I just checked into a round trip in March from NY to Madrid ($740) vs Madrid to NY ($522) same dates. Why the huge difference? Any way I can beat this? Also, I have a ticket from NY to Madrid already but need to change my date of travel home. Current airline does not fly the date I need to come home. Is it crazy to think I could book the Madrid to NYC round trip for departure on the date I need to return and then just not use the return? What would prevent me from doing this?
Why the fare difference between NY to Europe and Europe to NY?
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Difference in prices could possibly be the different taxes levied by arrival/departure airports? Or charging what an individual market will bear.
Frowned on by the airlines but nothing would prevent you from not using the 2nd half of a return ticket. Won't work the other way however, using just the return portion.
There isn't some central system that will see that I have a flight scheduled from same destination the next day? That would be my concern, I guess.
Can you book the flights so it's conceivable that you'll be making 2 trips? Is it the same airline? If it's a different airline I think very unlikely it'd be noticed. Some airlines have 1 way fares that are not exhorbitantly priced. I don't know which on that route but see what you can find.
The difference is due to that pesky old concept of supply and demand. There are more people in the US wanting to fly round trips to Spain than Spanish people wanting to come to the US, so the airlines can charge more.
"Throw-away ticketing," the practice of buying a round trip ticket with the intent of only using the first flight, is technically against the terms and conditions (the "contract of carriage") that you agree to when you buy the ticket. The airline could conceivably come after you and ask for the difference between the one-way price and round trip, but they generally don't bother unless you make a practice out of it. Of course you can only "throw away" the return portion; being a no-show for the first flight will wipe the whole reservation going forward.
There isn't some central system that will see that I have a flight scheduled from same destination the next day? That would be my concern, I guess.
The same airline might see it; a competitor won't. By using a "throw-away" ticket you might be putting your frequent flyer miles at some (minor) risk.
A change fee for the existing ticket is almost certainly going to be less than buying a whole new one for a one-way trip.