BA First one-way ticket more than twice the cost of return ticket?

[Lost Redditor]

What explains this?
One-way LHR-JFK

Return

 

[SYD]

Is the return fully flexible or a Sale/non-refundable fare? The one ways often price as fully refundable.

 

[Lost Redditor]

hmm just checked again and I think

Is the return fully flexible or a Sale/non-refundable fare? The one ways often price as fully refundable.

Just checked and I see that the return flight was class A instead of F, outbound was F class fully flexible. But that makes the outbound journey still fully flexible. So you get a full flex F ticket for under half the price if you purchase a A class return and just cancel/noshow return flight?

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Not uncommon. Why? Who knows? You could buy it an no show for the return.

Another trick some use is to combine J or F one way with a cheap discount economy the other, thereby getting the benefits of the reduced ‘round trip’ fare basis. Doesn’t work with all airlines, but for some bloggers would buy Lufthansa F one way, combined with a discount economy the other, which worked out cheaper than roundtrip F (still throwing away the return in Y). Air france was the same. dunno if still applies now post covid.

 

[Lost Redditor]

Bizarre, encouraging no-show make for difficult planning

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Bizarre, encouraging no-show make for difficult planning

This way they have your money for the return AND can resell the seat or use it for upgrades on the day of departure

Some airlines can take a dim view of this, so best not to make a habit of it. a one-off is unlikely to attract attention.