It often happens that a trip or a business trip does not have clear deadlines, that is, they can stretch for two or three weeks, or even for several months. In this case, it is simply not safe to immediately take a return ticket, because if you fail to fly on the scheduled day, then the money will simply be wasted. But what if there is no return ticket and it suddenly turns out that you need to fly away in a couple of days, and the airline cannot guarantee the availability of empty seats by this date?
All these points need to be thought out in advance and find the best option that will allow you to save money and return home when it is convenient.
Air ticket with open date
The very "golden mean" is a ticket with an open date. What is it all about? This is a round-trip ticket, where the return date is not fixed - the passenger can choose it at his discretion. Such a ticket, in addition to its main advantage, is also cheaper than two one-way tickets.
How to use such a ticket? To do this, it will be enough, having already decided on the date of departure, to contact the airline where this ticket was ordered and indicate the desired return date. You can do this either by simply calling, or by coming directly to the office.
An important point: it is better to report your plans and set the chosen date no later than 2-3 days before departure. Otherwise, by this time you may simply not find free seats on the plane.
Buying an open date ticket: where and how?
The main difficulty when ordering such a ticket is that you can buy them far from any airline that comes across. Most often, people meet with the fact that they simply answer: “Now this is not practiced” and are advised to purchase a round-trip ticket, and then, taking into account a considerable fine, change the date to the desired one. In fact, you can order such tickets, of course, but you have to look.
Here are the airlines providing open date tickets:
- Belavia;
- Aeroflot;
- UTair;
- Transaero.
In order to buy such a ticket, you need to come to the office of one of these airlines, since, unfortunately, it is not yet possible to purchase them online.
The site site makes the search for all airlines providing tickets with an open date even more convenient. Here, each resident will find the right company, its address, contact numbers and website.
Nuances to be aware of when ordering a ticket with an open date
Buying tickets with an open date requires some, albeit purely symbolic, knowledge. This will help to avoid some difficulties in the future and the loss of extra funds.
Firstly, an open date ticket is valid for a period of 1 to 12 months - each airline sets its own rules in this direction. Therefore, it is necessary to determine the date of the return flight within this period.
Secondly, boarding on the selected flight will be possible only if there are empty seats. What to do if there are no places? Usually the airline finds a way out of such situations by offering seats on the next flight. If this option does not suit you, then the validity period of the ticket will increase, and you will have the opportunity to choose a suitable flight.
Thirdly, be sure to calculate whether it will be profitable for you to buy a ticket with an open date:
- it should be cheaper than two one-way tickets;
- and cheaper than a single round trip ticket, subject to date change fees.
And the last thing: not all countries can take tickets with an open date. To visit them, you need to book a round-trip ticket, and then, after paying a penalty amount, change the date.
It happens that you need to go to some country: maybe for work, or maybe on a trip that you have been dreaming about and planning for a long time, but you don’t know the exact date yet. It may also be that you were counting on a longer stay in the country, completed all the affairs much faster than planned and there is no desire to stay longer. In such cases, there is a ticket with an open date of departure.
What is an open ticket?
If you purchase a travel document in advance, pay the full price for it, but it does not specify the day, time and flight, then such a ticket is called an open date ticket. In such a ticket, the OPEN code is written in the eighth column TIME. When it's time to go on an air flight, you should contact the company by phone or come in person and tell the date of the expected departure. The ticket will need to be booked. As soon as all the data (flight number and date of departure) is entered into the travel document, the validity of the ticket begins.
There are also negative aspects of such a ticket. You have decided on the numbers, but there are no empty seats on the desired flight, then the airline may simply refuse to fly you and advise you on the nearest other aircraft.
If you are booking a round trip, then the unknown date of departure can only be in one direction, so decide right away. The requirements of some countries states that in order to enter their territory, it is necessary to have a ticket with a fixed date of departure on the way back. In such a case, you can purchase a ticket with the ability to subsequently change the date of departure.
Basically, all passengers first book a one-way ticket, and then, when they have to go back, they buy a flight to the other. Thus, they get two different OW (one way) tickets. This is more expensive than one RT (round trip) ticket.
How to purchase?
Consider how to buy a plane ticket with an open date? To date, some companies provide a similar service as an air ticket with an unfixed date, so it will take a lot of time to find the right company for your route.
If you decide to purchase a ticket with an unspecified departure date, you must make a visit to the airline's office yourself a few days before departure (2-3 days), because at present it is not possible to order a ticket via the Internet (online).
Not all airlines provide an open date ticketing service, here are a few reliable, trusted companies:
- Aeroflot.
- Transaero.
- Utair.
- Belavia.
The validity of travel documents with an unknown date cannot last forever, it all depends on the rules of the airline, mainly from one month to a year, which means that during a certain period of time you have the right to book this ticket. If there are no seats on the proposed flight, then the validity period of this ticket is extended.
When buying an Aeroflot ticket with an open date, as well as in other companies, you need to take into account that it will be more expensive than a round trip ticket - round trip, because you will need to pay an additional fee ("penalty"). You can compare the difference in prices for "fine" in different airlines and choose the one that suits you best. At the airline offices you will find all the information you need.
Going on a trip, you need to think through everything to the smallest detail. First of all, you need to decide where you will go, then choose the most competent airline, focusing on the reviews of experienced customers, have time to book a ticket at the lowest price, get ready for the trip and at the appointed time ...
Tickets with an open date
Going on a trip, you need to think through everything to the smallest detail. First of all, you need to decide where you will go, then choose the most competent airline, focusing on the reviews of experienced customers, manage to book a ticket at the lowest price, get ready for the trip and arrive at the airport at the appointed time to go through the necessary pre-flight procedures. And now everything has been successfully completed, you are on the plane, flying to the appointed point, spending some time there, and suddenly you realize that you urgently need to fly back, but the departure date on the return ticket is clearly indicated, and you are forced to arrive at the destination before the appointed term.
What to do in this situation
I had to buy a ticket with an open date. What is it? Let's figure it out. If you want to save on your trip, you can take advantage of the ideal offer of any airline and buy round-trip tickets at the most favorable conditions. Most airlines offer a discount on double tickets, which are called round-trip tickets. This is a small bonus for passengers. Such tickets are mutually beneficial not only for passengers, but also for airlines.
A short weekend, a vacation with friends or a business trip in another city or even another country, we can always clearly plan and take into account all the little things up to the date of return, especially if all sorts of incidents seem to be excluded and the trip should take place anyway. However, it may happen that a return is expected, but its exact date is not determined, or it is necessary to depart earlier than the scheduled date.
To avoid problems in such a situation, it is recommended to purchase a ticket with an open rather than fixed departure date. The cost of such a ticket will be much higher than the analogue, in which the return date is clearly fixed, however, this option is much easier and more profitable than a separately purchased return ticket, especially in emergency situations.
What does the concept of "open date" of departure mean?
An open date should be understood as a unique opportunity for a passenger within a considerable period, which is limited to three months, to individually determine the length of stay in a particular city or country and independently choose the date of return. Therefore, an open date ticket allows the passenger to freely dispose of his time during the trip.
If a passenger has purchased an air ticket with a non-fixed return date, then after the return dates have been determined, he has the right to come to the office where tickets of the airline he has chosen are sold or even call there and make a seat reservation for the required date.
There are usually no additional charges for such an order, however, there may be exceptions in the form of surcharges, the amount of which does not exceed one or two dollars, which is not such a big cost. In any case, if you want to save money, it is most profitable to buy two tickets at once.
Tickets with an open date can be issued for a specific period. Usually it is 3 months, half a year or a year. After issuing a ticket with an open date, you are given the opportunity to book a seat on the most convenient flight for you on any day. Naturally, the only condition is the availability of free seats in the class you paid for. If there are no seats on the selected flight of the corresponding class, you can use more expensive places and pay the difference.
Where to buy a ticket with an open date
The validity of an open-date ticket begins immediately after entering the flight number and departure date into it. Before buying a ticket with an open date, you need to study the rules for arriving in the country you are interested in, because in some countries they require you to present a ticket with a fixed date of departure, which may simply not let you in. Happy travels!
To buy an air ticket - go to the main page of the site, specify the city of departure and destination, date and click search.
Sometimes unforeseen circumstances require an urgent flight to resolve important business issues. This happens quite often. But there may be force majeure circumstances: you and your counterparty absolutely do not know the exact date of return.
Some people have no idea about the possibility of buying a plane ticket without a specific return date. The complexity of the situation exists only at first glance.
You can buy a ticket with an open date without any problems, you just need to take into account a number of requirements and features.
The list of air carriers providing this service is limited.
In spite of a large number of domestic airlines, only Transair, Belavia, Aeroflot and Utair offer this opportunity.
The cost of an air ticket with an open return date will be more expensive.
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For the purchase of such a ticket, the client will have to pay an additional fee. It may be different for different companies. Information on the calculation procedure, the amount of the fee must be specified at the representative office of the airline.
The service is not provided via the Internet resources.
An air ticket with an open date can only be bought at the ticket office of the airline. The return date will not be recorded on the ticket.
The service is strictly limited in time.
The duration of the service is at least 30 calendar days. During this time, you can purchase a ticket back by contacting, 3-5 days before the expiration of the service, the information and service center of the airline.
Conditions for entry into the territory of foreign countries.
In some countries, immigration authorities require a return ticket. Full information on the procedure for issuing a return ticket will be provided in service center airlines.
Very often there are cases when a person quite spontaneously decides to fly somewhere for various reasons and does not know when he would like to return. Or another example, a person expected that he would stay for a certain time, but he decided all things much earlier than planned, and it makes no sense for him to stay in this place at all. For such cases, a ticket with an open date was invented.
Usually, people who fly on vacation buy one ticket to the required place and one ticket home, in the opposite direction, where the dates of departure and arrival back are exactly specified. With many airlines, these tickets are cheaper than buying tickets separately. In general, a ticket for air travel of this type is considered an “intermediate” link between round-trip tickets and two separate tickets in terms of their cost. The downside is that you are specifically tied to dates, and if you do not fly on the day that is affixed to the travel document, you will simply lose money. Let's try to figure out what a ticket with an open date is.
What is an open date air ticket?
The open date on the ticket assumes that you purchase a ticket in advance, pay for it, and then inform about your intention to fly by plane.
An indefinite departure date can only be on one of the tickets, that is, you need to determine in advance for yourself the day of departure or arrival.
Tickets with a non-fixed date of initial departure are even more rare than those with a refund.
Most companies that offer such a service at all have tickets available for purchase only with an indefinite date for return in the opposite direction.
Moreover, in general, not all air carriers sell such tickets, so you need to find out about this in advance.
The easiest way is to call the information desk or the ticket office, or the representative office where air tickets are sold.
You should take into account all the nuances in advance, since in some airlines you will have to pay extra for this opportunity immediately before the return.
Air tickets with an open date to buy or not?
For example, you have decided exactly when you will fly, but you assume how quickly you will solve your business and when you plan to return back. In this case, you will need a ticket with an open return date.
You buy this type of ticket in advance, and when you have already decided on the date of return, you simply contact the representatives of the airline and inform about your intention to fly the plane back home.
V various airlines there are completely different rules, you must be warned in advance how many hours before the return you must inform about your desire to fly. As a general rule, many airlines guarantee this if you contact them 2-3 days before your expected return date.
You will also need to book a ticket.
One of the disadvantages of a ticket with an open return date is that if there are no available seats on the desired return date, you may simply be denied boarding and offered another nearest free one.
In this case, the validity of the open date increases, but if you need to fly, for example, tomorrow, this does not play in a positive way.
Air ticket with an open return date
An air ticket with an open return date, what it is and how it works, let's look at a simple example. You bought an air ticket that expires on April 1, 2017. That is, you will need to fly back home before this time. You dialed the representative of the air carrier and informed your desire to return back on March 31st. To your disappointment, there were no seats that would remain free on this day, and the next flight is only on April 3rd. The validity period of the ticket, in which the date was not set, in this case will also be automatically postponed until April 3rd.
At the moment, tickets with an open date of departure or return can be purchased now from Aroflot, Belavia, Transaero and Utair airlines.
But supply creates demand, so if you prefer a particular carrier, contact their representatives and ask if they sell tickets with an open departure or return date.
You won’t be able to buy such tickets online, you will have to personally visit either the airline’s office or go to the airport.
You can do this, but again at your own risk, in this case you need to take a period of time, for example, 6 months and buy them at the most “expensive” rate and, already in the process, exchange them for another date. But it may turn out that you have to pay a fine. In some airlines, the fine is no more than 50 dollars, then, taking into account the difference in the cost of two separate tickets, such manipulation becomes quite profitable. But savings can turn out to be dubious because of the cost of the most expensive tariff, so you need to take into account all these nuances in advance.
Another point worth paying attention to is the length of time for which you will have to decide when you will fly or return. For each air carrier, they can be completely different and vary in time from one month to twelve.
What is an open date air ticket and when should it be purchased? If this type of air ticket will end up being much cheaper than two separate one-way tickets. When the cost of air travel immediately there and back with the possibility of changing the date of return will be more expensive when using this service, taking into account the payment of the so-called "fine".
The validity of the ticket with an open date begins immediately after the flight numbers and date of departure are entered in the travel document.
Not all states can only be flown with an air ticket that has the exact date of departure from this country, that is, in other words, a fixed one.
If you happen to have a ticket with a fixed return date, you may simply be denied entry to the border right at the airport of that country.
In this case, there is only one way to conditionally use an open date ticket, you will have to buy a two-way ticket, with the possibility of changing the date, but, as a rule, such tickets are more expensive.
