is this normal, ridiculously expensive price for one way compared to return trip?

bada_bing

hi ,
i was thinking of making plans to go to the US and then go to Montreal from the US and then back home from Montreal.

When i checked for one way flight from Montreal to London with Air Canada , i got the following price €1101 for Apr 1 19:50. However if you book a round trip from london to Montreal, that very same flight at 19:50 is only €293 and the total cost of the round trip is €653.

How does this make sense at all? in fact it puts me off the idea of going over there. Is this normal practice, punish people for booking a one way trip??

useless

I have no understanding whatsoever of airline pricing. It's supposedly hideously complicated.

Just try pricing it as 3 individual flights. (Ireland to US, US to Montreal and Montreal to Ireland). IF the one way price for each is huge, then price them as outbound on the date you want to travel, and inbound on some other random date in the future when the cost is cheap.

I do this all the time when Im travelling for work in Europe. One way on Air France or Lufthansa anywhere in Europe is often €1000 or more. But if I book it as a return flight, with the return leg some time in the future, the cost often comes in around €350. No idea why.
Even if the flights are non refundable you should be able to get a refund of the taxes paid on the unused flight, which brings your overall cost down a little more.

steve-o

If you book your entire trip as one journey it will be priced as a return trip and you should get a decent price. If you still can't find a good deal, look for Ireland-US and Montreal-Ireland on one ticket and look separately for US-Montreal.

Many people who need to book a one-way will book a return but throw away the return leg. It's technically against the airline's terms and conditions, but airlines only pursue it if the person is a frequent flyer who repeatedly does it.

The airlines have good reasons for charging more for one-way and non-stop trips: it's all about making as much money as possible from each type of customer.

BuffyBot

One ways are generally more expensive than returns.

What you need is not two ways, but an "open-jaw" booming which allows you to fly A to B, make your own way to C than back to A.

You'll need to look at airline websites with a "multi-city" option, or try phoning them (phone agents can often construct itineraries the websites cannot)

keithclancy

Work out your routing with this:
http://matrix.itasoftware.com/

bada_bing

thanks for the tip, seems like multi city option with an airline is a way to avoid excessive one way flight prices.

that matrix software thing is brilliant, it gave me an itinerary for dub - orl - yul - dub at a total price of just over €700 which is way below the original one way flight from montreal to london!!!!