Can I fly into one of the Schengen states with a one-way ticket? Will they let me in?
Posted by
San Francisco, California, USA
446 posts
A one-way ticket is not an open ticket. An open ticket, as defined by the travel industry, is a pre-paid ticket, with no flight date specified.
One-way tickets can be very expensive, compared to round trips, depending on the route and when booked. For example, try booking Amsterdam to San Francisco in the next couple of weeks. You will pay over $3,000 -- and that's not business class!
Posted by
Columbus, OH, USA
2045 posts
Tyler, could you expand a bit on the "open ticket"? I am not familiar with this option but it sounds interesting. I have paid big bucks in the past to change my departure date because once abroad I wanted to extend my stay. I appreciate your information.
Posted by
Manchester
497 posts
With the open return tickets you pay a high premium for the flexibility. In the past I've had to change departure times, paying the change fee and fare difference still worked out cheaper than buying the flexible ticket.
Posted by
San Francisco, California, USA
446 posts
"Tyler, could you expand a bit on the "open ticket"? I am not familiar with this option but it sounds interesting. I have paid big bucks in the past to change my departure date because once abroad I wanted to extend my stay. I appreciate your information."
An open ticket is a ticket that shows you have paid a certain amount to an airline for a flight from Point A to Point B. The date of the flight is not specified. You then make a reservation when you want to fly, and are good to go.
In the "old days", before airline deregulation, when air fares were more fixed, an open ticket made sense because you could pretty much count on the price for your flight being the amount you paid for the open ticket. Nowadays, however, there is not much sense in buying an open ticket, as fares can vary so much. To get an open ticket whose price is guaranteed not to change can cost you thousands of dollars, compared to the normal economy fare.
An open ticket is mainly useful as proof that you have the financial resources to leave a certain country. Some countries will not issue you a visa unless you can show you have a ticket out of the country.