Can I skip out on a return leg of an airline ticket?
One more vote in the ‘I’ve done it without problems’ bin. I’ve reshuffled business trips many, many times, adding in side destinations and ignoring my original return ticket. There’s no problem with anybody as near as I can tell. I still get through airport security normally and the airlines still book my flights.
Funny things they do when they get mad? What lackutrol described is called “back to backs” and if the airline detects you doing it one of two things will happen. 1) They will whack the entire itinerary force you to pay for a full-fare seat to complete your journey. 2) If they catch it before you begin the itinerary they will politely insist that you pay full fare for your flight or deny you boarding. This has happened to my old boss twice. As far as getting your money back on skipping the return, it depends entirely on how the fare was “classed” when you booked it. If it’s a non-refundable fare and you don’t take it, that’s it. The only thing it’s good for is a dollar value which can be applied to travel at a future date, usually one year from the time you were supposed to travel. Again, this is why I pay full fare on Southwest. Fully refundable, changeable, and 1/3 the cost of the major carriers. THAT’s the compelling reason to fly SWA.
