What is an Open-Jaw Flight (And Why You Should Book One)
Fly into one city, leave from another. Open-jaw tickets let you skip backtracking and see more places on the same trip.
Most people book flights the same way every time. Pick a destination, fly there, fly back from the same city.
But what if you want to land in Hanoi, travel overland through Vietnam, and fly home from Danang? Or fly into Bogota, explore Colombia, and leave from Cartagena?
That's what open-jaw tickets are for.
What is an Open-Jaw Flight?
An open-jaw is when you fly into one city and leave from a different one, with no flight connecting them. You fill that gap yourself, whether by train, bus, car, or just staying in the second city.
The route looks like an open jaw on a map. Mumbai to Hanoi, then Danang to Mumbai. The Hanoi-to-Danang part is on you.
Why This Matters
The obvious benefit: you don't waste time backtracking.
If you're doing a Vietnam trip, flying back to Hanoi just to catch your return flight means losing a day of travel. With an open-jaw, you end your trip in Danang and fly home from there.
I did exactly this on my Colombia trip last year. Flew into Bogota, traveled through the country, and flew out of Cartagena. No backtracking, no wasted days.
How to Book an Open-Jaw
With Points
Most airline loyalty programs let you book open-jaw awards using the multi-city search option.
Some programs, like United MileagePlus, price open-jaws the same as round trips if both cities are in the same region. So Mumbai to Singapore, then Kuala Lumpur to Mumbai might cost the same 45,000 miles as a simple Mumbai-Singapore return.
Look for "multi-city" in the booking tool. Enter your outbound (Mumbai to Hanoi), then your return (Danang to Mumbai) as separate segments.
With Cash
Google Flights and Skyscanner both have multi-city options. Enter your segments and compare prices.
One thing to watch: if the flights are on different airlines that don't partner with each other, you might get separate bookings (separate PNRs). This means if one flight gets delayed, the other airline won't help you. Check before you book.
When Open-Jaw Makes Sense
Not every trip needs one. But consider it when:
- You're doing a road trip or overland travel (Vietnam, Europe, New Zealand)
- You want to explore multiple cities without returning to your starting point
- The destination city has multiple airports (like flying into Paris, out of Rome on a Europe trip)
Bottomline
Open-jaw tickets are one of those things that seem complicated until you try them once. After that, you'll find yourself looking for reasons to use them.
Next time you're planning a trip, ask yourself: do I really need to fly back from the same city I landed in?
