Retirement - one way flight from UK, then returns from/to BKK?

[Craig krup]

If you have to come back to the UK fairly regularly - say once a year for a few weeks - there seems to be a bit of a problem buying a ticket from the UK with the return portion fifty weeks away. The online booking systems don't seem to like it, and they either won't quote or you get a poor price. If there's also a bit of variability as to when you might want to make your trip to the UK then you're screwed - changing dates is never cheap. So I'm guessing that the trick is to bite the bullet and pay a little bit extra for a one way flight to get you to Thailand, and then buy returns from/to BKK after that? That way you i) are only asking for a (say) fifty day gap in the UK, and ii) you look like a (probable) Thai resident, so my guess is that the ticketing algorithm thinks you have less money and more options than someone flying from the UK, so you get a better price.

No?

[JohnC]

No, it is more expensive to fly east to west than west to east! I tried to book a return flight UK/ Bangkok with return some eleven months later, none of the booking sites would go past the eight month period. I ended up buying a single flight to Bangkok then every year get a return Bangkok/UK

[Craig krup]

No, it is more expensive to fly east to west than west to east! I tried to book a return flight UK/ Bangkok with return some eleven months later, none of the booking sites would go past the eight month period. I ended up buying a single flight to Bangkok then every year get a return Bangkok/UK

Yeah, that's what I'm saying. Basically you need to get yourself to the East - once - to get started, and then get a return to the West once a year, or whatever. You basically need your "home" destination to be in Thailand, because if you plan to take a trip back to the UK every year, and never bite the bullet and take that single (generally more expensive) single flight to Thailand, then you are always struggling to get a return flight from the UK with a big enough gap between the two flights. It's just easier to pay (say) £350-£400 once for a single flight, and then get (say) £550 return flights from (and back to) Suvarnabhumi. I think!

[CNXBKKMAN]

Airlines are aware their booking systems only go 11 months into the future. Some airlines will let you book with the wrong return date which will be amended later when the seats are released, without the date change fee. Decent travel agents know which airlines will offer this. You need to speak to the agent or the airline to do this. Online won't work.

[KittenKong]

Airlines are aware their booking systems only go 11 months into the future. Some airlines will let you book with the wrong return date which will be amended later when the seats are released, without the date change fee. Decent travel agents know which airlines will offer this. You need to speak to the agent or the airline to do this. Online won't work.

Yes. BA will do this without the slightest problem if you call them direct to make your booking. Impossible online.