pps197

I would like to get some advice on the following:

My son is going to be flying to Canada (Calgary) in December and staying for around 4 months. At this point, he would ideally want some flexibility on the exact return date.

So - is it better to try to choose a plausible return date and book a return ticket -- paying to change it (or worst case buying a new flight) if the date has to change.

Or is it better to accept that the dates are uncertain and buy a 1-way now, and a return ticket nearer the time.

At this point the ticket would be cash or Avios -- does that alter the decision much ?

Are there any otehr strategies to consider ? He'd be able to have some fleixbility on both outwards and return legs.

Thanks in advance for your help!

corporate-wage-slave

If you can have 4 weeks notice on the departure gate you can fairly safely do this with Avios, since as Gold Priority Reward, using double Avios, you are more or less guaranteed a return slot. It may work out a bit pricey since I guess this would be two singles rather than a return.

One thing to note that on revenue tickets there is sometimes an ability to change the return - after you have flown the outbound - at historic prices. This means if you are booked in a particular middle ranking fare bucket, and you are able to find that fare bucket available on the desired departure date, then the change cost could be quite modest. If, on the other hand you book in a low cost bucket and there simply is only full fare tickets available, well I guess you don't lose out but it still won't be cheap.

Just be really careful about how you book, and keep screen shots before you move on to payment details. If you're not that experienced in this area then by all means revert back here with specifics for the experts to check.

pps197

A couple of details that may be relevant: firstly, this would be an economy (or perhaps premium economy) booking. And - unfortunately - I have just slipped down from Gold so I can't take advantage of the specific Gold reward stuff.

corporate-wage-slave

In which case I doubt Avios is going to be a good idea unfortunately. Just play about with the "lowest fare" and "flexible" drop downs on BA.com, also if you go for lowest fare usually the fare pricer will say how much it will cost to add additional flexibility.

orbitmic

Actually, the advantage of Avios is that a one way booking is just half the price of a return so that might still be very sensible. By contrast, for cash tickets, a one way would be so outrageously expensive that it would almost never be worth it.

I think that if your son can have a date which he thinks is at least 50% likely, then cash ticket and risk of change fee might be good. However, otherwise, one way avios might be fine (though the issue is that taxes and surcharges on the way back can be a lot more expensive I believe or is it only form the US?)

Cymro

How soon are you likely to know your exact return date?

Is it a question of: I need to book something now so I'm not forced into a last-minute booking for my outbound, but will know soon after I leave when I'm returning?

Or is it more a case of "I have to complete this amount of work, I think it'll take me 80 working days but it could be more like 83 or 95 and I won't know until day 78?"

ahmetdouas

Fly low cost as they don't penalize you for booking a one way like BA does. Westjet 1 stopover out of LGW costs 280 EUR one way. Just checked it on google flights. Have a look!

It is probably my favorite perk of a low-cost airline, they do not bankrupt you for daring to book a one-way ticket!
To be fair, BA usually doesn't bankrupt you on short haul one way's, but one long haul one way they do! I think this will change at some point in the future!

UKtravelbear

Idealy he would have some evidence of a return flight and date being booked before he landed to give some comfort to the immegration officer that he will be returing to the UK.

A one way is not a bar to entry but a return will make entry smoother.

Make sure the return date is within the entry requirements for Canada so if a tourist visa is generally 6 months the return needs to be dated within 6 months of arrival for example.

AC*SE

Document his intentions carefully. December is prime arrival time for young people looking to work under the table in ski resorts around Calgary and Whistler--immigration officers will pay extra attention to young people travelling alone without return travel arrangements and funds to support themselves without working.

Unless, of course, he's a dual citizen, in which case there's no obstacle (other than the requirement to have a Canadian passport to seek admission).

FlyerTalker7654

Why not fly Norwegian from Gatwick to LA or Oakland and take a short hop up to Vancouver? You will be able to book a one way and have all the flexibility you need. Won't be expensive either.

TemboOne

Judging by the OP's initial post it sounds like the son is a young lad who may be better off by avoiding unnecessary transit via the US and the complications that can be involved.

Actually if a return date can be finalised the most economical return fare is around 492 UK pounds, by Lufthansa LCY-FRA and then FRA-YYC direct on AC's 787. Sample dates used were first week in December and April.

Just a thought!

Having flown AC's 787 YYZ-HND I'll go out of my way to ride it before anything else!

Jagboi

Were you in Y? The seats back there are very narrow, I find them quite uncomfortable on a 9 hour flight.

Instead of going through the US (and YYC-LAX is roughly a 3 hour flight) the low cost options I would look at are Westjet, as mentioned, or one of the charters, like Transat. Book a premium cabin on Transat and it's not bad.

Other option is Iceland Air to Edmonton and catch the Red Arrow bus to Calgary

reclusive46

I live in Calgary. BA pretty much always release award avaibility in economy and often PE around 4 or 5 days before the flight.

Also WestJet often have cheap one way tickets back from Calgary with short notice. Circa Ł250 price.

Make sure has a return booked before he gets to immigration in Canada as they'll probably ask for it if he's staying 4 months. You can always cancel it once he lands. (Any flexible ticket back will do for immigration purposes). While CBSA are fairly friendly, they'll definitely interrogate a young person going for 4 months (unless he's Canadian).

BenSenise

In my experience, the airlines themselves check for return flights at the departure airport. My most recent experience was a few weeks ago on a GVA-YUL flight. If you cannot prove your right to reside there or your departure from Canada within the allowed time, you will be denied boarding.

reclusive46

It very much seems to vary by airline. When my partner was on a Canadian work permit. No one at BA ever asked about a return ticket (or saw the WP). Delta were the only airline that seemed to be anal about it.

Ive never been asked about one ways to the US on my Canadian passport either, but then I'm not even sure timatic wants a return (given Canadians may have J, F or TN status without any visa stamp in the passport)