Why are single one-way tickets so hideously expensive?
If you saw a return ticket deal for £250 (for example), but you know that the single fare for the same journey on the same airline was (for example) £600, is there any legal obstruction preventing you from taking the cheaper option and just not taking the return flight? (And we are talking long distance flights here, by the way)
How do round-the-world backpackers usually sort this problem out, for example? I know that some (most?) countries want to know that you have a return ticket or the funds set aside to help you leave and not become a burden on their welfare system, but how does that work for long-term stays, etc?
Flood
By: MerlinXX - 1st April 2005 at 06:35
As long as you do not break any immigration rules I can’t see why it would be a problem. One thing not too dissimilar is back-to-back ticketing which the airlines are extremely firm about. This applies mostly to business travellers I would think, and is briefly explained in the link below:
By: MerlinXX - 1st April 2005 at 06:35
As long as you do not break any immigration rules I can’t see why it would be a problem. One thing not too dissimilar is back-to-back ticketing which the airlines are extremely firm about. This applies mostly to business travellers I would think, and is briefly explained in the link below:
By: Bhoy - 31st March 2005 at 23:14
what do delay penalties have to do with not showing up at the airport?
By: Bhoy - 31st March 2005 at 23:14
what do delay penalties have to do with not showing up at the airport?
By: Airline owner - 31st March 2005 at 18:17
Won’t airlines feel they have to charge more due to those new delay penalties incase they do have to pay out??
By: Airline owner - 31st March 2005 at 18:17
Won’t airlines feel they have to charge more due to those new delay penalties incase they do have to pay out??
By: SHAMROCK321 - 31st March 2005 at 18:10
Some tickets come with a penalty if you dont use the return ticket. If you sign a contract you are obliged to either fly the return leg or get a penalty. Now you could cancel your card and go through all that crap. Most penaltys can be avoided if you simply inform the airline or agency that you wont be travelling.
By: SHAMROCK321 - 31st March 2005 at 18:10
Some tickets come with a penalty if you dont use the return ticket. If you sign a contract you are obliged to either fly the return leg or get a penalty. Now you could cancel your card and go through all that crap. Most penaltys can be avoided if you simply inform the airline or agency that you wont be travelling.
By: rdc1000 - 31st March 2005 at 18:00
There are several things here. Firstly, you’re more than welcome to purchase a return air ticket and not use the return….but if you are in a country that wants you out then you’ll be in trouble. Of course a lot of airlines are now moving to a simplified ticketing system in which you pay for each leg at it’s value, such as when you buy with BA. This is one of the ways in which backpackers can get single tickets. However most of them are actually on Round The World (RTW) tickets, offered by a selection of airlines and alliances, along with a number of independent travel companies. Typically you decide in advance where you want to go and when and the tickets are booked and the usual IATA discounts applied acorss the board where necessary, although these are typically cheaper even than the IATA discounts because the independent agents get good deals from the airlines. Each of the big alliances offer their own RTW tickets, all with varying restrictions etc. This is therefore how many travellers overcome the issue of needing a ticket to leave a country, you do not necessarily need a RETURN ticket, but simple a flight out, it doesn’t matter where to.
If you use Opodo or Expedia then these sites typically can put together ridiculous itineraries because they are parts of the international Computer Reservations Systems that we’re all used to in the travel agents, and therefore they can take all the flights available and put them together, with IATA ticketing systems allowing itineraries to be discounted to a reasonable level.
By: rdc1000 - 31st March 2005 at 18:00
There are several things here. Firstly, you’re more than welcome to purchase a return air ticket and not use the return….but if you are in a country that wants you out then you’ll be in trouble. Of course a lot of airlines are now moving to a simplified ticketing system in which you pay for each leg at it’s value, such as when you buy with BA. This is one of the ways in which backpackers can get single tickets. However most of them are actually on Round The World (RTW) tickets, offered by a selection of airlines and alliances, along with a number of independent travel companies. Typically you decide in advance where you want to go and when and the tickets are booked and the usual IATA discounts applied acorss the board where necessary, although these are typically cheaper even than the IATA discounts because the independent agents get good deals from the airlines. Each of the big alliances offer their own RTW tickets, all with varying restrictions etc. This is therefore how many travellers overcome the issue of needing a ticket to leave a country, you do not necessarily need a RETURN ticket, but simple a flight out, it doesn’t matter where to.
If you use Opodo or Expedia then these sites typically can put together ridiculous itineraries because they are parts of the international Computer Reservations Systems that we’re all used to in the travel agents, and therefore they can take all the flights available and put them together, with IATA ticketing systems allowing itineraries to be discounted to a reasonable level.
By: Ren Frew - 31st March 2005 at 17:54
AFAIK know there’s no reason why you must take a return leg of trip. I know I’ve missed them often enough without being arrested ! 😀 In my experience you’ll be lucky to find many return quotes that are radically different in price from single tickets other than on the low cost, single trip booking system.
As for the backpackers situation… Anyone I know who’s done it has planned the trip through one of the specialist travel agencies that set these trips up. Normally student friendly organisations such as Campus Travel.
Also AFAIK there is a time limit laid down as to how long you can have what’s often referred to as an ‘open return’ ticket left open for? It’s around 2 years if I remember correctly. :confused:
By: Ren Frew - 31st March 2005 at 17:54
AFAIK know there’s no reason why you must take a return leg of trip. I know I’ve missed them often enough without being arrested ! 😀 In my experience you’ll be lucky to find many return quotes that are radically different in price from single tickets other than on the low cost, single trip booking system.
As for the backpackers situation… Anyone I know who’s done it has planned the trip through one of the specialist travel agencies that set these trips up. Normally student friendly organisations such as Campus Travel.
Also AFAIK there is a time limit laid down as to how long you can have what’s often referred to as an ‘open return’ ticket left open for? It’s around 2 years if I remember correctly. :confused:
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March 31, 2005 at 5:22 pm