What to know about open-ended plane tickets

Why they were created

In the early days of flying — and well into the 1970s before the U.S. government deregulated the airline industry — fewer people regularly flew like they do today. Tickets were much more expensive compared to ticket prices today, but they also tended to be more flexible.

One typical arrangement was the so-called “open ticket,” whereby a traveler could depart one day and return at an unspecified point in the future. Open-ended plane tickets were favored especially among business travelers, who might leave home on a Monday morning, but be unable to return until they struck an important deal.

A key reason for their ubiquity was the fact that professional travel agents booked most air travel in the days before tickets were sold directly to consumers via the internet, which meant that the complicated work of constructing and pricing out an open-ended ticket itinerary took place behind the scenes.

What happened to open return tickets

Unfortunately, open return tickets are all but unheard of when it comes to flights these days unless you book with a travel agent or have a special arrangement due to a classification you fall under. Student travelers, for example, can sometimes book open tickets. And if you are able to snag an open-ended plane ticket, it’ll likely be more expensive than typical round-trip airfare due to its flexibility.

Even though ticket options have changed, you can still hack your way to a flexible ticket if you don’t have a set return date.

Alternatives to an open-ended plane ticket

Search for flexible fares

The surest way to book what’s essentially an open return ticket is to purchase a fully flexible fare. This option will be more expensive than airfare with restrictions. However, airlines typically allow unlimited date changes and even a full refund right up to departure without a fee. Basically, flexible fares are today’s equivalent of an open-ended airline ticket. 

If you don’t have a set departure date, you can use Skyscanner to see airfare over an entire month so you can find the cheapest day to depart and save a bit up front.

Book one (way) at a time

Conventional wisdom states that booking two one-way segments is more expensive than booking a round-trip. However, this is not always the case.

If you don’t know when you’ll be returning home, you could simply book your departing flight and then buy the return once you decide on a date. You’ll roll the dice on price, but it’s usually cheaper than paying a change fee to rebook a return flight. 

Fly business or first class

In many cases, booking the equivalent of an open ticket requires spending much more than a typical economy-class flight. As a result, if you’re going to drop a lot of dough anyway, why not live it up a bit?

While not all business class and first-class flight tickets are fully flexible, many allow for date changes with no fee (or for a small fee compared to economy tickets). So this option is worth looking into.

Book RTW flights or air passes

One scenario that might necessitate an open ticket is a trip to multiple destinations around the world (called an RTW ticket). Although RTW tickets aren’t always the cheapest option, they do typically offer a great deal of flexibility. For example, Star Alliance RTW tickets require that you start and end in the same country, have a minimum of 2 stops and a max of 15, and fly in one global direction east to west or west to east. But, you don’t need to plan all your flights in advance. Before (and including) your first international segment, you just need to make a flight reservation at least 24 hours in advance. Then after your first international flight, you can book at any time.

Hack your way to a cheaper flight 

• For travelers with flexible dates, Whole Month search will help you find the cheapest ticket. Even if you have to pay a change fee later, this minimizes damage to your bottom line.

• You may be able to get a last-minute flight deal on both your outbound and return tickets if you choose to buy them separately. 

• If you have a return date in mind but need to fly back from a different airport, you can book a multi-city ticket.

• Set up a Price Alert on a route you want to fly and Skyscanner will notify you when the airfare for that itinerary drops.

Final thoughts: Booking an open-ended plane ticket

Although the original version of an open-ended plane ticket no longer exists, there are ways to achieve a similar result. It just depends on your goals. Want to travel the world? An RTW ticket is the way to go. Want flexibility and you're not price-sensitive? Check into first and business classes. Or you can buy a one-way ticket and then the return flight when the time is right. You've got opens, and Skyscanner has the tools to help you find the best price for your route and travel dates.