One Way, Round Trip, or Multi City

One Way is usually more expensive.

Miles or dollars?

It completely depends on the airline you are choosing to travel on. You can price your flights each way to see how it works for your preferred airlines.

Generally that is true -- BUT we recently found two, one-way tickets to be cheaper. Don't know why. Most of our European flights are multi-cities and we, generally, find the multi-cities to be the cheapest especially if you factor in the cost in time and money to return to the original city. But given how easy it is to check all three types of fares -- Just do it. Take an extra five minutes see what you find.

Bostonphil has literally spent days on this already, I don't think he will mind another 5 minutes..........

I have never found one way tickets to be more expensive than round trip, at least on Delta. I often book one ways when I'm not completely sure of one end of the itinerary. Also, if you need to make a change to the itinerary, one way tickets allow you to keep one of the flights which is helpful when price changes or capacity is at play.

I have also not found multi city to be more costly. I use them when I want to fly into one city and out of another (open jaw) I also use multicity when I'm wanted to tie a couple trips together which is a cost savings. For example, when I go to Hawaii, I often fly to Seattle, and stay for a few days and then to Hawaii and then home.

Further, at times, I have found multi city travel to be cheaper than a round trip ticket. MSP to Honolulu tickets have, at times, been more expensive than MSP to Seattle to Honolulu to MSP (or stopping again in Seattle)

It is a little difficult to search flights when constructing a multi city trip. Usually I'll look at prices for one way travel to find the days that have less expensive flights or more favorable times and then I search the multi city trip.

We frequently fly open jaw (multi city) and have never found two one-ways cheaper than a multi city.
It seems that multi-city is usually a bit more expensive than round trip.

Example, flying from JAX, Florida to AMS to Nairobi returning from Kilimanjaro, Tanzania to AMS to JAX was hundreds of dollars more than RT from JAX to Nairobi, Kenya.

I still check Multi City and one ways.

Days?, Carol Now Retired. More like weeks going into months.

Also, I am a she not a he. The Phil confuses people. It happens all the time.

Every day, I check twice a day.

Texas Travelmom, It was a general question . I was not thinking in miles or dollars.

Frank II, I always thought that one way was more expensive and I responded to another question saying so but others said "not necessarily so" I then did a test and it sort of looked like the one way fare was similar to round trip. Same with multi-city. I assume that it is less using multi city when flying into one city and leaving from another. But I did a sort of casual test and it did not look that much different.

That is my reason for posting this question.

I recently priced a multi-city from San Francisco into Germany and Italy. I found it much cheaper to do round trip SFO to Frankfurt and then one tickets, on Easy Jet or Ryan Air if possible, within Europe. Frankfurt it somewhat central for us, so no problem getting back to it to fly home.

I thought you had already decided on Delta and booked the flight. Maybe the price went up.

If you haven’t booked, take another look at British Airways, booking roundtrip to/ from London. Today is the last day of their sale. You can book in regular economy ( free checked bags) and it will be a bit more than the $651 I reported for Economy Basic, but still should be a good price.

Then you can book a separate flight from Lisbon back to London, on BA, or maybe TAP ( the Portuguese carrier) or Easy Jet. Compare prices before you commit to the London RT to make sure it still works out. And fly from Lisbon back to London the day before your transatlantic flight just to be safe. Think of it as extra time in London. You should be able to get a flight the same day you disembark the cruise ship, unless you want more time in Lisbon post-cruise.

TAP appeared in a list of the top ten safest airlines in the world that I posted recently—- one of only 2 European airlines in the list. (The only US airline in the top 10:is Alaska Airlines)

When people talk about one ways being more expensive, I wonder if they are taking into account that certain destinations are more expensive to fly to. For example, a round trip ticket to Paris will generally be cheaper for me than a round trip ticket to Munich or Barcelona or just about anywhere. So if I am booking one way tickets because I want to fly into Paris and out of Munich, the sum of those one way tickets will be more than round trip to Paris because the Munich leg (or insert any other city) is a more expensive destination to fly to or from.

Lola, still can not "do the deed" even though I have been threatening.

Still can not make up my mind between Delta and American.

Price is still steady for both although Delta had gone way high for the 27th, coming home. It had gone up about $600 for that one day but has now gone down the $600. I assume some person or group had purchased a block and later cancelled.

Maybe I will try Delta going to London and American coming home.

I want to limit stops and transfers as much as possible. Also I want to earn miles using both my American Express and Citi cards (for the next trip) even though miles are not as valuable as they once were.

OK, I did one of my tests.

going multi city on American remains about $1,100.00. This is flying to London and returning from Lisbon.

But, hold on. If I fly one way American from Lisbon to Austin on October 27, would you believe it costs over $2,000.

Thanks Lola

If I wanted to do this, I would still have to get home to Austin but I could use rewards to fly from Boston to Austin.

Multi City American is about $1,100 and same with Delta.

BostonPhil. Thanks for the heads up on the “she.”

Honestly if you can get your multi-city routing that you prefer for $1100, I would just go ahead and buy……

Bostonphil -- you are missing the point of most of the discussion.

..... OK, I did one of my tests......going multi city on American remains about $1,100.00. This is flying to London and returning from Lisbon. But, hold on. If I fly one way American from Lisbon to Austin on October 27, would you believe it costs over $2,000....

You keep looking for an absolute when there is none. The rule is ---- Sometimes two single tickets are cheaper ---- Sometimes not. Multi-cities tickets vs. round trip are cheaper.. Sometimes not. Each trip is unique and every ticket option needs to be explored. One approach will be best for each trip.

Just for a reference . I just booked Round trip on Delta JFK to LHR 8/27 and return 11/5 with premium economy seats for two - $2500

The rule is ---- Sometimes two single tickets are cheaper ---- Sometimes not. Multi-cities tickets vs. round trip are cheaper.. Sometimes not. Each trip is unique and every ticket option needs to be explored. One approach will be best for each trip.

THIS. It’s why when I think I know a trip itinerary I look at the options and see what comes back as best for MY trip, and adjust my trip if it means a much better fare as well.

Steven

Do you see your booking as a good deal? I see JFK to LHR for over $1,200 each as a bit pricey but then it is premium economy. I usually go a lesser class like Main Cabin or Classic Economy.

Carol Now Retired. I have put it off because I still can not decide American or Delta?

Hello , bostonphil7 I see the pricing as about somewhat better than average . I take a protracted trip every Autumn ( of course , not in'20 or '21 , due to covid ) and routinely see prices between $ 2100 and $3200 ( two people , and depending on how far east I'm going . ) Last year ( 2022) , It was into CDG and home from VIE ( Vienna .) Also keep in mind , I'm flying from NY , a forty minute drive to the airport from where I live . Your trip involves the distance from Texas to the east coast ( an additional cost ) Twelve or so years ago when I first started to travel to Europe , fares were somewhat lower , but time has gone by and everything gets more expensive as the years fly ( no pun intended ) Things generally won't get better , the longer you wait . Availability decreases as more people buy tickets , prices go up ( hotels . too , book up ) Last year I made all my bookings by December , so I'm a bit late this year , but not egregiously so . You can certainly book economy seats at a lower cost , so that would be a plus . I used to do that until last year , but in my dotage , my wife and I were considerably more comfortable , so doing it again on our upcoming trip

What is the layover/plane change airport for the flights home from Lisbon? That could be a deciding factor.

I have put it off because I still can not decide American or Delta?

Bostonphil7, you are really talking about two peas in a pod. If you throw United into the mix you have three peas. With the dynamic pricing algorithms the airlines use, things change by the second (?) in my opinion. Usually up! If you find a price close to your target I would book it.

Lola,

Flying home from Lisbon on Delta, it will be a 6 1/2 hour layover in Boston (my home town)

Flying home on American, it will be a 4 1/2 hour layover in Philadelphia

I believe that I will have to change terminals whether Boston or Philadelphia

I actually prefer the first just in case the plane is late getting in. I have to go through customs which ever airport but I have Global Entry

I do not mind waiting but I do mind rushing

I have had a couple of bad experiences with Philly so I avoid that airport ---- BUT --- that was years ago so my comments may not be very useful.

Here are some things I would consider and balance in deciding: the type of plane, seating configuration, the number of stops, the layover time, the layover airport, and the final arrival time.

The homeward flight is on Sept. 27, right? In both cases it is one stop, so that is equal.

Delta uses a 767 for the long haul flight ( the one that matters to me, at least). The seating in Economy is 2-3-2 and from what I can find online the seat width is 18”. The Delta website now says the layover in Boston is 7 hours, and the final arrival time in Austin is 11:01 pm.

American uses a 789 for the transatlantic flight, with 3-3-3 seating. Seats in Economy are 16.2” to 17.2” ( the wider ones might be only the Main Cabin Extra seats, but I can’t tell for sure). The flight has a 4.5 hour layover in Philly, and arrives in Austin shortly after 9 pm.

So which of these factors matters most to you? My analysis would be like this: I like the Boeing 789 a lot, but I would prefer the 2-3-2 seating on the Delta 767, especially if flying solo—I always want a window seat and would have only seatmate instead of 2 with that configuration. Seat size does not matter to me at all, because I am quite small, but some people might find those 16.2” seats on AA’s 789 pretty tight.

It is the long Boston layover and very late arrival time in Austin (after 11 pm) that would likely be the dealbreaker for the Delta flight for me. I would give up my preferred window seat to be able to arrive at 9 pm instead of 11 pm.

So I would probably choose the AA flight, and then hope it didn’t run late and get me to Austin at 11 pm just like the Delta flight. ( But the Delta flight could also run late, and if I had chosen that I wouldn’t get to Austin til:after midnight).

But then again—-(re-calculating here)—-I would remember that the one time we flew AA for an international trip (to South America), we departed Miami 2 hours late. Ugh. And the few times we have used AA for domestic travel, they have made schedule changes that interfered with our plans. Someplace,,probably on FlyerTalk, I read that AA is notorious for making schedule changes. Maybe someone can share what they know about Delta in that respect—I have only flown them once ( when AA went out on strike and our flight was canceled), and that was years ago.

All by way of saying that one can consider all the parameters and make a very informed choice, and it can still go awry.

There is a danger in overthinking this…… you might wait too long and the fares are permanently up.

There is a danger in overthinking this…… you might wait too long and the fates are permanently up.
Not only that. How much time and effort one spends carefully choosing the best seat assignment, airline and type of plane, flight schedule (including layover time), etc. is an individual thing. But given how frequently your decisions are for naught these days, when those flight details are changed, sometimes several times by The Powers That Be, between when you hit the "buy" button and when your flight actually takes off, I wonder how much sense it makes to dither. You can only make decisions based on options available at the time, but it would seem that the more time and energy put into making everything "just right," the more disappointing it will be when you have to (repeatedly) start again to reconfigure things.

How are you going to feel if you keep analyzing this and the fares go up hundreds of dollars? The fact is that everything about a flight can change due to weather, strikes, equipment substitution, or airline schedule changes made for any number of reasons--except the ticket price. Once you've purchased a ticket, the airline is obligated to get you to that destination at that price. You may arrive late; you may have to depart earlier in the day than you wanted to; there may be a miserable layover somewhere; you may lose the carefully-selected seat you booked. But the airline is not going to come back to you and require you to cough up a lot more money. You cannot do anything about the circumstances of the flight, but you do control the price you pay for the ticket.

As is often mentioned on this forum, significant schedule changes sometimes offer the traveler a chance to rebook on a better route at no additional cost. Paying less money for the ticket is not something that happens even after the most severe schedule shift.

So there you go. You have all the information you need to make a choice, based on your preferences. You could book now, when you see a price you like, but then things could change between now and September. Not the price, but the schedule. Or you could wait, and the price could go up. How would you feel about that?

Also keep in mind that with Delta, as long as you don’t book a basic economy ticket, if the price goes down between now and departure, you can request a refund in the form of an eCredit that can be be used for another booking within the next year. (You don’t have to fly within a year, you just have to book the ticket for something that could be 10-11 months out still) With award tickets, you can request a refund of the difference I n miles if the price goes down.

I got like 2x30K miles refunded for our Munich award tickers last year when I noticed a price reduction for our trip.

I got to do it I know, just like having cataract surgery or going to the dentist.

I promise to post right here when it finally happens (booking my flight)

Keep watching this space.

I did it. I booked Delta. Both American and Delta were similar prices today. Maybe American went up a bit and maybe Delta came down a bit but it was similar. I got a good price. It was maybe about $1,100 before insurance and insurance was something like $130.

I got seats I was happy with.

I am real happy that I made a decision.

Congratulations!

Good for you!!!

Congratulations bostonphil7!!

Good for you.

Now, just keep watching for flight changes - can happen any time (and between now and September, it's very likely that something will change, if only a little). If there a flight change of more than a few minutes, all bets are off again. Then you can weigh all your options again and try for something even better. But I wouldn't obsess over it. 🙄

Good deal! 👍

David, won't Delta notify me if something changes.

I am so glad that I finally made a decision. Now I can work on other things.

Thanks to all who advised and guided me.

Delta should ----- BUT sometimes it hits your junk mail or it doesn't happen so I would check every couple weeks and especially a couple of weeks prior to departure. Probability is low but checking is a good idea.

bostonphil7
Congratulations on buying your tickets! Delta usually will notify you of any changes through email or on the app. If you have not downloaded the Delta app, then do it - it's the easiest way to see changes, check in and get boarding passes. Check your app often and especially the day before or the morning of the flight. Last summer, I had not had an email notification of a flight change and did not know until I was on the road to the airport (2 hours away) that my flight had changed. It all worked out, but a reminder to be proactive about possible last-minute changes.

Congratulations on your booking.

From personal experience, I can advise you also to not look at any more flights along the same route and timing until after your trip. There's always a lower fare, but it may come at a time when you do not have the comfort with booking, or when the currency has fluctuated to make it harder, or something.

We should all have learned that the answer to One Way - Round Trip - Open Jaw is that it depends. It depends on the day you book, the time you book, the fluctuation of currencies, the cost of building your trip to work with a round trip, the time involved, etc. Lots of different ways to work it. I find round trips tend to be a bit better, price-wise, in general, but frequently not worth the hassle and expense of returning to Point A, or to build it in reverse, the hassle of going from Home to Point A and then directly to the end of the trip, and work my way back to A as part of the travel. So, as always, it depends.

Good Morning Max

Yes, I have earned that "it all depends" when booking air travel, at least internationally.

I spent so much time doing so much research before finally making a choice that I have no further interest in additional research as far as this vacation goes.

I have found a round trip flight that I am happy with and can live with but I hope that when I book my next flight, I might have enough rewards to fly

It Happened!

I was told that it would (might) but was not expecting it to happen so soon.

My flight back from Lisbon to Austin for next October 27th has changed by a couple of hours. It seems to be a change that I can easily live with but I wonder how many more changes between now and next
October.