Open-Jaw Flights: The Easiest Way to Stop Backtracking on Multi-City Trips
Learn how open-jaw flights work, when they save time on multi-city trips and how to compare them properly against a normal return ticket.
The short answer
An **open-jaw flight** means arriving in one city and departing from another. On a multi-city trip, it can eliminate the need to return to your starting point solely for the flight home. That often saves more time than obsessing over small differences between individual train journeys.
When open-jaw flights help most
- Linear rail routes such as Madrid → Seville → Granada.
- Country-spanning trips such as Rome → Florence → Venice.
- Trips where returning to the first city would require a flight or long train.
- Routes with strong international airports at both ends.
When a return ticket can still be better
Open-jaw is not automatically cheaper or easier. If the fare difference is large, airport options are poor, or the route naturally loops back, a normal return may still win.
How to compare properly
Price the open-jaw ticket, then add the cost and time of the backtracking journey required by the return-ticket version. Include another hotel night if the return flight forces you back a day early.
The verdict
For linear multi-city trips, always check open-jaw pricing before committing to a round trip. It is one of the simplest ways to buy back usable holiday time.
Frequently asked questions
What is an open-jaw flight?
It is an itinerary where you fly into one city and depart from another, such as arriving in Rome and flying home from Venice.
Are open-jaw flights more expensive?
Sometimes, but not always. Compare the fare difference with the transport, hotel and time cost of returning to your arrival city.
Are open-jaw flights good for Europe?
Yes. They are particularly useful on linear rail routes with major airports at both ends.
Sources
- IATA traveler resources — Air-travel planning reference.