Save on One-Way Flights

If you’ve ever tried to book a one-way international flight, you may have discovered it’s more expensive than buying a return ticket! This week our members reveal their strategies to beat the one-way price hike and save hundreds of dollars.

Many airlines penalise passengers for booking one-way, rather than round-trip international tickets. But one-way bookings are sometimes necessary, for example, when positioning for a cruise or moving abroad.

One method to beat one-way price gouging is to book with low-cost airlines. Low-cost airlines like Jetstar do not charge passengers extra to fly one-way.

For a member looking to fly from the United States back to Australia, our members suggest booking a domestic flight from the US mainland to Hawaii. From Hawaii, a Jetstar flight could be picked up for just a few hundred dollars on sale.

Another strategy is to redeem frequent flyer points. One-way points bookings usually cost half the number of points as a return trip. Although reward availability can be limited, especially during school holidays, seats can usually be found if you’re prepared to consider some creative routings. For example, our member could consider flying from the United States to Australia via Asia if there are no reward seats on direct flights.

One member suggests checking prices from multiple departure points. In our member’s case, there are significant savings to be had by departing from Vancouver instead of Los Angeles.

Join the discussion HERE.

Matt Graham

The editor of Australian Frequent Flyer, Matt's passion for travel has taken him to over 70 countries… with the help of frequent flyer points, of course!
Matt's favourite destinations (so far) are Germany, Brazil & Kazakhstan. His interests include economics, aviation & foreign languages, and he has a soft spot for good food and red wine.

You can connect with Matt by posting on the Australian Frequent Flyer community forum and tagging @AFF Editor.