Open-Jaw Ticket

An open-jaw ticket is a round-trip airfare where either the return departure city differs from the original arrival city, or the final return destination differs from where the trip started, leaving a geographical gap the traveler covers on their own. For example, flying New York to Rome, then returning home from Milan instead of Rome. Airlines don't cover the ground gap between those two cities.

You book one itinerary with two flight segments that don't mirror each other, then arrange your own transportation to bridge the gap between where you land and where you'll depart from. A single open-jaw has one gap, like flying into Rome and out of Milan; a double open-jaw has two gaps, such as departing New York and returning to Boston instead. Most airlines price these fares as half of each applicable one-way rather than one combined round-trip rate.

An open-jaw ticket is a single round-trip itinerary with mismatched origin or destination cities, priced and booked as one ticket. Split ticketing means buying two separate one-way tickets, often on different airlines, to piece together a route the same carrier doesn't offer directly. Open-jaw tickets are usually easier to manage since they stay within one booking and one airline's fare rules.

Sometimes, but it varies by airline. Some carriers price open-jaw segments as half of each applicable round-trip fare, which can undercut two separate one-ways, while others calculate it the same as buying two one-way fares with no discount. Always check the fare breakdown before booking, since business class one-ways can run 3,000-8,000 USD depending on route and cabin.

No. The airline only covers the two flight segments you book; getting between your arrival city and departure city — by train, rental car, or a separate short flight — is your responsibility and cost. This is common on European itineraries, like flying into Barcelona and out of Amsterdam after a rail trip through France.

Nearly all major international carriers support open-jaw itineraries, including on long-haul transatlantic and transpacific routes and multi-country European trips. They're bookable directly through airline websites, online travel agencies, or corporate travel desks, and are also common in private charter arrangements that skip returning to the original departure airport.

Search a round-trip fare but enter a different return departure or destination city than your outbound arrival city — most airline sites and OTAs support this directly in the search form. Confirm how the carrier prices the open-jaw segments before purchasing, since some charge less than two one-ways and others don't. CEOFLIGHTS specialists can help find discounted business class fares — call (888) 851-6897.