Flights without departure date. What is an open date ticket? And how to buy it? What does the concept of "open date" of departure mean?

What does an open-ended round trip flight ticket mean?

If you do not know exactly when you will be returning, then it is better to buy a ticket with an open return date. An open date assumes that for a certain time (usually 3 months or more) you have the right to go with such a ticket to any airline ticket agency or call the airline and book a seat for the date you need. At the same time, no additional payments will be taken from you, except that purely symbolic 1-2 dollars, but nothing more.
Open date tickets are generally more expensive than fixed date tickets.
But even a ticket with an open date in 2 directions is usually cheaper than a separate one-way ticket "there" and a one-way ticket "back".
Book round-trip tickets and don't bother buying in advance! Read carefully on the consulate's website information about the required documents - everywhere they write that "booking or tickets" must be provided. I, too, foolishly bought tickets for the first time, received visas for myself and the child, but, due to circumstances, did not go. I removed the departure dates from the tickets (where I bought them), and they remained valid for a year. that is, with open dates. Then I decided to go, called the airline's representative office in Moscow and set new departure dates, but for this I had to pay 50 euros for my round-trip ticket. The son did not go, the ticket was lost.
an open date ticket means that you can fly not on a predetermined day, but on demand. this tariff is one of the most expensive.
Try to get a ticket for Aeroflot flights. If you are not given a visa, you can surrender it without financial loss.
first they get a visa and then they decide when to fly. something lied to you. the ticket, you can only return the airline, all the same, the fine takes $ 50. how do you buy a ticket if you don't have a visa? some kind of nonsense, I would doubt
Each country entering the Schengen area has its own rules for issuing visas. Finland is generally the most loyal to the residents of the Northwest. Norway "does not ask any questions at all" to the residents of the Murmansk region.
Both of these countries are not interested in tickets at all.
P.S. I have a 5-year Norwegian Schengen.
departure date is not specified, that is, when you want, then you will fly
This means that you fly to the opposite end earlier than to your original destination.
This means the date is not due to the PSS; in other words, you specify the date yourself
At 2 ends))))) there and back
You set the departure date yourself.
Very comfortably.
no one will issue a visa without tickets, this time, and secondly, tickets with an open date are 100% refusal of a visa to the Schengen countries.

It often happens that a trip or a business trip does not have clear terms, that is, it can stretch for two or three weeks, or even for several months. In this case, it is simply unsafe to immediately take a return ticket, because if you cannot fly on the scheduled day, then the money will simply be wasted. But if there is no return ticket and it suddenly turns out that you need to leave in a couple of days, and the airline will not be able to guarantee the availability of free seats by this date?

All these points need to be thought out in advance and find the best option that will allow you to save money and return home when it is convenient.

Open date air ticket

The same "golden mean" is a ticket with an open date. What is this anyway? This is a round trip ticket, where the return date is not fixed - the passenger can choose it at his own discretion. Such a ticket, in addition to its main advantage, is also cheaper than two one-way tickets.

How to use such a ticket? To do this, it will be enough, having already decided on the date of departure, contact the airline where this ticket was ordered, and indicate the desired return date. This can be done either by simply calling the phone, or by arriving directly at the office.

An important point: it is better to inform about your plans and set the selected date no later than 2-3 days before departure. Otherwise, by this time you may simply not be able to find free seats on the plane.

Buying a ticket with an open date: where and how?

The main difficulty when ordering such a ticket is that you cannot buy them in any airline that comes across. Most often, people meet with the fact that they simply answer: "This is not practiced now" and advise to buy a round-trip ticket, and then, taking into account a considerable fine, change the date to the desired one. In fact, you can order such tickets, of course, but you have to look.

Here are the airlines that provide open date tickets:

Belavia;
Aeroflot;
UTair;
Transaero.

In order to buy such a ticket, you need to come to the office of any of these airlines, since, unfortunately, it is not yet possible to purchase them online.

The site makes the search for all airlines that provide tickets with an open date even more convenient. Here every resident will find the right company, its address, contact numbers and website.

Nuances to be aware of when ordering a ticket with an open date

Buying open-ended tickets requires some, albeit purely symbolic, knowledge. This will help to avoid some difficulties in the future and the loss of unnecessary funds.

First, an open date ticket is valid for a period from 1 to 12 months - each airline sets its own rules in this direction. Therefore, it is necessary to determine the date of the return flight during this period.

Secondly, boarding on the selected flight will be possible only if there are free seats. What if there are no seats? Usually the airline finds a way out of such situations by offering seats on the next flight. If this option does not suit you, then the validity period of the ticket will increase, and you will have the opportunity to choose a suitable flight.

Thirdly, be sure to calculate whether buying a ticket with an open date will be profitable for you:

it should be cheaper than two one-way tickets;
and cheaper than one round-trip ticket, subject to the penalty for changing the date.

And the last thing: not all countries can take tickets with an open date. To visit them, you need to book a round-trip ticket, and then, having paid a fine, change the date.

How do I buy an open date plane ticket? What does it mean?

An open date ticket is a ticket purchased for a specific flight of a specific airline, it does not indicate the arrival date, but you know the exact date of departure. The passenger can later independently choose the date of the flight. Usually a ticket with an open date has a time frame: it can be issued for a period of 3 months, six months and a year.

When is it worth buying a ticket with an open date?

When the cost of two separate one-way tickets is higher.
When the cost of a round-trip air ticket, with the possibility of changing the date (taking into account the penalty for such a change), is higher than the cost of a ticket with an open date.

Please note that you must have a valid return ticket with a fixed date to enter some countries. In this case, you will have to buy a round-trip ticket with the option to change the date.

Price

Tickets without dates tend to be more expensive than tickets with a fixed day of arrival. Although it is more expensive than a round-trip ticket, in most cases it is much cheaper than two one-way tickets.

How to buy a ticket with an open date?

It is not possible to buy a ticket with an open date online. Such a ticket can only be bought at the offices of the airline itself. Moreover, not all air carriers and not all destinations sell such tickets. Among domestic airlines, Aeroflot, Transaero and Utair practice this service.

Having such a ticket on hand, and having decided on the departure date, you will need to call the airline, preferably at least a few days in advance, and express your desire to fly on that day. The airline has the right to refuse you if there are no vacant seats and offer a different departure date. If the airline does not satisfy your wishes, then the ticket period is increased. For example, if your ticket expires on May 15, and you have expressed a desire to fly on 10, but there are no seats on that date, and the airline offered to fly on May 25, then you should not worry, the ticket will be valid until the date suggested by the airline.

Features of seat reservation

An open date means that as soon as you decide on the date of your return, you need to contact the airlines (visit the office or by phone) and inform the planned departure date. It is advisable to do this no later than 2-3 days before departure. A seat on a flight on a ticket with an open date of departure is booked in accordance with the availability of seats on this flight and in this booking class. There is no additional charge for this, unless the selected flight has no seats in the class indicated on your ticket. In this case, you will need to pay an additional fee for the more expensive class.

Air tickets with an open date

Going on a trip, you need to think through everything to the smallest detail. First of all, you need to decide where you will go, then choose the most competent airline, focusing on the reviews of experienced customers, manage to book an air ticket at the lowest price, get ready for the trip and arrive at the airport at the appointed time to go through the necessary pre-flight procedures. And now everything has been successfully completed, you are on the plane, fly to the designated point, spend some time there and suddenly realize that you urgently need to fly back, but the departure date on the return ticket is clearly indicated, and you have to arrive at the destination before the appointed one term.

What to do in this situation

I had to buy a ticket with an open date. What is it? Let's figure it out. If you want to save money on your trip, you can take advantage of the ideal offer of any airline and purchase round-trip air tickets on the most favorable terms. Most airlines set a discount on double tickets, called round-trip tickets. This is a small bonus for passengers. Such tickets are mutually beneficial not only for passengers, but also for airlines.

A short weekend, a vacation with friends or a business trip in another city or even in another country, we can always clearly plan and take into account all the little things up to the date of return, especially if all sorts of incidents seem to be excluded and the trip should take place anyway. However, it may happen that the return is expected, but its exact date is not determined, or it is necessary to fly out earlier than the scheduled date.

To avoid problems in such a situation, it is recommended to purchase a ticket with an open rather than a fixed departure date. The cost of such a ticket will be much higher than the analogue, in which the return date is clearly fixed, however, this option is much easier and more profitable than a separately purchased return ticket, especially in emergency situations.

What does the concept of "open date" of departure mean?

An open date should be understood as a unique opportunity for a passenger, for a considerable period of time, which is limited to three months, to individually determine the length of stay in a particular city or country and independently choose the date of return. Consequently, an open date air ticket allows the passenger to freely dispose of their time during the trip.

If a passenger has purchased an air ticket with a non-fixed date of return flight, then after the dates of return are determined, he has the right to come to the office where tickets of the airline of his choice are sold or even call there and make an order for a seat for the required number.

For such an order, additional fees are usually not charged, however, there may be exceptions in the form of surcharges, the amount of which does not exceed one or two dollars, which is not such a big cost. In any case, wishing to save money, it is most profitable to buy two tickets at once.

Air tickets with an open date can be issued for a specific period. Usually it is 3 months, half a year or a year. After issuing a ticket with an open date, you are given the opportunity to book a seat on the most convenient flight for you on any day. Naturally, the only condition is the availability of free seats for the class you paid for. If there are no seats on the selected flight of the corresponding class, you can use more expensive seats and pay the difference.

Where to buy a ticket with an open date

The validity of a ticket with an open date begins immediately after entering the flight number and the date of departure. Before buying a ticket with an open date, you need to study the rules of arrival in the country you are interested in, since in some countries they require you to present a ticket with a fixed date of departure, which is why you may simply not be allowed there. Enjoy your travels!

To buy a ticket - go to the main page of the site, indicate the city of departure and destination, date and click search.