I have been looking at air fare flying to Kiev alone and returning with 2 other passengers From MCI airport in Kansas City. I can book a return flight Delta for one person for around $800 but if I try to book a one way flight from Kiev on Delta's site it is 11,500 Hrevnas (well over $2000) per passenger and uses a 28 hour flight rather than the 19 hour that my return uses.
I can book a return MCI to JFK domestic and also a return JFK to KBP Aerosvit (Kiev Borispol) and then book 2 one way flights from KBP to JFK and JFK to MCI. Total ticket cost around $2600 plus domestic baggage surcharge of maybe another $150 as well as kind of a messy itinerary.
If I bought 3 return tickets @800 and threw the first leg away on two of them it would cost total less than $2,400 but there may be issues with using these tickets that way.
Has anyone had experience doing this and know a better route or if only the last half of a return ticket can be used.
One way flights - especially in reverse like this are difficult to format and nearly always work out costing as much as a full return ticket.
Try this site http://www.jetabroad.com.au/
Its good at finding cheap flights if you can be flexible with dates, but not sure what its like for USA - AU ???????
Good luck
PS - when you bloody Aussies going to drop the Transit Visa crap - only place left that still insists on Transit Visa for FSU travellers - even if the plane only stops for 55 mins on route to Auckland. A real pain in the rrrrssssssss !!!!!!
Thanks Maxirat I have accepted paying the same rate for their one way as my round trip but I want to be on the same plane!!! I found a one way Aerosvit to JFK Continental from Newark to MCI and just got off of the phone with Continental to see if they could give me a return to match them. This character was bound and determined to send me through Paris with a $3,000 fare. Some people should never have kids and his mother was one of them. I will try that site.
EMERITES ALWAYS ARE GOOD DEAL FOR ME MAXI --YES I HEAR YOU ON THE TAXES ITS BLOODY RUDE REALLY
I GOT EMERITAS / KLM / JETABROAD COME UP WITH SOME GOOD DEALS YOU JUST GOT TO GET IN QUICK AY
MIKE00
If one doesn't travel on the outward then the airline can deny travel on the return, indeed by the time the return comes around the reservation may well be cancelled for 'no show' on the outward.
But, depending if it is cost effective, there is nothing to stop one buying a return ticket UA-USA-UA and throwing away the return portion once they have travelled on the outward.
I have done as Jetmba mentions above because the return flight was cheaper. But techinically if you miss the first leg an airline can/should cancel that ticket. If you have a booking with multiple airlines this can make it more complex as the first airline could tell the other(s) you missed the flight and they can cancel it (but it can work in your advantage having mulitple airlines as they probably dont talk to each other). However it worked for me when I tried. Best idea is to check the ticket is confirmed once you're there and they have 'missed' the flight to be sure.
Oz,
You can try 3 return tickets but, by the book, you may well find that the return portions (only) cannot be used and then you're going to end up paying for, again, those one way tickets that you should have bought in the first instance.
I'm sure you can buy tickets KBP to MCI cheaper than UAH11,500.00 which at todays rate is USD2,184.00.
Aerosvit, one way KBP/JFK is USD717.00, JFK/MCI can be got for a price I just found of USD160.00 (on Delta) thus a total of USD877.00 so you're gambling a mere cost saving of USD154.00 whilst taking the risk that you're going to have to buy new tickets costing a hell of a lot more.
OZ I mean once you get there check with the airline that the return leg has not been cancelled for the 2 people who missed their flight. Personally I won't try this again as it is a risk as if you miss a flight the airline can cancel the rest of the legs. Can you not book the flights from starting from Ukraine, instead of the US? That way its not an issue to miss the return flight from the US. Surely it must be the same price if not cheaper.
Travel agencies in the FSU cater specifically to the people living in those countries, and it seems that they often offer cheaper rates that are only available to FSU travel agencies, possibly in recognition that local people don't have a lot of money. Perhaps you might find a corporate pricing strategy with a larger airline much like Lufthansa's "weflyhome.com". Which offers cut rates and a lot of one way tickets to FSU immigrants. You won't find these rates on orbitz or any other search engine like that. You can only get them by contacting a local tavel agent. Might be best if your lady contacts that agent speaking the local language (I know that strategy helps get hotel rates cheaper, as there are absoultey different schedules of rates for local people, people from other FSU countries and westerners. And innkeepers are not ashamed to admit it.) Couldn't hurt to try it here.
when i had to buy a ticket from borispil to london it was much cheaper than half of my previous return ticket (i missed my return! twice!) so this time i am just booking a one way ticket to borispil. strange it would be so much more expensive for you than a return? /pete
Jet
We have always found FSU fares via Travel Agencies there, way more costly than what we can organize from home.
I just remembered, when Lena made her 1st trip to NZ (which is 3 years ago tomorrow) she was on a "return" ticket as she came in on a "visitors visa" so needed return/outward showing on Visa.
As she stayed on and gained Residence Status - we applied for a refund on the return ticket and got back approx 25% of the price paid for that return Airfare !!!!!!
One of the nice things about this forum is the fact that there are people who know a lot about things like this - Martin for insance who'c had a career in the airline industry. Based on what they said I wouldn't rik buying a return ticket originating in the US either. Just never know what they will do with the tickets once they are regarded as no-shows.
That is correct Martin. The largest part of Kansas City is in Missouri and the airport is on the Missouri side.
I have checked into the returns and I think they would not work. The two problems with the one way tickets is synchronizing my return flight with their one way flight. If I book one way on Aerosvit to Mci it is a 28 hour flight with large layovers. It appears the best option I have seen so far is a return Jfk to Kiev,and a return Mci to Jfk which makes a baggage surcharge and then two one ways from Kiev to Jfk with two separate one ways jfk to Mci. I think I would not have a baggage surcharge going but would be maxed out on the way back. This would be around 400 dollars more than 3 returns counting baggage surcharges but would be 1400 dollars cheaper than 3 returns if they did not work.
Your prices are a little better than mine were Martin. It could be the dates but what site did you find the Aerosvit $717 on. I found $770 average factoring one passenger to be 11 years old which gave me most of 100 dollar discount or an average price of less 50. I penciled Nov 9 depart and Nov 18 return.
And she is going to check the one ways from that end also. From my end return flights booked from kiev are over $1000 and do not match anything I can find (Kiev- Mci & Mci- Kiev) but it was a good idea checking Ben.
Aerosvit appears to be the only viable line we can synchronize on.
Oz,
Well I just had a look on Aerosvit and a return JFK/KBP/JFK for yourself would be USD732.30
2 one-ways for them, coming back, would be USD717.00 less any child discount.
Now here is a suggestion, you all travel with Aerosvit and for arrival at JFK, you pre-book the 3 of you into a hotel for the night and then, at your leisure, you travel to MCI from JFK/LGA/EWR the next day, no 28 hour journey time!
That fare JFK/MCI on Delta, just to give me a rough guide, came from www.kelkoo.co.uk then click on 'Flights', it gave a price of GBP79.00 and by overnighting in JFK you can pick the best deal for the next day without having to hang around at an airport, you wouldn't need the first available flight but the cheapest flight!
How much would it cost to courier, 3 or 5 or whatever day delivery by surface or whatever transport, the excess weight from NYC to MCI?
I just called Delta and they told me I can buy a round trip ticket and just use the second half of it but I am going to call again when my dates are final before I buy and get an agent's name and number. Just in case I got a hold of a dumb agent.