That one-way ticket to the US

[slim 1,525]

LOL Neon....

I've done a little checking, and I'm going to get a little deeper into it this weekend. I talked to Elena today, and she said she checked there and found one for about $1400 from Vladivostok to Seoul, to New York, to Chicago. That's not exactly Cincinnati, but that is close enough, and that does get her through JFK which means she could get the work permit. (And, I've got a buddy in Chicago to stay with, and we could make a nice little weekend out of it.) So, that's looking like the winner so far. However, I did find some cheaper ones on some of the sites you guys listed. Thanks a lot!!!

And yes, Vladivostok is a long way from Moscow. (Farther than NY to LA!) However, almost all reasonable flights to JFK and the East Coast do go through SVO, so we may go with that.

I'll update when I get more cash!!!

[timelena 0]

I had to buy a round trip ticket since I had a non-immigrant visa, and they did not sell one-way tickets in such situations. Return ticket could have been used anytime within one year after the first flight (change date fee of $25 applies). Still, I did not use the return ticket, but sent it back to Russia, were my parents returned it for a refund. They did not get 50% of what I paid, however (the refund totaled around 30% of original price). I bought the ticket at Startravel

Edited June 30, 2006 by timelena

[Satellite 1]

Return ticket could have been used anytime within one year after the first flight (change date fee of $25 applies). Still, I did not use the return ticket, but sent it back to Russia, were my parents returned it for a refund. They did not get 50% of what I paid, however (the refund totaled around 30% of original price).

You had some really nice terms on your tickets. What company did you fly through? When I tried changing the date on my Siberia Airlines ticket, the change fee which was 10% was not allowed because the ticket was restricted to three months and I needed to change to a date that was a few weeks beyond that. As a result the airline bumped me up to the next class which was like $300 extra. So in reality I just bought another 1 one way ticket for $150, while the original round trip was only $200! And they also refused to take back the unused half for any amount.

So the things you talk about are true, but it all depends on the airline you go with and restrictions and conditions of the ticket itself. The fine print as we call it here

[timelena 0]

You had some really nice terms on your tickets. What company did you fly through?

I came here with Luftghansa. But I also traveled to Germany with Aeroflot, and had the same terms (round-trip ticket with return date valid for 1 year and $25 fee for changing the return date). I believe it's Startravel that offers these services, not Luftghansa or Aeroflot. But you should mention that you need this service when you buy ticket at Startravel.

the original round trip was only $200!

Looks like you did not travel from USA to Russia! I know that Startravel is good for international travel, but never used it for domestic flights. I don't know if they have anything good to offer for domestic passengers.

[slim 1,525]

Roundtrip for $200???

When did Jet Blue start connecting to SVO? Or, maybe it was Southwest?

[Satellite 1]

Looks like you did not travel from USA to Russia!

Roundtrip for $200???

When did Jet Blue start connecting to SVO? Or, maybe it was Southwest?

Sorry for the confusion. I was talking about my 2004 flight from DME to TOF roundtrip on Siberia Airlines. Two cities inside of Russia.

I also ran into the exact same problem with Aeroflot that year on the return change date from SVO-LAX-SFO. Again three month restriction with a forced purchase of the next "class" which made it a 6 month ticket allowing the extra 3 weeks that I needed beyond my three month stay. I had to shell out something like $350 for that correction, but in that case it was cheaper than a new one way.

As I understand it, you can get great terms on changing tickets but only if you pay for it up front or as you say "ask for it." Because I had bought a restricted yet cheaper ticket I got dinged for that when I decided to change dates.

The reason for my change of dates that year was because I was hoping that we'd get an interview date before my departure date, but the embassy screwed us over by 2 weeks. It was a total gamble on my part that we'd get an interview date before August 30 considering our NOA2 was June 4. But they put us down for September 13.

[ronnielee67 2]

My favorite site for one way tickets is www.kayak.com They have one way tickets and multi city tickets so if you want to visit more than one place you can. You can also originate anywhere, it does not need to be in the usa. The prices are usually the best I can find.

I did a few trips where I thought it was cheaper to buy a round trip and throw away the return. I wasted a fair amount of money that way. On Kayak the one way is usually close to half the price of a round trip.

Another site I have been using a bit lately is www.bookingbuddy.com They let you enter the data one time and check 7 major travel sites (including Kayak) The top three buttons there will let you originate outside the us. The bottom 4 will not.

i just have to share this. i searched bookingbuddy and kayak for a flight from svo to jfk in may. for Ilyana and her daughter, the cheapest was 5,401.00. the next, (klm) was 7,100.00 . is this about right, or did i log in the dumb ### section?

[Neonred 3,562]

My favorite site for one way tickets is www.kayak.com They have one way tickets and multi city tickets so if you want to visit more than one place you can. You can also originate anywhere, it does not need to be in the usa. The prices are usually the best I can find.

I did a few trips where I thought it was cheaper to buy a round trip and throw away the return. I wasted a fair amount of money that way. On Kayak the one way is usually close to half the price of a round trip.

Another site I have been using a bit lately is www.bookingbuddy.com They let you enter the data one time and check 7 major travel sites (including Kayak) The top three buttons there will let you originate outside the us. The bottom 4 will not.

i just have to share this. i searched bookingbuddy and kayak for a flight from svo to jfk in may. for Ilyana and her daughter, the cheapest was 5,401.00. the next, (klm) was 7,100.00 . is this about right, or did i log in the dumb ### section?

A quick look on expedia (probably not the best prices, but a starting point) you can book a round trip SVO-JFK in mid May with one stop for $712 or a nonstop for about $1100 each person. Keep looking.....

[groovlstk 0]

I've used this site for about a year, it consistently offers the best prices:

http://www.mobissimo.com/search_airfare.php

FWIW, in early November I reserved two one-way tix from SVO-JFK departing 12/20. My fiancee's interview was scheduled for 12/12, I knew I was taking a chance buying tix before she was issued her visa, but I figured if I waited until 12/12 and wanted to be with her before the new year, I'd end up paying out the wazoo.

Anyway, I flew to Moscow on the 15th, she got her visa on the 16th, and we flew to JFK on the 20th. Aside from the fact that they lost our luggage, everything was fine (and she got her EAD stamp).

[AllenK 0]

Normally, I find the prices through Expedia and travleocity to be pretty "on-the-mark" comared to direct booking with the airline. HOWEVER, A round-trip from St. Petersburg to Jacksonville, FL in February on Travelocity was $2,044. Booking on-line direct through Lufthansa got me the same connections and flights for $1155, all taxes and charges included.

A one-way ticket direct through Lufthansa with the same departure date starts at $3,600.00. Go figure.

[Jasman0717 9]

Per recommendation from my travel agent, I had my fiancee find the best deal in her country and it ended up being about $175 less than what my travel agent could find.

[slim 1,525]

It seems that airline tickets are hit-or-miss when it comes to pricing. I guess the best thing to do is check a lot of different places (including your fiance(e) in their home country) and check them often.

Shop around... and remember, that visa is good for six months. If it's worth it to you to save $2000, have them wait until the off-peak season.