One-Way Vs. Roundtrip Flights: Which Should You Book?

Reader Preston asked a question that I think is worth addressing in a post. Specifically, it’s about deciding whether to book an itinerary as a one-way or a roundtrip, and how the pricing can vary. When is it cheaper to book a roundtrip rather than two one-ways, and what are the pros and cons of doing so?

Pricing of one-way vs. roundtrip itineraries

How does pricing compare for one-way flight itineraries vs. roundtrip flight itineraries? Let me start by defining those (hopefully very basic) terms:

• A one-way flight itinerary is when you’re traveling between two points, regardless of whether you’re flying nonstop or are connecting
• A roundtrip flight itinerary is when you’re traveling from one point to another, and then eventually return to your origin

Back in the day, roundtrip tickets were almost always cheaper than two one-way tickets. That’s because airlines used to have a Saturday night minimum stay to get the cheapest price on a vast majority of fares, as a way of price discriminating (so that they could get as much revenue as possible from less price sensitive business travelers, since they want to be home on the weekend).

However, the competitive landscape has changed over the years, in particular thanks to ultra low cost carriers. So where do things stand now? In a vast majority of situations, a roundtrip ticket won’t cost you more than two one-way tickets. However, it’s absolutely common that two one-ways can cost you more than a roundtrip.

Here’s what I generally notice regarding one-way vs. roundtrip flight pricing:

• Within the United States, domestic flight pricing is almost always one-way, so you’ll pay the same whether you’re booking an itinerary as a roundtrip or as two one-ways; I have seen very limited situations where airlines have better pricing for roundtrips, but it’s the exception rather than the norm
• Internationally, and for many domestic markets outside the United States, it’s common for itineraries to be cheaper if you book them as roundtrips rather than as one-ways; that’s not always the case (especially in competitive short haul markets), but it often is

Why is it common for roundtrips to be cheaper than two one-ways in international markets? There are several factors:

• Airlines charge vastly different fares depending on where you originate, based on the price sensitivity of a market; for example, a New York to Cairo ticket will almost always be more expensive than a Cairo to New York ticket
• There’s just generally a lot more price discrimination that takes place on international itineraries, to better segment the market; this is especially true in premium cabins
• International markets are largely dominated by some very powerful joint ventures, so aren’t as competitive as many domestic markets, where ultra low cost carriers can gobble up market share

Fortunately, nowadays consumers are really empowered when it comes to comparing flight pricing, thanks to tools like Google Flights. This makes it easy to compare one-way vs. roundtrip pricing in a heartbeat.

Benefits of one-way vs. roundtrip itineraries

Assuming two one-way itineraries cost the same as one roundtrip itinerary, which should you book? There are some factors to consider:

• If you’re not 100% committed to your plans in terms of taking both the outbound and return flights, you have a lot more flexibility if you book two one-ways, since you can more easily make changes to one direction of travel that way
• Fortunately many airlines no longer have change fees on most fares, but for those airlines that do, sometimes a change fee might apply per ticket rather than per direction of travel, in which case there’s a benefit to being on a single roundtrip, if you do need to make changes
• Some airlines just don’t allow changes to tickets, in which case there’s a benefit to booking two one-ways, because your return itinerary would be canceled if you skip your outbound flights

My approach to booking one-way vs. roundtrip itineraries

Let me share how I approach the decision of whether to book one-way or roundtrip itineraries. I always compare the cost of the two, but for these purposes, let’s assume that the roundtrip costs as much as two one-ways. If that’s the case, I’ll almost always book my travel as two one-ways, to give me additional flexibility to make changes.

However, I also try to be strategic, and take advantage of roundtrip pricing on international itineraries. For example, there are some markets that are known for having incredibly attractive premium cabin fares. This includes many places in Northern Europe, Northern Africa, Southeast Asia, etc. There’s huge value to strategically planning itineraries to originate in those cities.

For example, want to fly from Casablanca to New York in Lufthansa business class? The cheapest roundtrip fare is just over $2,000.

Meanwhile do you want to fly from New York to Casablanca in Lufthansa business class? The cheapest roundtrip fare is nearly twice as much.

That’s not even an extreme example, as I’ve seen much bigger differences based on the “direction” in which you’re traveling. The point is, I often position myself out of less expensive markets to take advantage of good roundtrip fares, even if the one-way fare is attractive. After all, I’ll never find that good of a fare departing from the United States.

Bottom line

It can sometimes be hard to make sense of the difference between one-way vs. roundtrip flight pricing. In some markets (including most domestic US markets), two one-ways cost the same as a roundtrip. Meanwhile in other markets (including most long haul international markets), booking a roundtrip is much cheaper.

When pricing is the same, I generally prefer the flexibility of booking one-ways, as it makes it easier to change just parts of the itinerary, especially on tickets that can’t otherwise be changed.

How do you decide whether to book one-way or roundtrip itineraries?