Is an open-jaw ticket more expensive than a round-trip?

Not necessarily. Open-jaw fares are often similar to a normal round-trip and can even be cheaper, and they save you the time and cost of backtracking. Always compare both on a metasearch to see which wins for your route.

What is the difference between an open-jaw and a multi-city flight?

An open-jaw is a two-flight trip with a surface gap between destinations. A multi-city ticket can string together three or more flights across several cities. Multi-city is more flexible; open-jaw is the simplest way to avoid returning to your arrival city.

Open-Jaw Flights Explained: Fly Into One City, Out of Another

Q: What is an open-jaw flight?

An open-jaw is a round-trip-style ticket where you fly into one city and out of another, or return to a different home airport. The 'jaw' is the gap you cover by other means — train, car or a separate flight — instead of flying back from where you landed.

Q: How do I book an open-jaw flight?

Use the multi-city or 'multiple destinations' option on a flight search, entering your outbound to one city and your return from another. Booking it as one ticket keeps both legs on a single itinerary with the usual protections.

Reviewed by the ScanFlyGo team · Last updated: July 2026. Fares and fare rules vary — always confirm the details of your specific ticket at checkout.

Quick answer

An open-jaw flight is a round-trip-style ticket where you arrive in one city and depart from another — you cover the "jaw" in between by train, car or a separate flight. It's perfect for trips where returning to your arrival city would waste time, it's often priced similarly to a normal round-trip, and you book it using the multi-city option on a flight search.

Build an open-jaw trip on ScanFlyGo →

What "open-jaw" actually means

Picture a round-trip as a closed loop: out to a city and back from the same one. An open-jaw leaves part of that loop open. Instead of flying home from where you landed, you travel overland to a different city and fly out from there. The unflown gap — the open "jaw" — is the section you cross by other means. There are two common shapes.

Type	How it works	Example
Destination open-jaw	Fly into one city, out of another; same home airport	Home → Rome, then Venice → Home
Origin open-jaw	Return to a different home airport than you left from	City A → Paris, then Paris → City B (both near home)

Open-jaw vs round-trip vs multi-city

These three ticket types overlap, but they suit different trips. A round-trip is a simple there-and-back. An open-jaw is a round-trip with mismatched endpoints — two flights and one surface gap. A multi-city ticket can chain three or more flights across several cities on one itinerary. If you only want to avoid doubling back, open-jaw is the cleanest choice; if you're hopping between many places, multi-city gives more freedom.

When an open-jaw saves you money and time

Overland trips: fly into one end of a rail or road route and out of the other — no backtracking to your arrival airport.
Two-city breaks: land in one city, take a cheap train to a second, and fly home from there.
Big countries and regions: arrive in the north and leave from the south rather than crossing the whole country twice.
Cheaper endpoints: sometimes flying out of a different city is cheaper than a matched return, and the open-jaw captures that saving.

Because you skip the return leg to your arrival city, you save the time, cost and hassle of retracing your steps — often the real value of an open-jaw, even when the fare is similar.

How to book one

Open-jaw tickets live under the multi-city or "multiple destinations" option on a flight search. Enter your outbound flight to the first city, then a return leg from the second city back home, leaving the middle unflown. Booking both legs as a single itinerary keeps them on one ticket, so the usual protections and through-fare pricing apply. Compare the open-jaw total against two one-way fares and a standard round-trip — on a metasearch you can see all three side by side and pick the cheapest.

Things to watch

Plan the surface gap before you commit: make sure the train or drive between your two cities is realistic in the time and budget you have. Give yourself a comfortable buffer before the return flight in case ground transport runs late. And check baggage rules apply across both legs as expected. Once booked, keep an eye on your flights so nothing surprises you.

On the day you fly

With two different airports in play, a live flight tracker is handy for watching both your outbound and return aircraft. If your inbound plane is delayed, you'll often know before the airport board updates. Track any flight live on ScanFlyGo →

Frequently asked questions

What is an open-jaw flight?

It's a round-trip-style ticket where you fly into one city and out of another, covering the gap between by train, car or a separate flight.

Is an open-jaw more expensive than a round-trip?

Not necessarily — it's often priced similarly and can be cheaper, and it saves the time and cost of backtracking. Compare both to be sure.

How is it different from a multi-city flight?

An open-jaw is a two-flight trip with one surface gap; a multi-city ticket can chain three or more flights across several cities.

How do I book an open-jaw flight?

Use the multi-city option: enter your outbound to one city and your return from another, keeping both legs on a single ticket.

The bottom line

An open-jaw ticket is one of the simplest ways to travel smarter — see two cities, skip the backtrack, and often pay about the same as a round-trip. Plan the overland gap, book both legs as one itinerary, and compare it against other ticket types before you buy. Start a multi-city search on ScanFlyGo and browse popular routes to plan your trip.

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