Cancelling part of a return flight.

mdnn85

I’m due to go away in a few weeks where I fly from Ireland to England and then England to the US and then the same route for the return.

We booked the trip direct with the airline, we live in the UK but wanted to visit family in Ireland before and after our trip. However, I’ve today been offered a new job which starts literally the day after I return and it would now be easier for me to end my flight in the UK.

Does anyone know if it’s possible to cancel just part of a return journey, so that I just travel US to UK and not take the UK to Ireland flight? I’ve looked online and I can only seem to find information about cancelling the whole booking which I don’t want to do, I just want to end the journey in the UK as with the new job I then have to travel 200 miles across the country either the day we land or first thing the following morning.

Hoenir

Unless the ticket booked was on a non refundable basis. Then the airline isn't obliged to offer you anything. Might be additional charges to get the ticket transferred to another date.

Call them. 

eskbanker

mdnn85 said:

I’m due to go away in a few weeks where I fly from Ireland to England and then England to the US and then the same route for the return.

We booked the trip direct with the airline, we live in the UK but wanted to visit family in Ireland before and after our trip. However, I’ve today been offered a new job which starts literally the day after I return and it would now be easier for me to end my flight in the UK.

Does anyone know if it’s possible to cancel just part of a return journey, so that I just travel US to UK and not take the UK to Ireland flight? I’ve looked online and I can only seem to find information about cancelling the whole booking which I don’t want to do, I just want to end the journey in the UK as with the new job I then have to travel 200 miles across the country either the day we land or first thing the following morning.

Unless you're hoping for some sort of partial refund, you could potentially just decide not to take the UK to Ireland leg when you arrive back in the UK?  Theoretically you might actually be exposed to a surcharge for doing so, depending on the fare structure, but I suspect that it wouldn't be in the airline's interest to pursue this - who is the booking with?

mdnn85

Hoenir said:

Unless the ticket booked was on a non refundable basis. Then the airline isn't obliged to offer you anything. Might be additional charges to get the ticket transferred to another date.

Call them. 

So far whenever I’ve tried to call I’ve been on hold for 45 mins or more.

I’m not expecting the airline to change the last part of the flight or refund anything, I just don’t want to make the last leg of the return journey anymore as plans have changed.

Caz3121

If you have checked baggage then you will likely need to have the ticket changed to terminate in the UK. All depends on the fare rules of the ticket - it could be a change fee and reprice so worth also checking out what a flight from Ireland to UK may be as the change fees may be more than this.

eDicky

You mention 'we'- will the others be taking the complete flight to Ireland?

SW17

If you call the airline they will definitely reprice the ticket to allow this change of itinerary, which could go either way but will probably increase the price, particularly if change fees apply. 

If travelling only with hand luggage, dropping the last sector isn’t really a problem arriving back to the UK, especially if booked direct with the airline, unless you are doing it repeatedly (dropping an earlier sector in this scenario would result in the rest of your ticket being cancelled by the airline). With checked luggage it will be more challenging, since the baggage will be checked through to final destination. If your final connection involved a change of airports (eg Heathrow to Gatwick), you’d be fine with checked luggage since you’d get it back at the first airport of arrival in the UK. 

Ballard

Not completely related, but I flew Emirates to the Philippines 6/7 years ago and it was significantly cheaper to end up in Manila than it was if I’d have booked to Dubai. I’m sure that had I gone hand luggage only and left the journey half way on the return trip, Emirates would have had something to say about it. 

Bonhomie

Ballard said:

Not completely related, but I flew Emirates to the Philippines 6/7 years ago and it was significantly cheaper to end up in Manila than it was if I’d have booked to Dubai. I’m sure that had I gone hand luggage only and left the journey half way on the return trip, Emirates would have had something to say about it. 

No they wouldn't. Have done it many times before. But it helps to know what you are doing.

Ballard

Some airlines take a dim view of the practice. 

https://www.businessinsider.com/skiplagging-american-airlines-banned-teenager-hidden-city-ticket-canceled-2023-7

Bonhomie

Ballard said:

Some airlines take a dim view of the practice. 

https://www.businessinsider.com/skiplagging-american-airlines-banned-teenager-hidden-city-ticket-canceled-2023-7

USA domestic. Not particularly relevant.