I want to go to London next year some time, but I'm not sure exactly when I can go due to work.
2006-11-01 18:52:37 · 5 answers · asked by vmarie84 4 in Travel ➔ Air Travel
The only way to get an open ended ticket is to pay a full fare. These fares are fully changable and refundable at any point in time. They are much more expensive, but you have the freedom to make any changes you will need to for a year from the date of purchase. The other option of course is first class. You should consult the airlines directly or a reputable travel agent and specify that you want to price out a full coach fare or "Y" fare or, for the money try a First Class or Business Class fare.
When you are on the internet pricing things out to get an general idea, there is a designator usually below the dates that is a drop down menu. Select the option for Flexible fares and select the designator for Refundable OR if there is a drop down to select a specific fare, choose Y or higher. The wording may vary, but its usually the last option, with Discounted Coach Fare being the first that always defaults. Build intineraries with different airlines, and once you have it all priced out, there will be a link for "Fare Rule", click on that and read it. That will outline if change fee's apply and the minimum and maximum stay you can have on that fare.
I played with dates on Delta.com booking Atlanta to London Gatwick and they are the same March, April and May. For the same price, booking Coach, Flexible, you end up with a coach domestic seat and business class from JFK to London Gatwick each month, however even a full coach fare, there are change fee's should you make any changes to the itinerary and you only have a 30 day maximum stay. So if you need to book longer, you would need to either call, go to the ticket counter or find a reputable travel agent if your stay requires a longer stay.
Most airlines have gotten away from open ended tickets, they make money on the change fee's. An International change fee is usually around $200-$400 US plus or minus the difference in fares. In my time as a ticket agent, i have had instances where someone changed a ticket date by only a week, and ended up paying over $900 in change fee's due to the difference in fare.
You really should figure out when you will have time off of work before booking your trip. The change fee's can nearly double the cost of your ticket if you have to make any changes. Right now Europe is on sale, so now is a good time to book.
2006-11-02 01:11:29 · answer #1 · answered by southrntrnzplnt 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
With all due respect to the answer that "all tickets are open" - that is not the case. An open ticket is a very, very expensive toy and is usually only available in either what is called "full" economy, Premium Economy , Business and First class - and even then only on the higher fare levels. First, determine how long you want to stay (roughly) be it three months, six months or a year - the best you can hope for is a year. Take your best shot at when you want to return and then select a ticket that allows changes for a fee, not forgetting that you may have to "upgrade" to a higher fare as well. In your case, therefore, cheapest may not be the best by a long way. You should visit a good IATA travel agent (you can do it on the web, if you fancy trying to read fare rules - and understanding them) and go through the various fare options. This way you can balance cost against change fee and how far up the food chain the fare is and so, what would be the likely danger of having to pay an upgrade on top. You may even find that two one way tickets are an idea.
2006-11-01 21:36:17 · answer #2 · answered by BizTravelMan 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Open Ended Plane Tickets
2016-12-13 07:36:29 · answer #3 · answered by hayball 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Open Ended Airline Tickets
2016-11-01 08:14:40 · answer #4 · answered by stever 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
All tickets are open in principle. The catch however is which flights are eligible for the fare you paid for, what are the minimum and maximum stay conditions, and are there any seats available for the fare paid. These are the main factors that determine whether you have to book a specific flight when you purchase the ticket, or whether you can leave it open for later. You should check fare conditions and see which is more suitable for you.
2006-11-01 19:34:38 · answer #5 · answered by imdashti 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It will depend on your negotiation with the travel agency or airlines' ticket officer.
2006-11-01 19:10:09 · answer #6 · answered by Mutya P 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋