We r flying SFO to Barcelona in May '18 on American Air, round trip, with a stop in Philly on the way to BCN. Our return flight from BCN to SFO stops in Madrid. Can we just skip the BCN to Madrid flight and take the second leg from Madrid to SFO without any penalties or lost seats? The day before our flights home we'll be in Malaga, and would have to fly back to BCN to catch the BCN to Madrid first leg the next day. We'd rather take a train from Malaga to Madrid the day before and not have to take two flights the next day. Any guidance would be appreciated. Thanks.
Posted by
San Francisco area
1803 posts
If it is booked all as one trip you will not be able to skip the Barcelona to Madrid leg. Once you skip that flight the rest of your reservation will be canceled so you will not be able to board your flight in Madrid to get back to SFO.
Posted by
Seattle, WA
16273 posts
If you skip the BCN to MAD flight, the rest of your ticket ( the flight from MAD to SFO) will be cancelled.
If you want to make this change without losing the rest of the ticket, you need to arrange it with the airline, which will likely involve a change fee. But it won’t cost as much as losing the SFO flight
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23268 posts
You should have thought about it before. You are a no-show on the first leg. Why would they know or assume that you will show up for the second leg? They don't. When you don't check in for the first leg, they will assume you are a no-show and give your seat to one of the standbys. Classic example where an open jaw ticket would have saved time and money. Something to consider for your next trip.
Posted by
3245 posts
Why not call American Airlines and ask them? I had a similar situation with American flights a couple of years ago and they canceled the initial leg. I had booked with miles so there was no refund question.
Posted by
Edmonds, WA 🌨 ☂
11180 posts
I will add to the "call AA" suggestion, to see what they will do and how much it will cost. Then you can decide if the cost is worth the convenience.
"Skipping" the 1st leg of the return trip is not a viable option.
Posted by
Ontario, Canada
4573 posts
If you are calling AA, ask whether they fly from Malaga for the return flight.
I understand there are good return deals from US (not so much from Canada), but the cost in time, expenses and loss of vacation time makes me wonder just how much is saved booking return over open jaw.
Posted by
New York, NY, USA
11294 posts
Maria is absolutely right - as long as you have to change your departure to avoid losing your flight home, change your departure from Barcelona to Malaga rather than to Madrid.
Even if you have to pay extra to do this, you will save the hassle of changing hotels for one night, as well as the cost of the Malaga to Madrid train. Plus, getting from the city of Malaga to the Malaga airport is quick and easy by bus, train, or taxi.
Posted by
Edmonds, WA 🌨 ☂
11180 posts
The AA site does show AGP-SFO flights. All seem to stop in Madrid.
As already noted, when considering the cost of making a change, factor the savings of not traveling back to BCN.