Can I save money when flying twice to the same destination?
I heard that it was possible to purchase another plane ticket very cheaply if you were flying to the same destination within a certain period of time. Is it true? How do you do this?
Best Answer
There used to be some tricks in this area if the airline sells significantly cheaper return tickets if the stay included a weekend. Some airlines did this on the assumption that the more price-sensitive leisure travel was more likely to include weekend stays than the less price-sensitive business travel.
Suppose you live in city A and need to be in city B on Tuesday and Wednesday of each of two consecutive weeks. The natural choice is two A to B return tickets, each outbound on Monday and inbound on Thursday of the same week. Neither includes a weekend:
Ticket 1 Outbound
Ticket 1 Inbound
Weekend
Ticket 2 Outbound
Ticket 2 Inbound
Now consider making Ticket 1 an A to B return, outbound on Monday of week 1, inbound on Thursday of week 2. Ticket 2 is a B to A return, outbound on Thursday of week 1, inbound on Monday of week 2. Each ticket has a weekend between the outbound and inbound flights:
Ticket 1 Outbound
Ticket 2 Outbound
Weekend
Ticket 2 Inbound
Ticket 1 Inbound
I think giving preference to weekend stays has become less common, so this is an obsolete technique.
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Is it cheaper to fly two one-way or round trip?
It can be cheaper When traveling within the U.S., airlines typically price one-way flights at exactly half the cost of a round-trip.How can I save money when I fly frequently?
Why do you pay twice for round trip?
By keeping one-way flights more expensive, airlines are able to get extra revenue out of the business travelers who can't book their return flights as far in advance, and are willing to pay more for that flexibility.What happens if I book a round trip flight and only use one-way?
If an airline catches you out and wants to take action, their resulting penalty can range from charging you the difference in fare, confiscating your ticket on check-in at the airport, issuing a warning letter, or even barring you from traveling with them again.5 Practical Ways to Save Money When Traveling | Travel Tipid Tips Tuesday Talk | Episode 1
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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