One-way award ticket? SkyTeam adds 20% per direction
A one-way award ticket on SkyTeam partners costs 60% of the round-trip price, a 20% surcharge per direction. On SAS-operated flights the price is flat.
Contents
A one-way award ticket on SkyTeam partners costs 60% of the round-trip price, not half of it. That makes each direction 20% more expensive (×1.2) when you book one-way instead of round trip. SAS-operated flights carry no such mark-up: one direction costs the same however you book it.
How are one-way tickets priced on SkyTeam partners?
SAS prices SkyTeam partner tickets from a round-trip chart, and a one-way ticket costs 60% of the round-trip price. Since one direction of a round trip effectively costs half (50%), you pay 60/50 = 1.2 times as much per direction when you split the journey into one-way tickets.
The arithmetic looks like this:
| Booking | Price per direction | Mark-up |
|---|---|---|
| Round trip | 50% of the round-trip price | — |
| One-way | 60% of the round-trip price | +20% |
With real chart prices: business to North America costs 140,000 points round trip, or 70,000 per direction. Book that same direction as a one-way and it costs 84,000 points. Within Europe in business, the round-trip price is 80,000, while a one-way costs 48,000. The pattern is identical in every cabin: 60% of the round-trip price, without exception.
What does it cost to book two one-ways instead of a round trip?
Book both directions as separate one-way tickets and you pay the mark-up twice: the whole round trip becomes 20% more expensive.
Chart prices for SkyTeam partners after 1 December 2025 (round trip 140,000, one-way 84,000). Always check the price for your own route and date in the search.
28,000 points for exactly the same seats, a bigger difference than a whole domestic round trip.
Why are SAS-operated flights different?
SAS-operated award tickets are priced from a separate, flat chart where one direction costs the same whether you book it one-way or as part of a round trip. If you only need to travel one way, SAS metal is therefore often the best place to start.
| Route | Economy | Business |
|---|---|---|
| Domestic DK/NO/SE | 5,000 | 10,000 |
| Between Nordic+ countries | 10,000 | 20,000 |
| Nordic+ – Europe | 15,000 | 35,000 |
| Within Europe | 25,000 | 40,000 |
| Long-haul (USA/Asia) | 30,000 | 60,000 |
The flat SAS price applies when the entire journey is on SAS-operated flights. Add a partner segment to the same booking and the journey is priced from the partner chart, including the one-way mark-up if you book one-way. And as always after the December 2025 devaluation, it is worth double-checking the points price before planning around old numbers.
When is a one-way worth it anyway?
A 20% mark-up is not always decisive. Sometimes a one-way is the right choice:
- You genuinely only need to travel one way. A one-way at 60% is cheaper than a round trip whose return leg you never use.
- The return is going on a different programme. Outbound with EuroBonus, home with another loyalty programme. The one-way mark-up is then the price of that flexibility, and often worth paying.
- The journey is entirely SAS metal. The flat chart applies, and a one-way costs nothing extra.
- The seats only exist in one direction. Award seats come and go per direction, and a one-way now can beat a round trip that never opens up. Set up an alert for the return leg so you do not have to keep checking manually.
Frequently asked questions
How much extra does a one-way award ticket cost on SkyTeam partners?
A one-way ticket costs 60% of the round-trip price, against 50% for one direction of a round trip. That is a mark-up of 20%. Business to North America costs 84,000 points one-way, against 70,000 for the same direction inside a round trip.
Do one-ways cost extra on SAS-operated flights?
No. SAS-operated award tickets are priced from a flat chart where one direction costs the same one-way as it does inside a round trip. That holds only while the whole journey stays on SAS-operated flights. Add a partner leg and the trip is priced from the partner chart.
Does the one-way mark-up apply to all cabins?
Yes. The rule of 60% of the round-trip price applies to economy, premium and business on SkyTeam partner tickets. Because the mark-up is proportional, it costs most where the price is highest: 14,000 extra points per direction in business to North America, 8,000 within Europe.
How do I avoid the mark-up?
Book both directions in the same round-trip booking where you can, or keep the journey on SAS-operated flights, where the price is flat. If you only need one direction on a partner, the mark-up is simply part of the price. Factor it in before you compare.
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