Purchasing one way tickets....

[MissBlue]

oh - good point airportworker - i should have said i was talking about the USA -- i can't speak about what's done in Europe or the UK. but here, travelers are required to provide TSA security info - passport number, full legal name & DOB, etc., for international airline tickets. - thus, any/all upcoming flights a traveler is scheduled on, will also show up on the TSA computers when the airport security ppl scan the traveler's passport.... so it will be seen that the passenger has booked a return flight. It will just have it's own separate itinerary and 'record locator', & may be on a different airline than the outbound flight --

but in any case, the TSA can see that the person isn't leaving the country without any return travel plans, so it won't necessarily raise any flags for TSA/security to question the passengers, or tag their luggage for special search - of course it might - but it's just a possibility.

for me personally, saving significant amounts of money, and/or - getting significantly better scheduling/routing by buying two one-way flights, is totally worth the small chance of being 'flagged' or questioned; I always have printed copies of all flights & itineraries on my person anyway.

[rastagirl777]

i understand what you're saying.

However, all international airline purchases these days require you to give your passport number and TSA information at the time of purchase. So, regardless if they are separate records & locators/itineraries, all scheduled flights will still show up in the computers associated with the traveler's passport number, even if they are separate records

Good point...but...

I have never had to give my passport number when I have purchased any international ticket anywhere. I always book through the airline directly, do you think that is why?

[MissBlue]

never had to give my passport number when I have purchased any international ticket anywhere. I always book through the airline directly, do you think that is why?

could be -- since you're a frequent flyer, your TSA info is probably already stored in your FF profile.

[RastaCrab]

What was a minor hassle for you, Rastacrab...has been a major hassle for others . It's never a good idea to try to come in without a return ticket.

True true!

We were lucky. The minor hassle was extra questioning and after stating our reasons, all was cool.

[rastagirl777]

could be -- since you're a frequent flyer, your TSA info is probably already stored in your FF profile.

No, they don't. I've never been asked to enter my passport number anywhere but on an immigration form. I've never signed up with that Clear Skies (or whatever it was called before it went belly up) - the only information that anyone would have would be the required information for traveling anywhere these days - name, birth date and gender. TSA doesn't have access to my American Airlines frequent flyer account to my knowledge. These days who knows who has access to what though but again, my passport number is not recorded anywhere in my AA frequent flyer or profile accounts.

[RastaCrab]

You MUST present a valid US passport to the gate/ticket agent before boarding. The passport is then scanned. Various computer readable information is on your picture page (and maybe inside the jacket for newer ones, thin RF tags), including your passport number. So I'd be pretty sure your passport number is known by the airlines at time of check in.

When we check in online, one of the input fields is the passport number.

More information can be found here: http://www.faasafety.gov/hottopics.aspx?id=47

[Rob]

...TSA doesn't have access to my American Airlines frequent flyer account to my knowledge. These days who knows who has access to what though but again, my passport number is not recorded anywhere in my AA frequent flyer or profile accounts.

They key phrase is "to my knowledge". With all the cross referenced databases that the TSA has access to, I think it is harder to believe for them not to have access to your passport number. And please remember that while your passport number is not shown anywhere in your AA Frequent Flyer profile that you have access to see, they do have additional information in your FF profile that you cannot see...

[doctoro]

oh - good point airportworker - i should have said i was talking about the USA -- i can't speak about what's done in Europe or the UK. but here, travelers are required to provide TSA security info - passport number, full legal name & DOB, etc., for international airline tickets. - thus, any/all upcoming flights a traveler is scheduled on, will also show up on the TSA computers when the airport security ppl scan the traveler's passport.... so it will be seen that the passenger has booked a return flight. It will just have it's own separate itinerary and 'record locator', & may be on a different airline than the outbound flight --

but in any case, the TSA can see that the person isn't leaving the country without any return travel plans, so it won't necessarily raise any flags for TSA/security to question the passengers, or tag their luggage for special search - of course it might - but it's just a possibility.

for me personally, saving significant amounts of money, and/or - getting significantly better scheduling/routing by buying two one-way flights, is totally worth the small chance of being 'flagged' or questioned; I always have printed copies of all flights & itineraries on my person anyway.

Ironically on a return trip to US after the question of how long I had been gone was asked and answered, and seeing the Permanent Resident Stamp, the Immagration Officer asked if I had a return ticket to Jamaica, how I was sustaining myself in Jamaica, how long I would be in the US, where I would be staying in the US, who resided at the address I had given and the nature of my visit. Mind you I am still a US citizen, residing abroad.

This was the first time traveling in over a year and since approval of PR status, and before travel I stressed over the attitude of US Immagration regarding such. Other than the additional questions, this officer put an A on my Custom form which caused a scan of my luggage in the Agricultural Search room. Where I was asked the usual food questions. I was not scanned in Jamaica.

On a side note, and this is to anyone who does the long term, after paying twice to change the return date on my original roundtrip ticket, I finally let it expire and purchased the one way ticket, but turns out this was one of my most expensive roundtrips ever considering the costs of the changes to the original ticket plus purchase of the one way. Never again.

[Babalew]

i had 2 separate tickets on my last reach and had not printed up my return. i figured they had the info in their computer as i was flying the same airline. the ticket agent at my home airport was in a tizzy cause they could not find my return and she insisted i had to have one. she told me i would have to show the return flight before leaving the usa. i was prepared to do so but noone else asked. i will make sure i print up that return from now on.
i fly delta and jetblue and on both i had to input my passport number when i checked in online along with contact person on all international flights. @ rastagirl777, you would be surprised at the info tsa has on you.

[Bnewb]

If you complete the online check-in for international flights with American Airlines you are required to enter your passport number before you can print your ticket (the same goes for the airlines that I've flown). When you check-in in person....you are required to give the airline reps your passport and it is entered into the computer system there.