Onward journey.

Bin the idea of creating "fake" tickets - that may work but chances are either airline staff or (if you're one of the unhappy few who is asked to show an onward ticket to an immigration officer) will immediately notice and then you're in trouble.

I'd but the cheapest available return ticket and simply skip my return flight.

I'm seriously considering trying to pass off a fake return flight in order to board.

If this is an example of how you deal with issues in your life, good luck with the rest of it.

Problem is, I won't have that residency until I get there

People never have residency until they get there, as you put it. What they do have ahead of time is some sort of paperwork that shows that the legal groundwork has been laid.

we are going to do a domestic partnership, that would give me residency

So the question is: is that just a plan you're thinking of trying at some later point or is something already arranged?

10 years in the joint, over a small savings on a lark/trip? Hmmmmm.

If you can't afford a return ticket, what are you planning to live on in Spain?

You might also check out whether "domestic partnerships" are as obvious as you seem to think. To prevent people just arriving and staying, France, for one, has cracked down on partnerships and/or marriages that seem to be of convenience. Better check to see the conditions in Spain before you start.

Can't you arrange your "partnership" with your girlfriend to begin before you go? In that case you apply to join her as a family member and your Schengen visa does not need an onward ticket.

Look it up.

Dave

Problem is my savings are a few thousand dollars, I don't want to blow it all on a return ticket
Like I said, you don't need to blow all your savings - just buy the cheapest return ticket you can find and "throw away" (to use a left-over from the era of paper tickets) the return portion. Technically airline's don't allow this when your ticket is fully non-changeable and they may threaten you with a penalty; I've never heard of this being enforced, however.

I'm not African or South American, so they don't really suspect me of frauding their government
I see where you're coming from and assume your suggestion that Africans or South Americans fraud European governments is just an unfortunate choice of words, but keep in mind that among immigration staff throughout Europe Australians and Americans seem to have a similar reputation for disrespecting immigration laws.

re #7
>I stated in my post that it may very well be a stupid idea

So, I'm agreeing with you. Where's the insult in that?

The Spanish bureaucracy is remarkably efficient as long as you have all the correct paperwork in place. My (Sudanese) wife had no probs, but then we were married.

Dave

I have a Spanish girlfriend so we are going to do a domestic partnership, that would give me residency, I'd be totally legal, and there'd be no reason to come back (for a while).

I think I'm missing something. Can you tell us what do you mean by domestic partnership, please?

I have to "empradonarme" once I arrive there.

Be aware that to be empadronado doesn't guarantee you are residing legally in Spain.

The airline isn't your only problem. There are some entry requirements to Spain and you can be denied entry if you don't meet them (it doesn't matter your nationality; i.e.: they also apply to Americans). You can consult them here. As you can see, to have a return ticket or a tourist circuit is one of them. Therefore, if as you said in #7, you definitely don't want to risk anything, you should forget the one-way ticket because you could be denied entry.