"Missing" a flight

[rec head]

My travel plans have changed and it appears that missing my flight home and booking some 1 way trips will be cheaper than changing my flight with American Airlines.

More specifically my wife and I are travelling to Vienna in September and booked the trip months ago. I decided that for my mom's 70th birthday I would take her to Paris. For a couple of really good reasons it would be better for me to just leave Vienna and go straight to Paris instead of coming home for a month and going back to Europe. I called AA and to change my flights and add a new flight home it would cost over $1600. This is on top of the ticket that I already bought. It would be almost $1000 cheaper to fly back to Chicago and then go to Paris the next day. What I want to do is just not fly back with my wife and instead take a $130 flight from Vienna to Paris then a $600 flight from Paris back to Chicago.

The question: Do the airlines really give a shit if I only fly the first half of my trip? The ticket was purchased by my wife can/will they penalize her?

Thanks

[Lionel]

Not a problem at all.

[AngryScientist]

not only is it not a problem - they are counting on it. they have likely overbooked the flight and have half a dozen people ready to take that seat if you never check in.

[Matthew Strongin]

not only is it not a problem - they are counting on it. they have likely overbooked the flight and have half a dozen people ready to take that seat if you never check in.

This. Your thrifty decision will help someone get home sooner.

[rec head]

Thanks. My buddy who flies a lot mentioned that it was a violation of the terms and my wife is a worst case type of gal.

[SteveP]

will save the airline 2 bags of peanuts.
add to their net.

[TTX1]

Plans change, happens all the time.

The best part is that depending on the rules associated with the fare of original itinerary, the unused portion of your ticket may still have value.

[rec head]

Tickets booked. I'll be skipping 3 flights including a layover.

According to airline logic it should be cheaper to ship a package and have it returned than to ship it one way.

[spopepro]

Thanks. My buddy who flies a lot mentioned that it was a violation of the terms and my wife is a worst case type of gal.

It *is* a violation of the terms, but no one will care about this particular route. What airlines are starting to get cranky about is when someone is using "hidden city" ticketing; someone finds that it is cheaper to buy a ticket to, say Milwaukee with a stop in Chicago, than to buy a ticket to Chicago, and just gets off the plane in Chicago. (See skiplagged for the drama).