Round-trip tickets, also known as return tickets, allow you to travel from one place to another and return to the place you left. One-way tickets allow you to travel from one place to another, but you cannot return unless you purchase another ticket for to fly back.
Round-trip tickets are usually cheaper than one-way tickets. For example, NerdWallet found that buying two one-way tickets costs 20% more than a single roundtrip. However, sometimes a round trip can cost more than a one-way travel fare. This depends on the airline's route and the booking ratio of the destination.
Before we dive too deeply into this topic, lets all make sure we understand the basics of the type of travel journeys as many folks when booking online may not always know how to navigate the search options.
The majority of online travel web sites operated by travel agencies and airlines offer the traveler the ability to search for a one-way & a roundtrip trip fare. Many also offer the ability to search for multi-city itineraries where by you start and end or origin/destination are the same city but you could be visiting several cities in between with stays over 24hours at each stopover.
One-way tickets can be advantageous because they have fewer restrictions and it's easier to build the exact itinerary you want. However, because airlines can't be sure you'll use them for the return trip, one-way tickets are more expensive.
Booking a round-trip itinerary as two one-way segments can make sense in some cases. This gives you the flexibility to choose between more than one airline. Sometimes, you can save money by combining flights on different airlines.
So let's dissect the NerdWallet article referenced above, that buying two one-way tickets on average cost 20% more than buying a roundtrip ticket. That may be true for many cases but our research also found that booking 2 one-ways to be exactly the same as a roundtrip ticket.
Take this example from Alaska traveling DFW-SEA and priced as a roundtrip.
When we book the same flight/date combinations as 2x one way trips below, we get the same fare as the roundtrip ticket. Truth be told there can be rounding errors in cents which can be the difference but nothing catastrophic.
Most online travel agents as well as airlines default the flight search pages to show as roundtrip. One of the advantages to the airline of selling a roundtrip is the customer doesn't ever fly back on the return journey and never claims a refund for the untravelled leg. Customers assume the ticket is restricted and won't have any refund value, customers lack of motivation to go online stay on hold for hours to speak to a reservations agent allows the airline/travel agent to bank the unused, unclaimed refund. This is a lucrative secret revenue pot the airlines /travel agencies do not advertise. Yes, in many cases the ticket could be restricted and have no refund value, but many airlines allow the return to be changed for a fee or in some cases dependent on the reason will allow a free change to the return or they might even give a credit voucher or miles for the unused portion. Typically high value and loyal customers get some of these perks and exceptions.
Now let's assume you want to travel on Alaska DFW-SEA 10/11, BUT want to return from San Francisco to DFW on 10/18, this can not be booked as a Roundtrip. You could book it as two separate one ways as discussed above. The better approach is to book this as multi-city.
Most agency and airlines do have this option for you to book.
There will be complex itineraries which you can not book online directly with the airline or through an Online travel agency such as complex round the world multi-sector itineraries or open jaws which transcend multiple countries. These can be booked through by speaking or chatting to a travel agent who have the system and training to book and price complex itineraries.
So back to the question we asked - Is a roundtrip ticket always cheaper than two one ways, the answer is NO. You can get cheaper fares booking two one ways if the one-ways are on 2 different airlines out and back, or if the airport of departure or return is different, example you traveled to JFK but returned from LGA, both are New York airports in the same city.
Travel Tip:
Most of the time the cheapest fare between two cities are not available through the same airline. The best way to source the cheapest deals is going to be through a travel agent or online travel agent. They have the ability to stitch together the best deals on multiple airlines.
Dallas to New York might be cheaper on American, but the return might be cheaper on Delta or Spirit or even Southwest. This combination of departing on American and returning on Delta or Southwest can not be booked on AA.com or Delta.com or Southwest.com.
Your travel agent app or agent can book this for you.
Comments