Since this is the most recent thread about booking flights, and it’s been well-answered, I’ll use it instead of starting another one.
My friend wants to fly from Montreal to Atlanta in October. It is much cheaper to buy a ticket from Montreal to West Palm Beach with a connection in Atlanta (on Delta) than a ticket to Atlanta. This is probably not the option we’ll end up choosing, but just so I know: how can we make use of this fact? I understand that she could buy a one-way ticket Montreal-Atlanta-Palm Beach and leave the airport in Atlanta without incurring the wrath of anyone, at worst forfeiting her reward miles for the trip. Could she buy a return ticket (i.e. YUL-ATL-PBI, then PBI-ATL-YUL), leave the airport in Atlanta after the first leg and show up in Atlanta for the second leg of the return trip, or would her whole ticket be cancelled when they’d figure out she’s missed some flights?
And for that matter, what if she bought a multi-city itinerary (YUL-ATL-PBI, then ATL-YUL) on Delta, and didn’t use the second leg of the outgoing trip? Would that work, or must she book the return trip with another airline or risk her return ticket being cancelled?
Thanks very much to the travel-seasoned Dopers who can answer this. As I’ve said, she’s probably going to choose a more “esoteric” (cheaper, but much longer) itinerary, but I’d like to know the answer to these questions for future reference.
If she did not show up for a flight, all subsequent flights on that ticket would be cancelled, with no value left in the ticket for future use.
Answered above.
There comes atime when it all comes down to time vs. money, which one is more important? When I was younger, saving money was, now at my age, my time is more valuable. Your mileage may vary.
Indeed, that is the bottom line. Twenty years ago I would have gone out of my way with connections to save $20. Now I always book a nonstop unless it’s several hundred dollars more.
Thanks for your answers. Ultimately she chose the “esoteric” option, which is to take a bus from Montreal to Toronto during the night, then one from Toronto to Buffalo Airport, and then a plane from Buffalo to Atlanta. They are especially cheap. She could have done the same on the return trip, but her mother preferred she fly to Montreal instead.
I try to book cheaper flights as much as possible, but even I wouldn’t have chosen this option. I had fun playing the amateur travel agent though.