Air Travel Advice

[wsloand]

So, I am going to a conference in Chapel Hill in the beginning of May. To get there, if I fly Airtran, I will connect through Atlanta. To get back, I also connect through Atlanta. Flying in or out of Atlanta on the same dates costs $131. Connecting through will only cost $70.

Does anyone know what the consequences are for only taking one leg of a flight for future savings?