Open-Jaw Flights: Types, Pricing and How to Sell Them
Open-jaw itineraries explained: origin, turnaround and double open jaws, how airlines price them, when to suggest one, and how to search with multi-city.
· 7 min read · Nodes Travels team
An open-jaw ticket is a return trip where the outbound and return do not form a neat loop. The traveller flies into one city and home from another, or leaves from one city and returns to a different one. On a map the route looks like an open mouth, which is where the name comes from.
For agencies, open jaws are one of the simplest ways to add value. A customer touring a country or region avoids backtracking, saves a day of travel and often pays little or nothing extra compared with a plain return. This guide covers the types, how they are priced and how to build them.
The three types of open jaw
| Type | Shape | Example pattern | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turnaround (destination) open jaw | Into one city, out of another | Home to City X, City Y to home | Touring a country overland between X and Y |
| Origin open jaw | Leave from one city, return to another | City A to X, X to City B | Travellers with two possible home airports |
| Double open jaw | Both ends differ | City A to X, Y to City B | Complex tours, or relocating at the same time |
The gap between the open ends is usually travelled by land, rail, ferry or a separate flight bought on its own.
How open jaws are priced
On many airlines, an open jaw is priced as half of one return fare plus half of another. Fly into one city and out of another, and the fare is built from half the return to the first city and half the return to the second. When both cities sit in a similar price zone, the result is very close to an ordinary return, and much cheaper than two one-way tickets on carriers that price one-ways high.
Fare rules decide whether this is allowed. Some fares permit open jaws only within the same country or region, some limit how far apart the two open points can be, and some do not permit them at all. Low-cost carriers usually sell each direction as a one-way anyway, so an open jaw on them simply costs the sum of two one-ways.
In practice you do not need to calculate any of this yourself. Search the itinerary as multi-city and let the supplier price it. What matters is knowing when to try it, because customers rarely ask for an open jaw by name.
When to suggest an open jaw
- The customer is touring overland, for example arriving in one city and leaving from another after a road or rail trip
- A cruise or tour starts in one port or city and ends in another
- A business traveller has meetings in two cities on one trip
- A family lives between two airports and can depart from either
- A student or worker is moving and returning from a different place
- The return from a second city is far better timed than backtracking
How to search an open jaw
Most booking sites, including yours, will not find open jaws through the round-trip form. Use multi-city.
- 1
Choose multi-city
Switch the search form from return to multi-city so each flight can have its own origin, destination and date.
- 2
Enter the first flight
Home airport to the first destination, on the outbound date.
- 3
Enter the return flight
From the second destination back home (or to the other home airport), on the return date. Leave the overland part out.
- 4
Compare with a plain return
Search the simple return to either city as well. The difference tells you, and the customer, what the convenience costs.
- 5
Read the fare rules
Check change and refund rules for the whole ticket, since a single ticket usually treats the trip as one unit.
Selling the gap, not just the flights
The open part of the jaw is an opportunity. The customer still needs to get from the arrival city to the departure city, and that journey is often by train, coach, car hire or a short domestic flight. Offer it. A clear suggestion for the overland segment, with a price, turns a flight booking into a small itinerary and shows that you understood the trip.
This is also where packages come in. If you sell tours, an open jaw is often the natural flight shape for a tour that starts and ends in different cities. Quote flights and tour together so the customer sees one plan.
Common mistakes
Booking two one-way tickets by habit, when a single open-jaw ticket would have been cheaper and better protected. Forgetting to check that the overland leg is realistic in the time available. Not telling the customer that skipping the first flight can cancel the rest of the ticket, which is true for most single tickets. And quoting a different-city return without explaining why the cities differ; customers sometimes assume it is a mistake.
Frequently asked questions
Is an open jaw more expensive than a return?
Often it is similar, because many airlines price it as two half-returns. It depends on the fares to each city and the rules of the fare chosen.
Is an open jaw the same as a multi-city trip?
An open jaw is a type of multi-city trip with two flights and a gap. Multi-city can also mean three or more flights with several stops.
Can I book an open jaw on two airlines?
Sometimes, if the airlines have an agreement and the supplier returns a combined offer. Otherwise it becomes two separate tickets with separate rules.
What if the customer misses the first flight?
On most single tickets, a no-show on the first flight can cancel the later flights. Tell customers to contact you before a missed departure, not after.
Try a multi-city search
Build an open-jaw itinerary on the reference site and see how it is priced.