Hey Guys!

Curious if anyone has information on "open ended airline tickets"

This is my situation: I will be in South Africa for 5-6 months. I know when I am going, but still unsure of the return date because I may stay a little extra longer and travel with family and friends. I finish school there in June and would normally fly home right after, but may stay another week or so. So, my return date would be with in a few weeks, not like I would be there for anther few months.

Wondering if there is a huge fee for an open ended ticket? Or what is the best way to go about it. Or should I even do the open ended and just get the refundable one to re-schedule my flight? I also would love to have a long layover (like a day or two) somewhere (preferably in Europe) on the way back so I can sneak in another quick trip. I make plane tickets so complicated.

So if anyone has a great experience with open ended tickets or extensive knowledge about getting them and some rules and fees that may apply…. please fill me in. Thank you!

To include a stop in Europe, I suggest you investigate using a consolidator (I use Airtreks.com), buy 3 discounted 1-way tickets. 1. Directly to SA. 2. SA to Europe 3. Europe home.

There are other ways to do it but if you're trying to save money consolidator tickets will likely be cheaper than most. It seems to me that with your schedule as fairly fixed as it is, you could bite the bullet and decide on a date to leave SA. For a "week or so" I don't see the problem.

I should add, the advantage of the discounted 1-way tickets over a simple RT ticket with a layover in Europe is that you can fly into 1 city from SA, take a train to another city from which you fly home and see a bit more in a few days there.

I'd price the tickets when you want to buy them and see which would be least expensive. Your idea of an unbooked return ticket, I'm sure, will be considerably more. Buying a RT ticket and changing the return date is another option but may include an increase in fare, assuming the change is late in the game, as well as a change fee. I think you need to resign yourself to committing to a date to leave SA.

A number of years ago we faced the same situation with a son studying abroad for a semester. At that time, we spoke directly with the airline ticket rep to set up an open return. The price was about the same as RT ticket at that time. As I remember, there were a couple of restrictions. The return had to be booked two weeks in advance and it was kind of a preferred stand by ticket. When he was ready to return he made one phone call and they give him a couple of return options. It worked then.

The stop in Europe may complicate an otherwise straightforward possibility, such as you descibe, fmpden. Also, everything seems to have tightened up and nothing comes without a hefty fee these days. It makes the consolidator option possibly more attractive. I've changed flights, even destinations, on consolidator tickets on secondary airlines with no fees whatever. It's worth a look, if the OP is up to the task.

<i> I've changed flights, even destinations, on consolidator tickets on secondary airlines with no fees whatever. It's worth a look, if the OP is up to the task.</i>

You've been incredibly fortunate, Mme! That is the polar opposite of most consolidator terms. Consolidator ticket bargains have become scarcer as airlines have decreased operational capacity. I would <u>never</u> consider a consolidator if there is any possibility of needing to make a change.

OP - of course the easy answer is to buy a full fare ticket which allows changes but that may not be financially acceptable. The basic principle is that the lower the fare, the greater the restrictions and penalties for any changes. The stopover in Europe is not a problem, is a very common thing. This would be a case in which a good travel agent would be worth any fee, IMO.

Seamus, those who sell the consolidator tickets don't know the real terms, which is to say, what will happen when you ask. It isn't a question of not knowing their business, it's that they always tell us that the tickets aren't changeable to cover that eventuality but every time I've asked, not often, but twice that I can think of at the moment, they've said yes, we can change it, no fee.

One time was flying into Bagdogra Airport from Delhi instead of Kolkota, another time I moved up a departure a week or so, going from Delhi to Bangkok.

But you're right in that we shouldn't count on it, which is why I told the OP to just make a decision and stick to it. How much of a hardship could it be? I think he just wants cheap and the ability to waffle too. Potential fiances look out, not a good combination.

Make sure you are allowed to fly into South Africa with no return ticket. When my daughter studied for 6 months in Argentinas she was required to show return ticket. I do not know what would have happened if she had offered a logical explanation - as you have - but both school and airline advised RT. I think the cheapest way would be to buy RT and pay any change fee if necessary.

<i>I finish school there in June and would normally fly home right after, but may stay another week or so.</i>

If this is a "study abroad" program of some sort, they typically offer resources for air travel arrangements. One resource I'd look into is STA travel (branches in Michigan) which is a travel agency that focuses on student travel.

In general, the longer the stopover (in your case, six months) the higher the round trip fare. (Basically airlines need to "hedge" against unforeseen cost increases such as fuel prices.) So I would look at round trip prices online, but when you have one with the approximate dates you'd return, look at the rules that apply to the ticket, especially at the penalties for changes. Often these will be in the $100 - $250 range, which, while high, might make the total to be less than a more flexible fare, or two one-way fares, would cost.