Originally Posted by Viajero
Under this 'open' strategy, at what point can one book the flights? I mean, how early in the process? I guess I'm confused, because I don't understand how the issuer can worlk out what's a stopover, or connection, or valid city pair, or seasonal sector, etc., without dates.
Ticketing and reservations are independent. More often than not I have the reservations for the first segments of a OWE long before I even talk to someone about ticketing it. The airlines are getting pickier about having ticket numbers against reservations, but it is normally still possible to persuade them to hold the reservations until you are ready to ticket.
When you buy the ticket you simply tell the issuing office which points are transits and which are stopovers. The onus is then on the checking desk when you turn up for a segment which should be after a transit to confirm that you actually are in transit, and redirect you to the ticketing desk for reissue if you aren't.