hours is enough.
Alden said:
@Hadi
Thanks! This is what I did – booked the return for December. Might use it, might not.
Even if you don’t use or get a refund, you just made the passengers next to that empty seat a little happier.
@Orin
It’s two seats so it’ll be even that much better!
Alden said:
@Orin
It’s two seats so it’ll be even that much better!
As someone who just flew today and had the entire row to herself, thank you!
@Hadi
Right answer here, I’ve done it myself rather than paying the premium for a one-way flight when moving to the US.
I’ve since found, however, that flights originating in Europe are far cheaper than the same starting from the US, so I’m looking to pre-plan my trips home as far out as possible and do that.
You just miss the return flight. It happens.
Haim said:
You just miss the return flight. It happens.
I am sure that if I did miss my return flight because of typical reasons like running late, they would do little to help me.
Haim said:
You just miss the return flight. It happens.
I am sure that if I did miss my return flight because of typical reasons like running late, they would do little to help me.
Did miss my Air France return flight, and can confirm it’s ‘book a new ticket.’ Thankfully, I had points to save my butt.
@WilliamMia
We had a nightmare flight connection on Air France many years ago. I was at the check-in desk and people on both sides of me were berating the poor person behind the desk. Finally, they were being such assholes. I said, under my breath the way an opera singer can sotto voce so 5000 people hears it, ‘Why would you piss off the person who can get you on another flight?’ She gave me such a grateful smile and motioned for me to go ‘over there,’ which we did.
Our flight was now scheduled to leave after the next flight. And she told me softly, as she handed two boarding passes to me, go over to gate whatever quickly, the doors are still open. So we were trotting over and walking briskly towards the boarding ramp and there was this little pipsqueak of a kid who should not have been let walk around the airport without his parents! He said, ‘Don’t worry, you have plenty of time. I am the pilot!’
Edited to fix typos.
@Lucas
I mean, it sounds like you were berating them too, what with calling them the poop person and all!
Micah said:
@Lucas
I mean, it sounds like you were berating them too, what with calling them the poop person and all!
Typo… poor! I will correct it. Thanks for pointing out my mistake.
Do it.
The airlines will only have issues with you doing this if you are a high-tier member of their frequent flyer program and do it regularly.
I used to work for BA, and a one-way ticket from London to the US could ONLY be booked into a flexible ticket category. This often meant they were 2 to 3 times more expensive than a return, which was often used because businesses were the only people booking one-ways. Whereas returns booked into the cheapest available, and almost all leisure travelers paying with their own money use them.
People in the airline points game will fly from the UK to Europe with a budget airline for cheap business class flights (and flight credits towards increasing/retaining airline status) from Europe via London to the US. On the way back, they just hop off in London.
We’re looking at a one-way out of Frankfurt, and for the exact same flight sold as a one-way instead of packaged with a return, I have the privilege of paying an extra $300. EXACT same flight but without the return, and I have to pay more. I was showing my husband, and he literally struggled to understand the pricing was that much higher for one flight as opposed to two.
I actually did it by mistake once.
It was my first time going to Europe. I booked separate one-way tickets JFK-CDG and BCN-EWR, on different airlines, except I didn’t realize until I was already back home (and, TBH, I think not until a month or so later) that the BCN-EWR ticket was round-trip because it was actually cheaper than my flight to Paris. I ended up canceling the return leg. Unfortunately, at the time, airlines weren’t in the habit of issuing credits for unused flight segments, but it had been such a cheap ticket, I really didn’t care. There were no repercussions as far as only using the first half of the round trip; I doubt United cared.