How do one way/round trip plane tickets work?
When I buy a plane ticket,after I get on the plane to where I'm going, do I buy another plane ticket to get back home later or can the ticket I bought to get to my destination also get me home? I've never been to an airport or had to purchase a plane ticket before.
Best Answer
It's common to purchase plane tickets as a round trip: a single purchase that includes a ticket to your destination and a ticket back home. When you search for plane tickets online, the default option is usually a round trip, and you'll enter the date you want to depart and the date you want to return and then choose both flights as part of your transaction.
It is also possible to buy one way tickets. Two one way tickets may sometimes cost more than the same flights as a round trip, so this is generally less common.
Plane tickets often get more expensive close to the travel dates, and they can sell out, so many people buy a round trip ticket in advance, rather than waiting until they're at their destination to buy a ticket home.
In some cases if you're crossing international borders, you're required to have "proof of onward travel": another ticket that will take you back out of the country you're visiting, so they know you have some intention of leaving.
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Can I use one-way of a round trip ticket?
Technically, you can buy a roundtrip ticket and only use it to go one-way, but airlines frown upon this. And, you can only skip the return flight. If you miss a segment of your trip, the airline may cancel the rest of your ticket without giving you a refund.Is it cheaper to book flights one-way or round trip?
When traveling within the U.S., airlines typically price one-way flights at exactly half the cost of a round-trip. There certainly are exceptions, especially for those that fly out of smaller, regional airports.Does round trip include both flights?
As the names suggest, a round-trip journey includes both a flight from your starting point to your destination and a flight back to your origin, whereas a one-way only covers one of those segments.What is a round trip and a one-way flight?
One-way tickets refer to a journey which starts in one place, and goes to a destination but doesn't include a return journey. E.g. Joburg to London, either direct or via another city. Round trip tickets refer to journey which go to a destination and return from that destination back home again.Airline Basics - Round Trip
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