Is there any sort of airline ticket you can buy and use when you need it?

Question

We are having a baby in May and my mom wants to be able to jump on a plane at any time. Is there a ticket she can buy ahead of time and use when the day comes around?

Answer 1

You can buy an open ended ticket. The thing about them is they are extremely expensive. They are usually the highest priced ticket which makes sure you are able to get on the plane no matter what fare is available.

For example if tickets for the cities she wants to fly between cost between $100 and $1000 dollars the open ticket would probably cost $1000. And since they are open they don't guarantee that there would be a space on the flight she wants because there is no specific flight assigned to the ticket.

I would reccommend looking at some of the discount sites to get a good idea what is a normal price for your cities.

Becareful though.... some sites like site59, priceline, and hotwire cannot be changed no matter what. If you don't show up on exactly the day you booked for the exact flight you booked then you might as well throw the ticket away b/c it's no good anymore.

GOOD LUCK WITH THE BABY!!

Answer 2

I don't know of any such ticket that will guarantee you any seat. You can buy a ticket with price guaranteed 'cos you already paid for it, but no guarantee on availability of seat when you need it.
Your best bet is to go first class (sometimes same price as full fare, so why not?) Then you just buy when you want to travel.

If your mom is 55 and over, she can qualify for the senior fare. Some airline's senior fares have no penalty to change dates.

Answer 3

Yes, It's called an open ticket, but is usually pretty pricey, and subject to seat availability. Better off to just buy the ticket when you know when you're going to use it

Answer 4

Yes, there are...Most airlines have them...they are open-ended...but you have to specify to the airline that that is what you want...Then, they usually give you specific dates you can and can't use them...