When you travel frequently enough, you begin noticing little quirks and genius hacks when booking flights, hotels, cars, and beyond.
This is especially true when pricing flights out, and I’ve personally developed my own process for ensuring I get the most cost effective option. I always check to see whether two one-way tickets are cheaper than a round-trip flight. In many instances they are, which kicks the whole “always book round trip” rule to the curb.
Though, personally speaking, I’ve both regretted my choice of splitting a ticket and reveled in my own money-saving genius. Ultimately, you need to factor in logistics, your own comfort level, and cost before making a choice. Here’s what you need to know, in order to decide which way to go.
In this article
Why Two One-Ways Can Cost the Same as a Round Trip
Airline ticket pricing is far more complex than simply adding up the cost of each flight leg.
Factors like demand, competition, timing, and available fare classes can all influence the final price, which, by the way, is dynamic and can change daily or even hourly.
Sometimes, buying two one-way tickets lets you access cheaper fares on each individual leg, especially if you mix airlines, while the round-trip itinerary is priced into a sometimes more expensive fare bucket.
An example of this might look like one airline offering a cheaper flight in one direction, while another airline offers a cheaper flight in the other, explains Jennifer Yellin, a travel expert at Points Path. The result is a cheaper total fare cost when splitting the ticket versus opting into the round trip.
When Splitting Your Flights Can Save You Money
Splitting a ticket means booking parts of the same trip as separate reservations instead of buying one ticket for your entire itinerary. This can be a money-saver in a few different scenarios.
“I often see this on domestic and regional routes where several airlines, including low-cost carriers, compete,” says Andrés Serra, head of operations for Optimise Travel. “It can also happen if a traveler can pick between nearby airports.”
For long international trips, round-trip pricing is usually better since each individual leg can sometimes be as costly as the entire round-trip ticket.
However, it’s still worth your while to compare a round trip, two one-way tickets with the same airline, and two one-ways with different airlines.
For example, I always price tickets this way when flying into and out of New York City to check the one-way cost for each of the three main airports (LaGuardia, Newark, and John F. Kennedy) as it can be beneficial to book one way out of one airport, and the return out of another. I also do this for the same reason when flying into the D.C. area, and for the Los Angeles or San Francisco areas.
The Perks of Open-Jaw Flights
An open-jaw flight is when you book either a one-way or multi-city ticket that arrives into one airport with a return flight departing out of a different one.
This could be either in the same city or different cities. For example, maybe you fly into JFK in New York, but out of LaGuardia because the total price would be cheaper (or there are more convenient times) than if you went in and out of the same airport.
This is one of my favorite ways to travel for a couple key reasons. First, it usually translates to big adventure and provides a lot more flexibility for multi-country or multi-city travel. I did this on a recent flight in and out of Europe where I wanted to travel into London, but out of Paris for logistical reasons.
Another perk is that it allows you to take advantage of cheaper fares by comparing flights into different cities, at different times, and even different neighboring airports within the same city.
I had some friends do an “around the world trip” this way recently. They covered multiple continents over a couple months and only spent around $1,000 in total for their tickets. They were able to do that by booking only open-jaw tickets and traveling in between each airport on their own. They chose destinations that interested them, but were heavily influenced by the places with the best-priced flights, and let those decisions guide their way. It was the talk of our friend group chat this summer.
When Booking a Round Trip Is the Better Deal
Sometimes, booking a round-trip ticket is the better deal from a purely financial standpoint. In that case, take your cost savings and run (or should I say, fly). Other times, a round trip is a better choice for logistical reasons, and can save you headaches and stress.
Here are a few scenarios where I would never consider split fares.
If you have connections across multiple carriers, skip split fares. A flight that requires a tight connection, but each leg is booked separately is risky. If your first flight is late, the second airline won’t consider waiting for you like a full ticket might.
Say you book a flight from Los Angeles to New York on United through Denver, and your first flight is late, United would help you rebook to eventually get from Denver to New York. But if you use two different airlines for those two legs, the second leg has no obligation to wait for you and might count you as a no-show. And if you’re flying internationally and need to pick up bags before going through immigration, it can make tight connections even more unrealistic, and stressful.
I also don’t recommend it if you’re checking bags while traveling on a split fare with a connection. Otherwise, upon landing, you’d have to go pick up your bags, re-check them, and go through security again. If you need to check bags, book a connecting flight using the same carrier for both legs since an airline will only check your bag to the final destination they service.
Note that even with a carry-on, there’s a risk you may have to force-check your bag and do this. If you are checking a bag, you’ll need to bake in more time at your connection.
Additionally, all carriers impose fees, with low-cost carriers being particularly notorious for nickel and diming. The more you add additional airlines, the more fees you’ll pay.
Always compare carry-on sizes, weight limits, checked-bag fees, seat charges, and cancellation policies for both airlines. In some cases, what looks like a lower fare upfront can quickly lose its advantage once the carrier’s additional fees are added. They may eat up (or even exceed) the savings you thought you were getting.
“For separate outbound and return flights without a same-day connection, I think saving $75 to $100 per person is worth it,” Serra says. “For an unprotected connection, I look for at least $200 per person or about 20 percent off the airfare.” Even then, it’s probably worth skipping if a risky connection could mean buying another long-haul ticket.
The Shortcut
Always price your trip both ways. Dynamic pricing means prices fluctuate daily so you can sometimes get a cheaper fare on two one-way tickets over a round-trip ticket.
Open-jaw tickets include flying into one airport and out of another. These can offer potential savings and provide you with more flexibility in your itinerary.
Never split a tight connection between airlines. If your first flight runs late, the second airline has no obligation to hold the seat.
An airline will only tag your checked bag as far as it flies, so a split fare between airlines means you have to collect it, recheck it, and clear security again mid-trip.
If you're saving less than $75 per person, just book the round-trip. Below that, the cost savings isn't worth the extra logistics and risk.
