Where can I buy a (kind of) open date airline ticket?

I need to fly to Russia; however, I may need to get back on a 2 week notice. Where can I find an airline ticket that is kind of flexible, i.e. won't penalize me *too much* for a changed date? And on what website can I view these penalties easily?|||I would use one of the online sites to check airlines that travel from your point of origin to Moscow. I'm assuming you're going to Moscow. Use Travelocity or Orbitz. Use the start date of your trip and the farthest date you would possibly stay. Different dates usually means different fares.



When you find the airlines that have flights that make the fewest stops (from your city to Russia with one stop is ideal) with a good price, I'd go to each individual airline online to check for fares. Probably best to stick with an American carrier.



American carriers usually charge $75 per leg of a flight to change a paid eticket. Booking and paying online with an eticket is the cheapest ticket you can get. When you check prices online, there is usually a link next to the individual flight leg for the trip that has the "fare rules" to check the cost of the change and any blackout dates you might want to avoid. For example, don't expect to be able to change a ticket at Christmas time for $75. The worst that could happen is that you would get charged $75 and $75 for a change if the flight has one stop.



The other things is there are usually flight restrictions about how LITTLE time you can spend before you turn around and come back. The $75 change fee would be much more if you spent too little time before returning.



If you've paid for the ticket and travel out on the normal date, without changing that part, you should be able to change your ticket once you're in Russia. You would be subject to seat availability, but usually you can check that as well online.



Good luck and bon voyage.|||Airlines will change the return date on a ticket for all but the cheapest fares. The fee is usually US$100 to $150. Decide on an airline and ask them about flexible tickets if you don't want to have to pay the fee.|||Buy a fully refundable ticket and there will be no fees. Of course, the fare will be high. To see the costs for changing a ticket, you will need to look on each airline's website.