open ended tickets

[kayleighpate]

i wih to go to new york in march for possibly 6months but i am not sure i know the date i want to leave but not when i want to come back, i do not mind what airport i travel from in the UK however the further north the better. i would like advice on the cheapest way to travel? is an open ended ticket a good idea? i am not having much luck investigating it through the internet.

[jno]

I'm not sure about this but it is possible the Americans will want to see a return ticket (for fear you may overstay your visa). The cheapest airfares will generally be from one of the London airports, sometimes with airlines like Air India that you wouldn't normally think of, but try Trailfinders or some other specialist in case there are any special offers going.

[Buenchico]

(2-part post):

Jno mentions that the US authorities might require a return ticket. They may do, depending upon whether you've got a visa or not.

If you'll be travelling under the Visa Waiver Program (by applying for an ESTA, online, at least 72 hours prior to travel) you must have a return ticket. Otherwise you'll be refused entry (or, more likely, the airline won't permit you to fly):
http://www.usembassy.org.uk/cons_new/visa/niv/ vwp3.html

If you've got a visa, you do not require a return ticket:
http://www.usembassy.org.uk/cons_new/faqs/faq_ visa_niv.html#niv070

Open-dated return tickets usually cost far more than the cheapest fixed-date tickets. It might be better to buy two single tickets. However, some airlines charge more for a single ticket than for a 'fixed date' return ticket.

Most airline websites don't allow to buy open-ended tickets online. So it's probably time to pick up the phone. Try these numbers:

0800 414 767 (Delta Airlines, Edinburgh to JFK, New York)

0845 607 6760 (Continental Airlines, Glasgow & Edinburgh to Newark, New York)

[Buenchico]

Those are the only direct flights to New York from Scottish Airports. There are no direct flights from Newcastle. The website for Leeds-Bradford airport states that Jet2 operates a winter only service to New York but it doesn't appear on the Jet2 website. (Call Jet2 on 0871 226 1 737 if you want to check).

So, other than Scotland, the most northerly departure point for scheduled flights to New York appears to be Manchester. Continental (phone number as above) fly to Newark, Delta (also as above) fly to JFK, as do Pakistan International Airlines (0800 587 1023).

Chris

[jno]

Chris, as I read the ESTA notes, you don't even have to be planning to travel to apply for the authorisation; and if you get it, it's good for two years. This suggests you needn't have even a one-way ticket? I haven't used one of these myself (I shall do so next month) so am not yet clear how it works.

In the past I have used the visa waiver scheme since it was introduced, and have on a few occasions been asked when I was due to return, and just once been required to show my ticket. I have no idea on what basis they decide they want to know more about me - it probably just depends on how shifty I look, and that depends on how tiring the flight was.

[spudqueen]

The visa waiver only covers you if you are staying for 90 days or less, for a longer stay you would need a visa.
http://www.usembassy.org.uk/rctour.html

[rcl1]

I bought a return ticket to NY through trailfinders and was there for a 3 month stay. Although the return ticket was for a particular date, I was told that it was possible to exchange the ticket for a later one, if I wanted to extend my stay.

This was a number of years ago now though, so this may have changed.

[dzug]

With ESTA you don't need any ticket at all when you apply for it - but when you fly you must have a return or onward ticket out of North America and adjacent islands.