Please log in to reply 20 replies to this topic

[MrBrad]

Can anyone tell me how to get around having to buy a round-trip ticket from the USA?  I am wanting to retire in Thailand, but not necessarily wanting to return to the US every year.  

I intend to buy an "open date" return ticket this time (in January), but in future years what might I do?  One-way tickets are also quite expensive, right?  Do I buy a round-trip from the USA and throw away the return portion?  There must be an easy and economical way to sort this out.  Any ideas?

[Jingthing]

Often one way tickets cost the same or more than a RT! However, it is still often possible to get a better deal on a one way. I suggest trying bt-store.com  which is a very good consolidator.

[zzaa09]

Interesting, that they've become rather indifferent or even casual about the onward travel requirements. This has become a policy of the past....visa or entry stamp.

Edited by zzaa09, 2009-11-21 00:38:03.

[Jingthing]

zzaa09, on 2009-11-21 00:37:21, said:

Interesting, that they've become rather indifferent or even casual about the onward travel requirements. This has become a policy of the past....visa or entry stamp.

That isn't my impression at all. However if you show a visa in your passport you can usually board from the US on a one way ticket.

[zzaa09]

Jingthing, on 2009-11-21 01:45:16, said:

zzaa09, on 2009-11-21 00:37:21, said:

Interesting, that they've become rather indifferent or even casual about the onward travel requirements. This has become a policy of the past....visa or entry stamp.

That isn't my impression at all. However if you show a visa in your passport you can usually board from the US on a one way ticket.

Yes, as it's the respective airlines that play the authority figure, less a governmental role.

[rfukata]

zzaa09, on 2009-11-21 01:53:21, said:

Jingthing, on 2009-11-21 01:45:16, said:

zzaa09, on 2009-11-21 00:37:21, said:

Interesting, that they've become rather indifferent or even casual about the onward travel requirements. This has become a policy of the past....visa or entry stamp.

That isn't my impression at all. However if you show a visa in your passport you can usually board from the US on a one way ticket.

Yes, as it's the respective airlines that play the authority figure, less a governmental role.

(concur, the respective airlines' must take the responsibility in determination largely due to a 'FINE' imposed by the
countries the passenger is disembarking) if the passenger does not have the proper visa documentation.

[rfukata]

under normal ticketing practice from US a round trip restrictive fare will probably be the lowest fare to reach Thailand. (restrictive fares from US are set departure & return dates, and the validity is normally 3 month)

-on a one way ticket; there are usually no special/promotional fare. one way fares are considered premium fares by airlines so I would think twice before buying the ticket.

* here are some options; normally airlines such as China airlines (taiwan base), EWA airlines (taiwan base), Asiana & Korean airlines have special ticketing promotions that allow you to retain the return portion at least 6 month to one year and the pricing should be lower than of a one way ticket or buying from i.e. UA or NWA/Delta.
I would always keep the return portion at the latest validity date as something may come up and you may want to leave for some
particular reason. Or purchase a restrictive lowest fare round trip ticket and abandon the return leg.

[retiredusn]

Its simple ,,, just get your OA retirement visa issued in the States prior to your travel and your good to go one way..............and if you work it right by crossing the border at the end of the first year your get a additional year. Just remember to get a multi or single entre stamp.

[thaiphoon]

You would need multiple entry Non O-A visa to get second year permission to stay.

Alternative option, if can meet financial requirements, is to obtain single entry Non-O visa in US and then apply for extension of stay based on retirement at immigration in Thailand.  Financial requirements being 800k in Thai bank for 2 months prior to application (3 months for renewal) OR 65k income/month OR combination of the two totalling 800k. No police report or medical certificate required (but is required if applying for Non O-A visa in home country).

[jazzbo]

Personally, I just wait until I want to spend 3-5 weeks in USA and then buy the round-trip (return) originating at BKK i.e. BKK-LAX-BKK. It makes booking much easier as there is no long period between flights. So that means for Kuhn MrBrad to buy a one-way on the first trip over and then buy any subsequent round-trips originating in LOS.

If no non-Imm visa on the first trip, then buy an exiting-LOS within 30 days of arrival ticket BKK to SINgapore or such so that they do not deny boarding in the USA which they WILL in fact do otherwise.

[lopburi3]

1.  No onward or return ticket is required for travel to Thailand for US passport holders if holding any visa for Thailand - that is clearly stated in the IATA database for airlines so should not be a problem.

2.  If coming to retire most Consulates in US will require you obtain an OA visa, which includes medical and police check.  This can be useful if the multi entry type but LA, and perhaps others, will only issue single entry.  I would not advise paying the extra costs for that, unless it is important to keep money in US for some reason.

3.  If you plan to transfer funds or have pension means to meet financials I would just get a normal tourist visa.  That can later be converted to a non immigrant entry and extended on a yearly basis.  And if you change your mind you can just leave with very little loss.

[Langsuan Man]

On the other hand The Thai New York Consulate would only issue me a multiple entry O-A, despite my plea for a single entry

((off site image removed as locks up Chrome browser and not required for post - lopburi3))

[MrBrad]

Thanks for the input.  My original question was less to do with visas and more about the air ticket.  I'm wanting to know how others have gotten to the point where you no longer care about a return ticket to your country of origin.  Now that you're in Thailand full-time you buy round-trip tickets based in Thailand.  

Jazzbo seems to have the answer.  In other words, the first trip into Thailand for retirement will most likely either be an expensive one-way ticket, or a wasteful round-trip because of not using the return portion.  Any other ideas along these lines?  Thanks.

[mahtin]

Not all one-way tickets are expensive.
I recently bought a single Munich to Bangkok direct for €344 all-in with Air Berlin.
Plus a little extra to reserve an aisle seat so I can stretch my legs.
Will be getting a single entry non-imm O visa to retire, as no intention of returning and no immediate plans for other travel.

[Jingthing]

OK, on bt-store.com I found a one way ticket in January MSP - BKK for 739 dollars on ANA and United Airlines. Forget the airline sites, use a consolidator like bt-store to get a well priced ONE WAY ticket. Problem solved. The RT price on this site is over 1200 so that's not a bad price (both are discounted).

Another tip -- try to price a one way ticket on Korean Air from ATL to BKK. I think Korean air prices one way tickets well, but you would have to get to Atlanta. Most airlines from the US price their one way tickets to BKK the same or more than a RT, but Korean may be an exception.

The real long term problem for American expats in Thailand who want to visit the US sometimes is the outrageous pricing on BKK based RT flights back to the US. The prices seem to ALWAYS be much higher than going in the other direction!

Edited by Jingthing, 2009-11-21 23:20:37.

[jazzbo]

Maybe so JT. But the constraining factor is that a round trip (Return UK Parlance) ticket is only good for one year from DATE OF PURCHASE; not date of first flight... so if you want to at all plan ahead, that does not leave a whole lot of interval between flights. And it all depends where in USA that you are located.

Note that, at least on United Mileage Plus Award (free) travel is almost impossible BKK-USA-BKK

[JusMe]

Another Korean airline (my preferred one) shows some promotional prices.  You'd have to get to New York, and then maybe abandon the return portion, but still could be a good deal.


Asiana Special prices from New York to Bangkok:

From New York:
To Bangkok
Cabin   Economy
Class

Fare   421
From

Departure  2009-11-03
Start Date

Departure  2010-03-31
End Date          

Maximum  2 Months*
Stay                                   

http://us.flyasiana....p;fid=NEWS12000


[edited for formatting]

Edited by JusMe, 2009-11-22 11:26:20.

[jfchandler]

I've tried doing this both ways, since I relocated to live in BKK... My travel practice since then has been to make twice yearly trips back to the U.S., usually June and December (for Christmas).

In the beginning, I was doing the LAX-BKK-LAX tickets. But it got to be a challenge sometimes to find a reasonably priced 6 month return ticket. The more common and lower priced ones were 3 months. And sometimes, the timing of my travel would stretch a bit over the 6 months, meaning I'd need to look for the 1 year return tickets.

So last year, I switched to doing BKK-LAX-BKK roundtrips. That way, my departing and returning dates are just a week or two apart, meaning I can look for the normal 3 month return tickets. Thus far, for my bookings thru EVA and their Hot Fares section on their web site, I haven't found any big difference in prices based on my travel originating in BKK vs. LAX.

I just purchased a RT ticket BKK-LAX-BKK for Christmas, leaving here just before and returning just after New Year, for $1,100 all inclusive for regular economy. Christmas always tends to be a bit higher because of the travel demand during that period, whereas the June trips usually are a bit lower.

Just to see out of curiousity, I tried JTs suggestion of the Best Travel Store today, and priced my trip going in the opposite direction, leaving LAX for BKK before Christmas and returning to LAX just after New Year. And the best price they had to offer was about $1,300, $200 higher than the price I got direct from EVA.

And, similarly, I priced the Best Travel Store for the same trip matching my own actual travel, BKK-LAX-BKK leaving before Christmas and returning just after New Year. And their best price was almost identical but slightly less, $1,280 all inclusive on Philippine Airlines. And still almost $200 higher than EVA's direct price.

So based on those kinds of comparisons, I'm not seeing any big cost increase for BKK-based travel to the U.S., versus tickets that originate at LAX.

To do a one way ticket on EVA, their pricing usually seems to be about 60-70% of the RT ticket.

Jingthing, on 2009-11-21 23:03:42, said:

OK, on bt-store.com I found a one way ticket in January MSP - BKK for 739 dollars on ANA and United Airlines. Forget the airline sites, use a consolidator like bt-store to get a well priced ONE WAY ticket. Problem solved. The RT price on this site is over 1200 so that's not a bad price (both are discounted).

Another tip -- try to price a one way ticket on Korean Air from ATL to BKK. I think Korean air prices one way tickets well, but you would have to get to Atlanta. Most airlines from the US price their one way tickets to BKK the same or more than a RT, but Korean may be an exception.

The real long term problem for American expats in Thailand who want to visit the US sometimes is the outrageous pricing on BKK based RT flights back to the US. The prices seem to ALWAYS be much higher than going in the other direction!

Edited by jfchandler, 2009-11-22 12:52:13.

[Jingthing]

OK, it depends on your US destination and choice of airlines.

[luvthailand]

I have never had trouble getting good prices on 1-way flights (normally to/from LAX), although I am always flexible in departure date and airline.   I never know when (or even from where) I am returning, and so it is cheaper than paying a change fee or returning to a certain location, and a lot easier.

In fact, this month was the first time I have ever used a round trip ticket to fly the trans-pacific route, LAX to Manila.  I got one of those EVA round trip 1 year flexible departures for $987.   The longer away the return is, the more you pay.  I think the price went up about $100 to go from 3 months to 6 months and another $100 to 1 year, but I paid the premium.  The longer you are staying, the more incentive to buy a one way ticket because the price difference decreases rapidly.

The Houston Thai consulate office in the USA required a round trip ticket itinerary to/from Thailand for a tourist visa this year, the first time they required this, I believe.

LuvThailand

[zzaa09]

Jingthing, on 2009-11-22 00:03:42, said:

OK, on bt-store.com I found a one way ticket in January MSP - BKK for 739 dollars on ANA and United Airlines. Forget the airline sites, use a consolidator like bt-store to get a well priced ONE WAY ticket. Problem solved. The RT price on this site is over 1200 so that's not a bad price (both are discounted).

Another tip -- try to price a one way ticket on Korean Air from ATL to BKK. I think Korean air prices one way tickets well, but you would have to get to Atlanta. Most airlines from the US price their one way tickets to BKK the same or more than a RT, but Korean may be an exception.

The real long term problem for American expats in Thailand who want to visit the US sometimes is the outrageous pricing on BKK based RT flights back to the US. The prices seem to ALWAYS be much higher than going in the other direction!

If you're are situated in the states already, one might find it useful to read the Sunday edition of the San Francisco Chronicle Travel section, whereas a number of 'Asian' discounters and consolidators can be found, easily selling OW air tickets as is: half of your normal RT ticket.