The Hidden Cost of Booking One-Way Flights in 2025

Why your favorite travel hack might now be draining your wallet.

For years, savvy travelers (myself included) swore by booking one-way flights domestically. It was the ultimate travel flexibility hack: same price as half a roundtrip, less commitment, and way more room to play with award availability or positioning flights.

But that golden rule? It’s officially broken.

In 2025, one-way penalties are back—and they’re nastier than ever. According to Thrifty Traveler’s recent analysis of 2,000 domestic flights, over half of all one-way tickets now cost more than if you had just booked a roundtrip and thrown away the return leg.

Let me break it down so you don’t get caught in this expensive trap.

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🚨 The Big Picture
• 50.7% of one-way flights on the five biggest U.S. airlines (Delta, United, American, Southwest, Alaska) cost more than half a roundtrip.
• Only 21.5% of flights were cheaper as one-ways.
• Delta is the worst offender—charging more for 66% of their one-way routes.

And these aren’t tiny fees we’re talking about.

Some one-way penalties are just a few bucks. But others? We’re seeing $100+ more per flight, with some roundtrips actually costing less than just a one-way on the same route.

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🧠 Why This Is Happening

This isn’t some bug in the matrix—it’s a feature.

Back in the day, airlines used one-way penalties to bleed extra cash from business travelers booking last-minute flights on corporate cards. Budget airlines disrupted that model, and the penalties largely vanished.

But now, business travel is back, and airlines are flexing their pricing muscles again.

Here’s the logic:
A business traveler flying last-minute from Atlanta to NYC doesn’t blink at a $300 one-way fare. But a family booking a vacation 60 days out does. So the airlines “segment” travelers—rewarding planners and punishing procrastinators.

It’s not personal. It’s profit.

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📊 Let’s Talk Timing & Trends

Want to avoid overpaying? Timing matters. A lot. And don’t sleep on the day of the week you’re flying. Business-heavy travel days are high-risk for price penalties:
• Worst Days: Friday (68.1%), Thursday (60.6%), Sunday (58.2%)
• Best Days: Tuesday (33.3%), Wednesday (33.5%)

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✈️ Real-World Example: A Price You Won’t Believe

Want proof? Let’s look at an actual booking on American Airlines:
• CLT to MSY (Charlotte to New Orleans)
• Roundtrip (Aug 15–21): $259 main cabin
• One-way (same Aug 15 flight): $454
• 🤯 That’s nearly double the price for half the trip. And the cheaper Basic Economy fare? Not even available as a one-way.

Same goes for a Delta flight from Detroit to Salt Lake City:
• One-way economy seat: $529
• Roundtrip: Significantly less

This isn’t just about cash fares either. Thanks to dynamic pricing, **award bookings using miles

Absolutely — here’s your polished article with clear credit to Brian Sumers and Thrifty Traveler, written in your signature Ben’s Big Deal voice. This version is blog- and email-ready:

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One-Way Flights Used to Be the Smart Play. Not Anymore.

How a classic travel hack could now be draining your wallet—and what to do instead.
Based on research from Thrifty Traveler and insights from airline expert Brian Sumers.

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For years, I’ve told travelers—especially my students—to book domestic flights as two one-ways instead of a roundtrip.

Why? Because it gave you flexibility without costing a cent more. You could mix airlines, shift dates, and plan positioning flights without being locked into a roundtrip. It was a no-brainer.

But in 2025?

That once-reliable strategy could now be costing you hundreds of dollars.
And this isn’t just me saying it—this comes straight from a deep dive by the travel pros at Thrifty Traveler, backed by sharp commentary from longtime airline industry journalist Brian Sumers, author of The Airline Observer.

Let’s break it down.

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🚨 What’s Happening?

Thrifty Traveler analyzed over 2,000 domestic fares in 2025. Their findings?
• 50.7% of one-way flights now cost more than half of a roundtrip.
• 27.8% cost the same.
• Only 21.5% of one-ways were actually cheaper.

Yikes.

And Delta? They’re leading the charge back to these higher one-way fares, with 66% of one-way tickets priced higher than their roundtrip equivalents. (Alaska, American, Southwest, and United are all hovering around 44–51%.)

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💰 Why Airlines Are Doing This

These price penalties aren’t new—they’re a return to the past.

Airlines used to charge more for one-ways to squeeze business travelers who didn’t care about price. Then, low-cost carriers like Southwest disrupted the game, forcing major airlines to compete on price.

But now that business travel is rebounding and budget airlines are struggling, those old-school pricing tactics are back.

As Brian Sumers puts it:

“Airlines want business travelers to pay a lot more for their fares… There are very few companies that need a $99 fare from Los Angeles to San Francisco – they can pay twice as much, if not more, if the meeting is important.”

Translation? If you’re booking last-minute or on a busy travel day, you’re the target. Airlines know your options are limited—and they price your ticket accordingly.

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🧠 When You Book & Fly Matters

Here’s what Thrifty Traveler found when comparing price penalties to booking windows:

And when you fly matters too. One-way penalties are most common on high-demand business travel days:
• Worst: Friday (68.1%), Thursday (60.6%), Sunday (58.2%)
• Best: Tuesday & Wednesday (~33%)

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✈️ Real Examples: You Won’t Believe These Prices

Let’s talk real numbers. Here are two examples from Thrifty Traveler’s research:
• American Airlines | CLT → MSY
• Roundtrip: $259
• One-way (same flight): $454
• Basic economy isn’t even available for the one-way!
• Delta | DTW → SLC
• One-way main cabin: $529

That’s more than double what you’d expect—and it’s happening across the board.

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🧾 What This Means for You

This change doesn’t just affect cash fares—it’s bleeding into award tickets too. With most major airlines using dynamic pricing, expensive cash fares = more points or miles required.

So if you’ve been booking one-ways to position yourself for an international award flight or to hop between cities, you need to rethink your game plan.

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💡 Ben’s Big Deal Takeaways

Here’s how to play it smarter moving forward:
1. Always compare roundtrip vs one-way fares before booking.
2. Book early—ideally 2+ months in advance.
3. Avoid flying Fridays or Sundays unless you really have to.
4. Use tools like Google Flights or Roame.Travel to test roundtrip pricing hacks.
5. If using miles, check whether the one-way award is inflated before transferring points.

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Travel has changed. The hacks that worked in 2019 might not work in 2025.
But don’t worry—I’ll keep bringing you the truth behind the fares.

Want to learn how to earn the points to avoid paying cash at all?
Check out my free training here →

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Thanks to Thrifty Traveler and Brian Sumers of The Airline Observer for their excellent reporting.