Can airlines deny boarding the outbound flight if you are ineligible for the return leg?

Assuming I am in the US and buy a return ticket from the US to anywhere, but my visa doesn’t allow me to re-enter the US, and I will just skip the return leg.
Can I be denied boarding on the outbound flight?
Best Answer
Probably yes (they can deny you.)
Whenever I leave the US, the airline always asks for my status for the return flight before giving me a boarding pass. I have to prove them that I have the necessary papers to come back. The only possible reason for that check is your question.
Details: I have a roundtrip ticket for non-stop flights from the US to country X and back, and I am a citizen of X. When I show my passport from X, they ask about my authorization for the US for the return trip. That obviously cannot be related to the outbound trip.
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Can an airline refuse boarding?
Yes unfortunately airlines can refuse boarding or remove a passenger from a plane for any reason at all. Even of the passenger has paid full fare for the ticket. Passengers do not have many rights when it comes to being on an airline.Is entire flight Cancelled if one leg is Cancelled?
If one leg of a flight is canceled or passengers bailout, then the whole package can be voided at the carrier's discretion. This applies to multi-leg flights across the USA, as well as international flights involving American companies.What are the reasons for denied boarding?
Non-Discriminatory Reasons For Being Denied Boarding- Being intoxicated or under the influence of illegal drugs.
- Attempting to interfere with the duties of a flight crew member.
- Disrupting flight operations or engaging in unruly behavior.
- Having an offensive odor that is not caused by a disability or illness.
How do you get denied for boarding?
Compensation due to Overbooking Perhaps the most common reason for denied boarding are overbooked flights. Airlines typically sell more seats to their flights than they have available. This ensures that there won't be any extra seats if there are passengers who do not show up for their flight.A flight attendant shares the reasons you can get bumped from a flight
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Answer 2
I have been in this situation quite a few times. Back when getting a Chinese visa would take only a few hours, and could be applied for just about anywhere (not just your country of residence), I would book a China<>Somewhere ticket, knowing that my visa expired before I came back to China, and that I would get a new Chinese visa.
Never had a problem. The airlines were only concerned, during check-in for the outbound flight, whether I had everything need to enter the country of destination.
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Images: Markus Winkler, Markus Winkler, Torsten Dettlaff, Longxiang Qian