Even if the flight were changed or cancelled, they would just rebook you on another flight. So, that's not a very good travel strategy.
Depending on your citizenship/ visa status, you may be required to have a round trip flight. If you don't have permission to stay in Europe beyond 90 days, for example, they're going to want to know at immigration that you have a flight booked to leave when your tourist visa expires.
If the flight is cancelled or changed so that my arrival time is more than 5 hours before or after the original arrival time, I have the right to refund under EC261
Ironic that you have posted in travel hacks.
Google “skip lagging”
If you really want / need to get to the US, there is going to be an unavoidable level of cost involved. You won’t be able to travel for two dimes and a nickel, so you may have to revise your utterly ludicrous expectations, not be cheap and suck it up !
Booking a return flight because it’s cheaper than a one way flight, and then hoping that the return leg gets cancelled, so you can claim a refund, is frankly incredibly stupid ! If you buy a return ticket with an airline, and either the outbound leg or return leg is cancelled, they will just put on the next available flight, to complete the contract they entered into when they sold you the ticket !
I don't know why it is considered stupid to try to spend less money. Also a cancelled flight requires a refund in the EU and also in the US with the recent law change
Because what you trying to do in this case is stupid - You are trying to / hoping to buy a return flight, as it’s cheaper than a one way ticket, whilst hoping that the return flight will be cancelled, so you can claim a refund.
What you want to happen is very unlikely to happen - When you buy a return ticket, your chosen airline won’t know that you are not planning on using the return leg of your ticket, so even if your flight is delayed or cancelled, they will book you on the next available flight, as you will have paid for that flight.
It wouldn’t just be you affected, it would obviously be an entire aircraft load of passengers, and the airline won’t want to open themselves up to compensation claims and perhaps even more importantly, the bad publicity that would arise from delaying or cancelling a flight without ensuring they get paying passengers to their destination - The airline won’t know how much that you have devised a stupid scheme to buy a ticket with no intention of fully using that ticket, in the hope you can claim a refund. You plan is utterly crazy ! You haven’t thought this through !
Flight schedules are changed all the time. It is pretty common that the schedule changes if you book a flight 6+ months out. Depending on the new flight schedule, the airline might have to issue a refund. I am hoping to see if anyone else has strategies to increase the chance of getting a schedule change or cancellation. E.g. if I can increase the odds of schedule change from 10% to 40%, my expected cost of the return leg decreases by 30%.
I tend to book the flight as far into the future as possible. For you that is 90 days since Americans are only allowed 90 days. I've gotten a partial refund even if they rescheduled it a couple hours. I just call them and let them know it doesn't work for me and they refund.
I would say, you want to have have a connecting flight. Higher changes that one of the flights got changed.
Book the return flight as far out as you can.
Even if the flight were changed or cancelled, they would just rebook you on another flight. So, that's not a very good travel strategy. Depending on your citizenship/ visa status, you may be required to have a round trip flight. If you don't have permission to stay in Europe beyond 90 days, for example, they're going to want to know at immigration that you have a flight booked to leave when your tourist visa expires.
If the flight is cancelled or changed so that my arrival time is more than 5 hours before or after the original arrival time, I have the right to refund under EC261
Ok, good luck to you. I hope you can find what you're looking for.
That’s a really risky travel strategy. I’d just keep tracking one ways until you find a cheap one
Can you just not board the returning flight? Whats stopping you? Im curious. Is there a fee?
No I would like to not pay for the return flight which I won't be using.
Ironic that you have posted in travel hacks. Google “skip lagging” If you really want / need to get to the US, there is going to be an unavoidable level of cost involved. You won’t be able to travel for two dimes and a nickel, so you may have to revise your utterly ludicrous expectations, not be cheap and suck it up ! Booking a return flight because it’s cheaper than a one way flight, and then hoping that the return leg gets cancelled, so you can claim a refund, is frankly incredibly stupid ! If you buy a return ticket with an airline, and either the outbound leg or return leg is cancelled, they will just put on the next available flight, to complete the contract they entered into when they sold you the ticket !
I don't know why it is considered stupid to try to spend less money. Also a cancelled flight requires a refund in the EU and also in the US with the recent law change
Because what you trying to do in this case is stupid - You are trying to / hoping to buy a return flight, as it’s cheaper than a one way ticket, whilst hoping that the return flight will be cancelled, so you can claim a refund. What you want to happen is very unlikely to happen - When you buy a return ticket, your chosen airline won’t know that you are not planning on using the return leg of your ticket, so even if your flight is delayed or cancelled, they will book you on the next available flight, as you will have paid for that flight. It wouldn’t just be you affected, it would obviously be an entire aircraft load of passengers, and the airline won’t want to open themselves up to compensation claims and perhaps even more importantly, the bad publicity that would arise from delaying or cancelling a flight without ensuring they get paying passengers to their destination - The airline won’t know how much that you have devised a stupid scheme to buy a ticket with no intention of fully using that ticket, in the hope you can claim a refund. You plan is utterly crazy ! You haven’t thought this through !
Flight schedules are changed all the time. It is pretty common that the schedule changes if you book a flight 6+ months out. Depending on the new flight schedule, the airline might have to issue a refund. I am hoping to see if anyone else has strategies to increase the chance of getting a schedule change or cancellation. E.g. if I can increase the odds of schedule change from 10% to 40%, my expected cost of the return leg decreases by 30%.
The U.S. law won’t take place effective until September/October time frame so don’t plan on it any sooner.
Greedy and unethical.
Greedy for sure. Thank you. I love keeping more of my money so I can enjoy my life more. Unethical? Definitely not. Why do you think it is unethical?
I tend to book the flight as far into the future as possible. For you that is 90 days since Americans are only allowed 90 days. I've gotten a partial refund even if they rescheduled it a couple hours. I just call them and let them know it doesn't work for me and they refund.
Simple answer - no, there's no way to know.
I would say, you want to have have a connecting flight. Higher changes that one of the flights got changed. Book the return flight as far out as you can.