One way airfares?

[Matthew Bawden]

G'day,

I have been looking at one-way fares overseas in early November.

I would like to know why they are more expensive than return airfares? The specific route i'm talking about is SYD-DXB.

Thanks
Matt

 

[serfty]

Standard industry pricing!

One reason I have been given is that with a return fare you travel "both ways", thereby filling the aircraft in each direction.

With a one-way fare, in a general sense, it is possible for much of the custom for a service being in the one direction of a route (e.g. from AAA to BBB with little from BBB to AAA) So, by booking a one-way fare, you often pay a premium to subsidise the additional cost of flying the aircraft in the less patronised direction.

 

[NM]

one-way fares are nearly always based on the more flexible fare rules. This is because they are more commonly used by business travellers or other people desperate enough to pay the higher fares or needing the flexibility associated with the higher fare.

The cheap return fares often come with restrictive conditions that do not suit many business travellers, but are ok for leisure travellers. These conditions may include pre-purchase requirements, minimum stay requirements, non-refundable, limited availability etc.

The airlines have learned that people wanting to buy one-way fares are more likely to want/need the greater flexibility and are willing to pay the premium cost that comes with a one-way fare. So its really been a matter of supply and demand.

Constructs of low-cost one-way fares is the domain of the new generation of low cost carriers (such as JetStar, Aix Asia X etc).

 

[JohnK]

Good question. There are probably a number of reasons including one-way airfares booking into higher classes and being refundable or less restricted than a return airfare or the airline does not want you to return on a competitor.

Also it is cheaper to purchase airfares from some areas, eg cheaper to purchase one-way SIN-Aus than it is to purchase one-way Aus-SIN, so the airlines want to lock you in to purchasing a higher airfare.

If a one-way airfare is more expensive than a return airfare then purchase the return airfare and leave an open return date and if you are not returning then simply do not use the return flight.

 

[dajop]

Of course it can work to advantage some times .... my partner once had to fly back at short notice from Canada for grandmother's funeral. This was covered by travel insurance, but only one way. However oneway was $1.5k more than return fare, so the insurance company permitted booking of the return fare, to give the option of using the return if desired.

 

[futaris]

Do check all the middle eastern airlines. Etihad tend to have one-way fares at around 60% the cost of return tickets (from/to certain ports). And considering flying to/via AUH.

If that fails, you might also find that flying one-way to DXB/AUH from SE Asia is cheap, since this is often where maids, etc are sourced from. Try CGK, BKK, etc.

 

[kpc]

This is where one way awards (eg QF, SQ) which are 1/2 the points of a return award are very useful!

 

[moa999]

Have found SQ offers decent one-way fares as well.
(used one to commence a DONE4 from KHI)

EK/DJ/JQ also have one-way fares to NZ allowing you to mix and match

 

[JohnK]

I vaguely remember Qantas mentioning that they were going to move to true one-way airfares, approximately half price of return airfare, sometime in the future. Is this plan likely to be implemented in the current economic climate?