Should someone consider purchasing a round trip ticket for a one way trip? Buying a ticket you don't intend to use is illegal and is not advised by travel agents. "A throwaway ticket is illegal," says Patricia...
"A throwaway ticket is illegal," says Patricia Blanche, owner of La Cañada Flintridge Travel in La Cañada, California, "and, as such, it's not something we'd ever advise someone to do. As reputable agents, we cannot book a flight to somewhere where the round trip is cheaper but the passenger's intention is only to use it one way in order to save money. That goes against the regulations of travel agencies."
The argument that consumers make, of course, is that what they do with an airline ticket after they purchase it is their own business. There are obviously circumstances aplenty in which a person's plans could change after they have already arrived at their destination. For instance, a student could fly home from college for Christmas break and discover that Mom and Dad parents have bought them a new car - a car that they want to drive back to the dorms when their vacation is over. In another instance, a traveler might have an unpleasant or even nail-biting experience on the flight and decide they'd feel more comfortable taking a train or bus for their return. While it may not occur to them to notify the airlines of their change in plans, there's nothing wrong with erring on the side of common courtesy and giving them a call to let them know you won't be present at the gate that day. No, you're not going to get a refund for the unused portion of your ticket but you will be head and shoulders above those who feel that it's acceptable to leave everyone hanging.
The ones with whom airlines really have an issue are those who deliberately attempt to take advantage of their trust at the time a ticket is purchased. What passengers don't realize is that a paper trail is created whenever these purchase are made, especially in light of tightened security post 9/11. For someone who travels often and engages in the throwaway routine, it's only a matter of time that the airlines will catch on. Another thing that passengers don't realize is that if they purchase a ticket with the intention of only using the return portion of it, they will lose the entire fare.
Blanche illustrates this with an example of international travel. "Anytime you buy a ticket with 3, 4 or 5 stops," she explains, "and you miss a particular segment in the middle, the airlines will cancel your entire flight down the line. For example, let's say that you're going to Los Angeles, then on to London, Bombay, Nairobi, Sydney and then back to L.A. on an excursion ticket. Included within this are a couple of small flights into Rome. Suppose something comes up, you get delayed, and you end up missing the Rome trip. On an international ticket like that, they will simply cancel everything else down the line and you won't have a valid ticket left at all. That problem, however, isn't confined to international travel. It happens in the United States, too, and the only recourse the passenger has is to purchase another ticket."
"It's very important to call the airline," she says, "and tell them if you're sick or were in an accident or whatever and can't make that flight. If you leave them hanging and assume that everything is all right, you're going to be in for an unpleasant surprise."
