Is an open jaw ticket more expensive than round trip?

Usually 0-100 dollars more. Sometimes it is the same price. Check both options. The price difference depends on the specific cities and the airline's routing logic. If the open jaw costs significantly more, calculate whether backtracking by train or bus is cheaper.

Can I book an open jaw ticket with points or miles?

Yes. Most airline loyalty programs let you book open jaw awards. Search for multi-city award flights the same way you search for paid tickets. The miles required are usually the same as a round trip to that region, though some programs charge slightly more.

What if I miss my connection between cities?

If you miss the ground transport between your arrival and departure cities — your train from Rome to Paris — the airline is not responsible. That segment is not part of your ticket. Build in extra time. If your flight home leaves Paris on June 10, do not book a train from Rome that arrives June 10 morning. Arrive June 9.

Can I do a double open jaw?

Yes. You can fly from New York to Rome, then Paris to London, then home from London to Boston. That is a double open jaw — open on both ends. Price it as a multi-city ticket with all segments included. This is less common and more likely to cost extra, but it is possible.

Do I collect my luggage between cities?

Depends. If your open jaw ticket includes a connection (New York to London to Rome, then later Paris to Amsterdam to New York), your bags are checked through on each ticketed segment. But the Rome-Paris train is not part of your ticket, so you carry your own bags on that ground transport.

Open Jaw Flight Basics

An open jaw ticket lets you fly into one city and out of another, or return to a different city than you left from. Book it as a multi-city ticket — it usually costs the same or slightly more than a round trip, and saves you from backtracking across a continent just to catch your flight home.

Understand what open jaw means. An open jaw is any flight where you don't return to your origin city or leave from your destination city. The most common type: fly into Rome, out of Paris. You cover the Rome-Paris distance on the ground. The airline leaves that segment 'open' — you handle it yourself.
Search as multi-city, not round trip. Never search round trip and try to modify it. Go straight to the multi-city or multiple destinations option in your flight search tool. Enter your actual cities: departing from New York to Rome, returning from Paris to New York. Let the system price it as designed.
Compare the numbers. Check what a round trip to your first city costs, then check the open jaw. Sometimes it is identical. Sometimes it is 50-100 dollars more. Rarely it is cheaper. If it is more than 100 dollars more expensive than a round trip, check if the ground transport between your two cities costs less than the difference. If Rome-Paris is 50 dollars by train and the open jaw adds 120 dollars to your ticket, just fly round trip to Rome.
Book it all at once. An open jaw is one ticket with multiple segments. Do not book two one-way flights — that almost always costs more and you lose protections if one flight is delayed. Book the entire trip as one multi-city reservation. You get one confirmation code, one baggage allowance, one set of protections.
Plan your ground transport. You are responsible for getting from Rome to Paris. Book that train, bus, or regional flight separately. Build in buffer time. If you plan 10 days in Italy and 5 in France, your open jaw ticket does not care how you get between them or when — just that you are in Paris for the departure date.

Is an open jaw ticket more expensive than round trip?: Usually 0-100 dollars more. Sometimes it is the same price. Check both options. The price difference depends on the specific cities and the airline's routing logic. If the open jaw costs significantly more, calculate whether backtracking by train or bus is cheaper.
Can I book an open jaw ticket with points or miles?: Yes. Most airline loyalty programs let you book open jaw awards. Search for multi-city award flights the same way you search for paid tickets. The miles required are usually the same as a round trip to that region, though some programs charge slightly more.
What if I miss my connection between cities?: If you miss the ground transport between your arrival and departure cities — your train from Rome to Paris — the airline is not responsible. That segment is not part of your ticket. Build in extra time. If your flight home leaves Paris on June 10, do not book a train from Rome that arrives June 10 morning. Arrive June 9.
Can I do a double open jaw?: Yes. You can fly from New York to Rome, then Paris to London, then home from London to Boston. That is a double open jaw — open on both ends. Price it as a multi-city ticket with all segments included. This is less common and more likely to cost extra, but it is possible.
Do I collect my luggage between cities?: Depends. If your open jaw ticket includes a connection (New York to London to Rome, then later Paris to Amsterdam to New York), your bags are checked through on each ticketed segment. But the Rome-Paris train is not part of your ticket, so you carry your own bags on that ground transport.