How Can I Book a Flight That Lands in One City and Departs from Another?

Dear Jessica,

How can I book a flight that lands in one city and departs from another?

—A.R.

Dear A.R.,

The type of flight you’re asking about is commonly referred to as open-jaw itinerary. Open-jaw flights depart from city A and land in city B, and depart from city C and land in city A. However, it is possible to book an open-jaw itinerary that departs from city A, lands in city B, and departs from city B and lands in city C.

Some travelers assume that to book this type of itinerary, you must book several one-way flights. But, unless you’re flying a low-cost carrier, booking a series of one-way flights may be considerably more expensive than booking a round-trip flight.

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Therefore, airlines and online travel agencies have options in their search engines that allow you to book open-jaw flights. The search option is not easy to find on some sites, however.

To book an open-jaw itinerary, go to an airline’s or online travel agency’s website and click on the link reading “Multi-city,” “Advanced Search,” or “More Search Options” near the reservations form on the homepage. You will then see a page that will allow you to enter more than one city pair and date range.

RELATED: The Scoop on Open and One-Way Tickets

Before booking on your preferred airline’s website, it’s still important to shop around. Unfortunately, most of the fare-compare sites do not allow multi-city searches. It will take more effort to search several airlines’ and online travel agencies’ websites to book an open-jaw itinerary than it would to book a round-trip flight.

Remember that you can always save money by flying midweek, at off-peak times (early in the morning or late at night), or by including a Saturday-night stay in your itinerary.

More from SmarterTravel:

• Best Airlines for Free Stopovers
• Flexible Flight Options for Spontaneous Travelers
• Digging Out the Best Airfare for a Complex Itinerary

Last updated: August 17, 2015