Advice required for Entry Ticket from Australia to Cebu

[Medic Mike]

Hey guys,

I could not find this question asked anywhere. So forgive me if I have missed it somewhere. As most of you know I live in Darwin, and am soon to make the permanent  move to Cebu. My question is this. I am just about to buy my last (I hope) round trip ticket to Cebu. Here is the rub, what do I do? Book the ticket as per normal with a return date 3 weeks in advance as I usually do, or do I make it 1 year return, or does it not matter, because I won't be using the return portion of the ticket anyways, because I will just be renewing the Visa for next 3 years, and then making the Visa run back to Oz or somewhere else.

What have the Australians been doing when they finally decide to stay, and not return on their ticket?

Cheers

[Mike J]

First a question.  Why not a one way with a cheap throw ticket that show will be leaving the Philippines?  This is what I did for my final flight from the USA and it saved me several hundred dollars.

If you do decide to buy a round trip ticket for whatever reason, can you get one with an "open" return date?  This would allow you to fly back in case an emergency comes up.

[Medic Mike]

1 minute ago, Mike J said:

First a question.  Why not a one way with a cheap throw ticket that show will be leaving the Philippines?  This is what I did for my final flight from the USA and it saved me several hundred dollars.

If you do decide to buy a round trip ticket for whatever reason, can you get one with an "open" return date?  This would allow you to fly back in case an emergency comes up.

Thanks, great advice.

[Clermont]

4 hours ago, Medic Mike said:

What have the Australians been doing when they finally decide to stay, and not return on their ticket?

 

First off Mike, buy a return ticket back to Oz only a few hundred dollars dearer than a one way ticket. By the time you buy a throw away ticket it isn't much cheaper and you could be pulled up at immigration and harrased, not worth the trouble. When booking, I have not come across a site as yet, that allows you to book about anymore than eight months in advance on a return date. Here's the but, ( all airline tickets are valid for twelve months from date of departure.) What is done get the return date extended out to maximin time and just before your return date expires, rebook that return ticket if need be and pay a fee of about 50 Yanky dollars, but remember that ticket is only valid for twelve month from date of departure. The reason I say buy a return ticket is, if for some unknown reason you have to go back to Oz, you have a return ticket with only a small fee to pay. On your return to the PI's just do the same, less hassles. 

 

[Medic Mike]

5 minutes ago, Clermont said:

 

First off Mike, buy a return ticket back to Oz only a few hundred dollars dearer than a one way ticket. By the time you buy a throw away ticket it isn't much cheaper and you could be pulled up at immigration and harrased, not worth the trouble. When booking, I have not come across a site as yet, that allows you to book about anymore than eight months in advance on a return date. Here's the but, ( all airline tickets are valid for twelve months from date of departure.) What is done get the return date extended out to maximin time and just before your return date expires, rebook that return ticket if need be and pay a fee of about 50 Yanky dollars, but remember that ticket is only valid for twelve month from date of departure. The reason I say buy a return ticket is, if for some unknown reason you have to go back to Oz, you have a return ticket with only a small fee to pay. On your return to the PI's just do the same, less hassles. 

 

Thanks Clermont, that is what I will do.

[Clermont]

2 minutes ago, Medic Mike said:

Thanks Clermont, that is what I will do.

Just an afterthought, your in Darwin, fly to Cairns then get a direct flight to PI's via PAL. I've flown with Cathay Pacific and they fly straight over the PI's to Hong Kong but they won't land to let you off, then it is a flight back to PI's  The last I heard PAL isn't flying out of Darwin anymore, is this correct? 

[Medic Mike]

4 minutes ago, Clermont said:

Just an afterthought, your in Darwin, fly to Cairns then get a direct flight to PI's via PAL. I've flown with Cathay Pacific and they fly straight over the PI's to Hong Kong but they won't land to let you off, then it is a flight back to PI's  The last I heard PAL isn't flying out of Darwin anymore, is this correct? 

Yep correct. We use to have a direct flight to Manila on PAL, but they stopped that now.

[GeoffH]

You could fly Jetstar to Singapore and then Singapore to Manila(and book it as one journey) that would be quicker than via Cairns... at least i think so (and a fair bit cheaper than Qantas).  And Changi is one of the better airports to have a flight break in (at least I think so).

Edited October 14, 2018 by GeoffH

[Jollygoodfellow]

2 hours ago, Clermont said:

By the time you buy a throw away ticket it isn't much cheaper and you could be pulled up at immigration and harrased, not worth the trouble.

That's not quite true. The law states an outbound ticket so makes no difference where to. Also often you can get cheap tickets, cheaper than return for something not used.

Mike, the ticket does not have to be dated in any time frame so it does not matter. Do as millions of others do and just buy an onward ticket to satisfy the airline so you can board. Why waste your money when you could use it to buy me beers? 

 

[Jack Peterson]

3 minutes ago, Jollygoodfellow said:

. Why waste your money when you could use it to buy me beers?