Originally Posted by
mary_228
I thought maybe there was a particular open return type of ticket. She'll be starting the term in the off season but returning in May, so I'm sure those one way $300 fares will be much higher.
Not really. May is not high season and one-way fares from DUB to ORD are reasonable (say more like $350 than $300). If you want to lock-in a cheap fare at this stage, you can already buy a return ticket (with a return in May) for circa $650 to $700. Not fully flexible but with change fees typically around the $40/$50 mark.
A fully flex ticket would be much more expensive.
My guess would be that a frequent flyer award ticket is likely to be more restrictive, possibly in the conditions, but even more so in terms of availability in the right booking class as you get closer to the date.