Why is it called open jaw?

An open-jaw ticket is an airline return ticket where the destination and/or the origin are not the same in both directions. The name is derived from how it looks when drawn on a map.



An "Open Jaw" flight gets its name from the V-shape it creates on a map, resembling a gaping mouth or "jaw." In 2026, this refers to a high-value multi-city itinerary where you fly from Point A to Point B, and then return to Point A from a different city, Point C. For example: flying New York to London, then taking a train to Paris, and finally flying Paris back to New York. The "gap" between London and Paris is the "open" part of the jaw. This is a premier strategy for travelers who want to see more of a region without wasting a whole day of their vacation backtracking to their arrival city. Open-jaw tickets are often priced similarly to standard round-trips, making them a high-value alternative for exploring Europe or Asia efficiently. By eliminating the "return loop" to the first city, you maximize your exploration time and often save significant "last-mile" transportation costs on your journey home.

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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.

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An open-jaw is basically flying from city A to city B and returning to city A from city C. There are no flights between city B and city C. For example, you fly New York to London and from Paris to New York on the same ticket – you have an open-jaw between London and Paris if you have no flights between the two cities.

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Open jaw airfares can be affordable than round-trip tickets But even if the flight isn't cheaper, when you're traveling to multiple destinations, open jaw tickets can save you money on transportation costs, since you won't have to pay for a return trip to your original starting point.

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For example, an open-jaw itinerary could go from NYC to London, and then from Paris back to NYC. Open-jaw flights allow travelers to see two destinations in one trip without backtracking to the initial destination to catch their flight home.

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The practice goes by a few different names, including skiplagging or hidden-city flying. Passengers disembark at their layover city, leaving an empty seat on their next flight, and save money in the process. But airlines are cracking down on the practice, claiming it breaches their rules and costs them revenue.

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A circle trip is like a round-trip except that the route on the return trip differs from the route on the outgoing trip. The journey involves two or more stopovers and returns to the originating city.

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Can you do roundtrip from different airports? Yes. If you depart from one airport but return to another, or fly to one airport and return from another, this is called an open-jaw flight.

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The Loganair Westray to Papa Westray route is the shortest scheduled passenger flight in the world. Flights on the route are scheduled for one and a half minutes, and actual flying time is closer to one minute. The record for the fastest flight is 53 seconds.

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A: The tracks across the Atlantic are determined daily to take into account the meteorological conditions of the moment. If there are strong winds, the eastbound tracks will be farther north to take advantage of them, while the westbound flights will be routed south to avoid the headwinds.

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That's because it is, and there is a very simple reason for it. Despite what many people believe, the answer actually has nothing to do with safety. The real answer is because going north may actually provide a shorter route. This is called Great Circle Navigation.

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Skiplagging itself isn't deemed illegal. However, many major airlines, such as American, Delta, Lufthansa, and United, have policies against its practice. Therefore, passengers who engage in skiplagging are not committing a criminal offense.

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But truth be told, we're the exception to the rule. While there are many pilot and flight attendant couples, and many flight attendants married or committed to other flight attendants, and many pilots with the same connections with other pilots, several factors have made those connections less likely.

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In theory, absolutely! In practice, whether you leave the airport during a layover is tricky. If you're traveling domestically, you won't have to worry about customs or visas, but you're still leaving the airport, and returning gives you zero priorities over other passengers who are checking in on that flight.

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As its name suggests, an open leg flight is one that, well, has an open leg. Perhaps someone chartered the flight to where you are currently located. Now, that private jet needs to be in another location (or back where it came from) for another flight.

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Sterile Area – An area of the airport which provides access for boarding onto and off of aircraft (also referred to as the Gate Area). Access to this area is highly restricted, and only ticketed passengers and individuals with an Airport Security ID Card may enter this area via the TSA Passenger Screening Checkpoint.

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