Any benefit book round trip vs one way?

[Dakota731]

On Southwest? I want to do two different airlines due to price. Thanks

 

[2vets]

On Southwest? I want to do two different airlines due to price. Thanks

I don't know specifics about SW, but I often use this approach for optimal pricing/award flight availability and/or schedule. I'm doing this at the end of Aug and again in Dec. The only negative I can think of is you might not get TSA precheck, but if you are known by both airlines, that tends not to be an issue.

 

[Pinnochio]

On Southwest? I want to do two different airlines due to price. Thanks

I do it all the time....always seems cheaper with no hassle at all....

 

[StageTek]

No benefit booking a round trip. Very often one direction on one airline and the other direction on another saves money.

 

[Mle8308]

No issues or cost savings. I’m flying two different airlines next month and using two different airports. Both are the same distance for me, so I look at both to compare fares and flight times. Cheaper to use 2 airlines, by about $150.

 

[Best Aunt]

Even if I'm using the same airline and the same airports, I never book round trip. I watch the prices for awhile. When the price drops for one flight, I book. Then I keep watching and when the price drops for the other flight, I book that one. I have never seen them both drop on the same day.

 

[CAPSLOCK]

Even if I'm using the same airline and the same airports, I never book round trip.

This. No price benefit to round trips, and round trip makes it harder to adjust for optimal savings.

 

[EACarlson]

There are some benefits not related to price that comes with booking round trip. Many travel insurance products and credit card coverages require round trip travel to pay out. If your outbound is canceled you're entitled to a full refund of a roundtrip ticket but not if you bought two one ways. Unless I have a specific reason for booking two one ways, I book round trip.

 

[Pinnochio]

round trip makes it harder to adjust for optimal savings.

Agreed...

 

[tvguy]

I always look, but at least on the routes I fly frequently, Southwest is always so much cheaper it doesn't help.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

There are some benefits not related to price that comes with booking round trip. Many travel insurance products and credit card coverages require round trip travel to pay out. If your outbound is canceled you're entitled to a full refund of a roundtrip ticket but not if you bought two one ways. Unless I have a specific reason for booking two one ways, I book round trip.

You sure about round trip? Wouldn't make much sense in terms of travel due to how many times people start in one location and end in another. From cruises to other types of travel.

A return ticket I could see but not a round trip ticket as a round trip is purchasing a ticket for the same starting and ending airports.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

The only negative I can think of is you might not get TSA precheck, but if you are known by both airlines, that tends not to be an issue.

It should just be ensuring your KTN is entered into each airline's profile.

We just flew Air France from Chicago to Venice via Paris and had pre-check for the outbound Chicago flight (we have Global Entry which has pre-check with it) and although it wasn't applicable our British Airways return flight from Athens to Chicago via Heathrow showed TSA pre-check on the boarding pass on the flight from Heathrow to Chicago.

 

[kathy884]

I did two different airlines Southwest down and Frontier back to Orlando once in October. Due to a hurricane I could not fly down and got my money back from Southwest. Five days later flights were going, so I lost all my money on my Frontier ticket as I couldn't use it.

Had I booked a round trip flight on either airline instead of doing two one ways, I would have gotten all my money back.

This kind of thing doesn't happen very often, but I did get burned.

I still though book one way flights pretty often for domestic travel based on fight schedule and price.

For Europe it was way less expensive to do an open jaw vs. two one ways though, so do the math.

 

[CAPSLOCK]

Of course, if they were both SW, both legs would have been fully refundable regardless of the reason. Or if the return was the SW flight. One of the major benefits of SW.

 

[EACarlson]

Of course, if they were both SW, both legs would have been fully refundable regardless of the reason. Or if the return was the SW flight. One of the major benefits of SW.

This is incorrect. It would only be fully refundable if you used points or booked a refundable fare. Otherwise it would be a Travel Fund only usable on SW.

 

[CAPSLOCK]

True. Since the Travel Funds no longer expire, they're pretty darn useful though.