dropping return leg for VS

I have a return flight booked with Air China late this year, booked indirectly through a terrible travel agent (I won't get into that here). Do you think i'd be allowed to ditch my return leg with AC and book a one way UC reward home with VS from China to UK? The AC flight home is economy, long, indirect and unchangeable (the agent REALLY screwed up my flight) and i'm already dreading it. I don't care about losing the money anymore.

Definitely yes you would just be classed as a no show for the air China flight .the virgin flight would have your seat ails showing as leaving the country.business people do it all the tiling book a couple of flights then catch the one that suits there meeting finishing.but they book refundable fares.Sorry to here things have gone wrong for you

just dont turn up! What they going to do?

Thanks for the replies - when I googled it i saw posts from doomsayers claiming that the airline or travel agent could charge you for the missed return leg, something to do with the difference in cost and not fulfilling contract. I wasnt convinved though. In some cases though the single fare can be more than the return.

I'd actually be more concerned about the agent trying something on than Air China chasing me, considering they overcharged me by £200 for a really awful flight AND refused to give any money back... Apparently they can charge my card what they like and get away with it.

Don't believe stories about airlines charging for a missed leg you've already paid for or breach of contract. People miss flights every day for various reasons. Airlines always overbook. If they could call out pax for "breach of contract" for missing a flight, then pax surely can do the same to airlines for overselling and being bumped to another flight when too many pax have turned up. Go ahead and book your VS flight and don't look back.

On another note, the travel agent can't charge what they like to your credit card. If you have evidence you've been overcharged then you can dispute the charge with your credit card company and raise a chargeback query.

If I remember correctly an airline over sells be approx 10% for no shows

I'm going to do it!

With regards to the overcharge, i'm worried that these clowns, after what they've already demonstrated, may mess me around further if i took action with my credit card company. Also i am flying out with a friend so i don't want to risk losing that flight, even if she is sitting next to me and paying £200 less!

This is a different scenario to missing the last leg of an ex-EU.

VS won't know (or care) that you are flying to China on another airline but back with them.

CA could do a number of things but whether they will or not is a different matter. Yes they could reprice the fare or close down your CA miles account (if you don't have one then you've lost nothing). Note that Air China is CA not AC which is Air Canada.

The fact that airlines over book is neither here nor there.

You signed a contract (well ticked a box) that said you were going to do a particular journey. Not doing that journey means you have broken that contract and so Air China could reprice the ticket. Whether they do so or not is, as I said earlier, is down to them. If they do they will reclaim any costs from the agent who may or may not charge you.

Yes you could then dispute the charge with your credit card company but don't rely on them automatically being on your side. They will ask you for information as well as the travel agent (who will have CA backing them up) and then adjudicate. All a charge back does is put the disputed charge in suspense where you don't have to pay (and nor will it generate interest charges) it until the query is resolved

The issues you have had with the travel agent are a different matter. Where are they based? Are they IATA registered? If they are UK based you could contract the Trading Standards Department of your local council for advice on how to formally make a complaint.

cancel credit card - so you get a new number, guess they can't re-charge the CC then?

cancel credit card - so you get a new number, guess they can't re-charge the CC then?

They are still connected to your account though. For example when I look at my VS Credit card account ALL my previous cards are listed and their different numbers.

It's still the same account even if the card number changes.

Hmm, not so sure now...

Perhaps it's not worth the risk. I had thought of cancelling my card so the agent (presumably if CA wanted to reprice and recharge it would be done through them) couldn't take any more money when I didn't use the return leg.

With regards to getting money back from the overcharge I gave up on that a long time ago after hours on the phone.

You will only be charged a no show fee if you subsequently try and use the ticket. Some tickets you lose totally, some you pay a fee to re-activate a no show seat and some you can just no show and re-book without any fees. It all depends how much you paid for the ticket (and therefore whet the restrictions are).
If you choose to no show that is the end of it and you probably cannot subsequently use the ticket but I doubt you care about that as you don't want it anyway.
There are no financial consequences if you just abandon the seat.