'Throwaway' ticketing on airlines

[psychocandy]

Must admit I'd never heard about this until I recently discovered that a single airline ticket to New York is double that of a return. WTF.

Apparently, its because business people buy one way tickets whereas returns that include a Saturday night tend not to be used by business people.

Of course, what people do is buy a return and chuck the return portion but the airlines dont like it (and its against the t+cs). Must admit I cant see what they can do about it to be honest apart from refuse to let you fly with them if you keep doing it.

Just wondered if any of you travel-savvy lot ever did this?

[Arturo Bassick]

Must admit I'd never heard about this until I recently discovered that a single airline ticket to New York is double that of a return. WTF.

Apparently, its because business people buy one way tickets whereas returns that include a Saturday night tend not to be used by business people.

Of course, what people do is buy a return and chuck the return portion but the airlines dont like it (and its against the t+cs). Must admit I cant see what they can do about it to be honest apart from refuse to let you fly with them if you keep doing it.

Just wondered if any of you travel-savvy lot ever did this?

Fly mostly in Europe and usually need a return so doesn't apply. Most of the Euro flights I see are sold as 2 singles to start with.

[Churchill]

Yep, started doing that kind of thing when I started working abroad quite a lot. Airfare's used to be cheaper if you "stayed" over on the Saturday night.

Not sure the same applies with the "budget" airlines though.

[psychocandy]

Fly mostly in Europe and usually need a return so doesn't apply. Most of the Euro flights I see are sold as 2 singles to start with.

Apparently, generally in europe one return = two singles, so this is mostly an issue with north american airlines.

Another anomaly apparently, is that fares to hub airports (like Atlanta) cost much more than fares which go through the hub airport and onwards.

For instance, LA - ATL - MIA might cost $200, but LA - ATL costs $400. So, what people do is buy a ticket to MIA and not get on the connecting flight to MIA. (Think you're screwed if you've got checked baggage though because in ATL they'll just bung it straight onto the MIA plane for you!)

Apparently, airlines hate this even more and will attempt to cancel your return ticket. Been a few court cases in the US apparently about this with one judge comparing it Coca-Cola selling you a bottle of Coke and then insisting in their t+cs that you drink it all !!!!

Must admit for the single fare I want its £350 for the return and £700 for the single, so for two of us, its £700 more. (Got a business class flight home paid for with air miles etc). Hmmm. Tempted to take my chances and chuck the return ticket.

[Pondlife]

In theory, if you paid by card they could bill you for the invalidated discount since those were the T+Cs you signed up to when you bought the ticket.

Whether they would is another matter.


It's all summed up below;

Buying paint from a hardware store...

Customer: Hi! How much is your paint?
Clerk: We have regular quality for $12 a gallon and premium for $18. How many gallons would you like?
Customer: Five gallons of regular quality, please.
Clerk: Great. That will be $60 plus tax.

From an airline...

Customer: Hi! How much is your paint?
Clerk: Well, sir, that all depends.
Customer: Depends on what?
Clerk: Actually, a lot of things.
Customer: How about giving me an average price?
Clerk: Wow, that's too hard a question. The lowest price is $9 a gallon, and we have 150 different prices up to $200 a gallon.
Customer: What's the difference in the paint?
Clerk: Oh, there isn't any difference; it's all the same paint.
Customer: Well, then, I'd like some of that $9 paint.
Clerk: Well, first I need to ask you a few questions. When do you intend to use it?
Customer: I want to paint tomorrow, on my day off.
Clerk: Sir, the paint for tomorrow is $200 paint.
Customer: What? When would I have to paint in order to get $9 version?
Clerk: That would be in three weeks, but you will also have to agree to start painting before Friday of that week and continue painting until at least Sunday.
Customer: You've got to be kidding!
Clerk: Sir, we don't kid around here. Of course, I'll have to check to see if we have any of that paint available before I can sell it to you.
Customer: What do you mean, check to see if you can sell it to me? You have shelves full of that stuff; I can see it right there.
Clerk: Just because you can see it doesn't mean that we have it. It may be the same paint, but we sell only a certain number of gallons on any given weekend. Oh, and by the way, the price just went up to $12.
Customer: You mean the price went up while we were talking?
Clerk: Yes, sir, you see, we change prices and rules thousands of times a day, and since you haven't actually walked out of the store with your paint yet, we just decided to change. Unless you want the same thing to happen again, I would suggest you get on with your purchase. How many gallons do you want?
Customer: I don't know exactly. Maybe five gallons. Maybe I should buy six gallons just to make sure I have enough.
Clerk: Oh no, sir, you can't do that. If you buy the paint and then don't use it, you will be liable for penalties and possible confiscation of the paint you already have.
Customer: What?
Clerk: That's right. We can sell you enough paint to do your kitchen, bathroom, hall, and north bedroom, but if you stop painting before you do the other bedroom, you will be in violation of our tariffs.
Customer: But what does it matter to you whether I use all of the paint? I already paid you for it!
Clerk: Sir, there's no point in getting upset; that's just the way it is. We make plans based upon the idea that you will use all the paint, and when you don't, it just causes us all sorts of problems.
Customer: This is crazy! I suppose something terrible will happen if I don't keep painting until Saturday night?
Clerk: Yes, sir, it will.
Customer: Well, that does it! I am going somewhere else to buy paint!
Clerk: That won't do you any good, sir. We all have the same rules. Thanks for flying – I mean painting – with our airline!

[psychocandy]

In theory, if you paid by card they could bill you for the invalidated discount since those were the T+Cs you signed up to when you bought the ticket.

Whether they would is another matter.


It's all summed up below;

Buying paint from a hardware store...

Customer: Hi! How much is your paint?
Clerk: We have regular quality for $12 a gallon and premium for $18. How many gallons would you like?
Customer: Five gallons of regular quality, please.
Clerk: Great. That will be $60 plus tax.

From an airline...

Customer: Hi! How much is your paint?
Clerk: Well, sir, that all depends.
Customer: Depends on what?
Clerk: Actually, a lot of things.
Customer: How about giving me an average price?
Clerk: Wow, that's too hard a question. The lowest price is $9 a gallon, and we have 150 different prices up to $200 a gallon.
Customer: What's the difference in the paint?
Clerk: Oh, there isn't any difference; it's all the same paint.
Customer: Well, then, I'd like some of that $9 paint.
Clerk: Well, first I need to ask you a few questions. When do you intend to use it?
Customer: I want to paint tomorrow, on my day off.
Clerk: Sir, the paint for tomorrow is $200 paint.
Customer: What? When would I have to paint in order to get $9 version?
Clerk: That would be in three weeks, but you will also have to agree to start painting before Friday of that week and continue painting until at least Sunday.
Customer: You've got to be kidding!
Clerk: Sir, we don't kid around here. Of course, I'll have to check to see if we have any of that paint available before I can sell it to you.
Customer: What do you mean, check to see if you can sell it to me? You have shelves full of that stuff; I can see it right there.
Clerk: Just because you can see it doesn't mean that we have it. It may be the same paint, but we sell only a certain number of gallons on any given weekend. Oh, and by the way, the price just went up to $12.
Customer: You mean the price went up while we were talking?
Clerk: Yes, sir, you see, we change prices and rules thousands of times a day, and since you haven't actually walked out of the store with your paint yet, we just decided to change. Unless you want the same thing to happen again, I would suggest you get on with your purchase. How many gallons do you want?
Customer: I don't know exactly. Maybe five gallons. Maybe I should buy six gallons just to make sure I have enough.
Clerk: Oh no, sir, you can't do that. If you buy the paint and then don't use it, you will be liable for penalties and possible confiscation of the paint you already have.
Customer: What?
Clerk: That's right. We can sell you enough paint to do your kitchen, bathroom, hall, and north bedroom, but if you stop painting before you do the other bedroom, you will be in violation of our tariffs.
Customer: But what does it matter to you whether I use all of the paint? I already paid you for it!
Clerk: Sir, there's no point in getting upset; that's just the way it is. We make plans based upon the idea that you will use all the paint, and when you don't, it just causes us all sorts of problems.
Customer: This is crazy! I suppose something terrible will happen if I don't keep painting until Saturday night?
Clerk: Yes, sir, it will.
Customer: Well, that does it! I am going somewhere else to buy paint!
Clerk: That won't do you any good, sir. We all have the same rules. Thanks for flying – I mean painting – with our airline!

LOL. Did you just type this all in off the top of your head or did you cut/paste from somewhere?

[psychocandy]

In theory, if you paid by card they could bill you for the invalidated discount since those were the T+Cs you signed up to when you bought the ticket.

Whether they would is another matter.

Could they though? Yes, you have broken the t+cs but whether they could bill your card is another matter.

[Pondlife]

Could they though? Yes, you have broken the t+cs but whether they could bill your card is another matter.

If you decide not to stay in a hotel after booking by card and don't tell them, what happens?

It was copy/paste as I'm lazy.

[TheFaQQer]

The irony is that if you turn up within the checkin period, but the plane is full, then they'll bump you off because they're all oversold anyway.

Eurotunnel charge a failure to appear fee if you are on a discounted crossing (e.g. a 5 day saver) and don't turn up, I think.

[TheFaQQer]

If you decide not to stay in a hotel after booking by card and don't tell them, what happens?

I'd guess that an airline is unlikely to charge you for a non-appearance, whereas a hotel would.

I've never missed a flight on a return, but I've missed plenty of single tickets in the past. Because BMI used to charge an admin fee that was greater than the tax (which they have to refund), I never claimed the tax back from them - but I always checked in in advance, so they couldn't sell the seat twice