First, What Is Meant by Round-Trip Tickets or Flights?

Before we delve into the question of which can be more economical, purchasing a round-trip or two one-way tickets for the same trip, let’s just make sure we’re all on the same page by defining our terms.  As you probably know, a round-trip airline ticket or round-trip flight lets you to travel from one location like Miami to another place like Boston and to return.  The details of both flights are on the same airline ticket. A round-trip flight is when you travel by plane on a round-trip ticket.

A round-trip ticket is also known as a “circle ticket” or a “return air ticket” because you depart from your original location which is “A,” and travel to your destination where you may stay for a few days or more which is “B.” Your return flight takes you back to “A” where you began, thus completing the circle. Also known as “return air tickets,” round-trip tickets are flights from and back to the same location of origin.

A one-way ticket, on the other hand, only allows you to fly to your destination, not back from it.

Round-Trip Tickets Vs. One-Way Tickets

A study by ARC (Airlines Reporting Corporation), provider of world-wide support services for the travel industry, revealed that 23,703,696 airline tickets were booked by US-based travel agencies and online travel agencies by June 2018. Most of those tickets were round-trip tickets.

The study also reported though that one-way airline tickets are gaining in popularity and attributes the growth to “leisure and unmanaged travelers.” This travel segment is buying one-way tickets now because they have become cheaper relative to the premium prices that were usually charged for them in years passed.

Airline Competition Reduces One-Way Fares

Thanks to the domestic discount airlines and travel booking sites which have entered the rates competition, thrifty travelers can now find reasonably priced one-way tickets. Even though the big airlines still charge round-trip prices (or more) for one-way tickets on many international routes, they, too, have become more competitive for domestic one-way fares.  

Lower one-way ticket prices are not consistent across the board.  Though one-third of American airline markets have witnessed a significant 25 percent decrease in the cost of one-way travel, some regions continue to have higher one-way ticket premiums.

One-way flights are often bought by business travelers who tend to combine trips (and whose corporate travel departments usually pay full price for the tickets).

Changing A Return Flight Can Be More Expensive

Return flight airline tickets can be quite expensive to change, with penalty fees ranging from $0 to $400. Domestic flights charge about $200.  If, however, you are able to buy two low-priced, one-way tickets for the same trip, you can just not use the ticket that you want to change and purchase another one it’ll still be cheaper than if you had to change the round-trip ticket.

And changing a return flight ticket can be more expensive than changing a one way ticket because the total penalty that you’re charged is based upon the total cost of the ticket.

Do Your Homework to Find the Best Airfare Deals

For a long time, travel professionals recommended booking plane tickets on Tuesday, because that was the day of the week airlines released their cheapest fares. That’s no longer true. Now it’s not just the day of the week but the number of days before your trip that should dictate when you make your reservations.

Booking flights is most popular on weekends, but Sunday can be the most expensive day. Booking seven weeks in advance is ideal for leisure travelers.

Minimize the frustration of airfare shopping by browsing the best flight search engines on the market such as CheapOair to ensure the lowest rates and best deals on both one-way tickets and round-trip tickets.