Open jaw flights and everything you need to know about them

Have a look at how open-jaw flights might come in handy in your next trip.

What is an open jaw flight?

An open jaw flight includes a return ticket where the destination and/or the origin are not the same in both directions.
You can find three types of open jaw flights and each of them has its advantages.

1. Destination open jaw

A destination open jaw is a flight where a passenger flies from one city to another, but returns to the original city from a different place. It is most commonly used among tourists and travelers who like to make the most out of their trip and visit multiple cities without having to travel back to the landing airport.

For example fly from Venice to Paris and then back from Nice for 95 EUR

2. Origin open jaw

An origin open jaw is a flight where the passenger returns from the destination to a different city to where they started their trip. It is a great traveling method for business travelers who need to find the quickest, most efficient and affordable variation for their business trip.

For example fly from Treviso to Valencia and then back to Milano for 27 EUR  

3. Double open jaw

A double open-jaw is a kind of roundback flight itinerary where the passenger’s origin and destination differ in both directions. Different airports in the same city don’t usually count towards being open jaw.

For example fly from Treviso to Paris and then back from Brussels to Ljubljana for 49 EUR

What are the advantages of an open jaw flight?

There are several reasons why you should consider booking an open-jaw flight, let’s look at some of the most important:

• Save time – a lot of time it is easier and much quicker to travel to a more distant airport and catch a direct flight, than to choose stopover flight from your nearest airport. You can fly directly to your destination and back to another airport, just make sure to book a reliable transfer to take you to your home. In this case, where it’s impossible to use your personal car and public transports are not available at any time, the ideal solution is to book a GoOpti transfer – picking you up and dropping you off directly at home from any airport in the region, at any desired time.
• Save money – booking a multi city connection is usually much cheaper than booking a classic roundtrip flight or two single air tickets. Open jaws use the same fare components and fare codes (buckets) used for return tickets, including the cheap discount economy fares.
• Explore more – by booking certain open jaw flights you will have the opportunity to discover much more amazing places during your journey. You can book your long-haul flights well in advance, and refine your trip between your first and last destination without affecting the long haul ticket. Open jaws can be a great way to explore more without having to take the time to return to your original airport
• Error fares – since open jaw flights are more complicated in terms of airline booking system complexity, there is also a higher chance you will , more often than in a classic round trip flight or a direct return flight.

How to book an open jaw?

Using the multi-city option

Open jaw flights are booked using the multi-city option on the search engine. It allows you to enter different airports and destinations both for both directions. Meaning you can enter your home airport to your first destination for your first flights, and for the second enter the final city on your trip back to your home or any other airport. For example, if you want to fly from Ljubljana to Paris, then return from Prague (your final city on the trip) you would enter Ljubljana-Paris for the first flight, and Prague-Ljubljana for the second.

Including nearby airports

When booking using a multi-city and trying to find the best deal possible, it is also wise to include nearby airports and cities in your search, so that you can really take advantage of this way of travelling, especially if you are trying to save time and money. However, you have to consider the cost of the transportation to and from the airport. It is important to choose the most reliable transportation to the airport.

Using the right tools

Some of the best tools to find open jaw flights on the internet by yourself are GoOpti, Matrix Airfare Search and, even though you cannot book flights it like in the previous two, Google Flights quickly offers great combination of flights on your search. Alternative Airlines can be useful as well. 

Booking open jaw flights can be a great opportunity to plan your trip that completely meets your needs. Whether you want to save on time and get your business trip done as soon as possible, because well, time is money … Or you want to see other destinations in between and don’t want to be bound to a certain itinerary for the whole trip.

However, open jaws can also have some disadvantages if you don’t do it right. Always be sure to plan your journey in advance and book your accommodations as well as your transfers on time.

GoOpti is ideal in this case as it offers shuttle services to all surrounding airports at any given time. As always, we highly recommend you to book your GoOpti transfer as soon as you purchase your flight ticket. For more flight offers check here.