How to Cancel a Return Flight on a Round Trip Ticket
- 1). Decide whether you will need a return flight following the same itinerary within a 12 month period. If so, contact the airlines and ask to change the date of your return flight. Expect to pay certain fees for this service per your fare agreement with the airline.
- 2). Check the booking class of your ticket and the cost of a one way fare in the same class that follows an identical itinerary. You need to do this because, once you notify the airlines of your wish to cancel the return flight, they will consider your ticket a one way pass, which might make you liable for any additional fees associated with this change.
- 3). Contact the airline to ask for a refund if you do not need the ticket at all and if you determine that a one way fare costs less than a round trip ticket. Depending upon your airline's rules and regulations--and whether you purchased a refundable or non-refundable ticket, you may be eligible for a refund of the airfare minus any cancellation fees.
- 4). Consider simply failing to show up for the return flight if you determine that a one way ticket to your destination costs considerably more than a round trip one. According to travel columnist and frequent flyer Ed Perkins of the website smarterTRAVEL.com, this can be an effective solution if you really do not need the return portion of the ticket since it allows you to skip cancellation or change fees.
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