Save on Flights with Spare Return Tickets

A spare return flight is a one-way flight purchased as a cheaper roundtrip ticket. In some cases, you can also buy two spare return tickets for less than the equivalent roundtrip fare. This is a particular case of back-to-back ticketing where the savings are significant enough to justify dropping two return flights. Spare return ticketing also helps you avoid the risks and pitfalls associated with hidden-city ticketing.

What is a spare return flight?

Say you plan on traveling from New York to Los Angeles.

Instead of booking a one-way, you book a roundtrip that returns to New York, saving $100. You may decide to use it or not, the fare is lower regardless.

In some cases, you can also buy two spare return tickets for less than the equivalent roundtrip fare. Imagine you are planning on spending a weekend in Los Angeles.

You can book two cheaper roundtrips from each city, saving $100.

If you decide to use the nested return flights from March 5 to 8 and still pay less than the regular fare, you would be executing a back-to-back ticketing strategy.

Is spare return different that hidden-city ticketing?

This strategy differs from a layover exit flight. While still part of the same ticket, the extra flight in this case is a separate journey leaving at a later date - e.g. several month later in the above-mentioned example. This approach allows you to check a bag, avoids the risks associated with itinerary changes, and isn’t typically frowned upon by airlines.

See our Guide to Airglitch Booking Strategies to learn about other strategies covered by Airglitch and how they work.

Why would I book a spare return ticket?

The main reason is to save money. However, the extra journey can serve another travel plan. If you are unsure about a future trip but your next flight gets cheaper anyway, you can try to have the extra leg set for a date that you might want to use. Another reason might be to avoid the pitfalls of hidden-city ticketing. If you hesitate between two of these options and the spare return is only slightly more expensive, it might be worth the extra cost.

How can I book a spare return ticket?

Airglitch automatically finds spare return tickets for you. Search for your desired itinerary, and if a cheaper spare return option is found, the platform will show you instructions on how to book it directly with the airline.

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If you are interested in the return flight, you can try with a different date that suits you better - you are likely to still get a cheaper fare. You can also search for spare return options manually on the flight search engine of your choice. Shuffling through different return dates and look for the cheapest one.

Can I get in trouble for a spare return flight?

Virtually not. Unlike hidden-city ticketing, spare return ticketing has no record of being frowned upon by airlines. The latter is also perfectly safe in most cases, but airlines have been known to take action against passengers who use hidden-city flights frequently - even if it remains largely anecdotal. In the case of a spare return, you are completing either all or none of the segments from a given journey, you won't be checked in on the flight you drop. It is equivalent to a no-show, which is a common practice.

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