| Many airline and charter companies permit
| |
| | traveler from Los Angeles might find it
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| two types of airfares that can really
| |
| | significantly more expensive to fly into
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| save you money and time if you book them
| |
| | Calgary and out of Seattle, instead of
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| using the tips I'll give you here. These
| |
| | flying into Calgary and out of Vancouver.
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| airfares are "open jaw" tickets and
| |
| | Note that most discounted fares within
|
| "circle" tickets, also called open jaw
| |
| | one country are combinable.
|
| and circle trips.
| |
| | Also, if fares rules differ, your ticket
|
| Never heard of them? Well, read on to
| |
| | will follow the most restrictive one. For
|
| learn what they are and how to use them.
| |
| | instance, if the roundtrip L.A. to
|
| Circle fares and open jaw fares are
| |
| | Calgary fare allows a maximum stay of 30
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| especially useful when you want to visit
| |
| | days, but the roundtrip L.A. to Vancouver
|
| more than one city, but want to avoid
| |
| | fare allows just 21 days, then the
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| expensive one-way tickets.
| |
| | maximum stay permitted on your open jaw
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| OPEN JAW TRIPS
| |
| | trip will be 21 days.
|
| An open jaw trip is simply a three-city
| |
| | Knowing these rules can help you set up
|
| itinerary where the second and shortest
| |
| | your itinerary in the least expensive
|
| segment is traveled on land. For example,
| |
| | way.
|
| a traveler from L.A. could:
| |
| | CIRCLE TRIPS
|
| - fly to Calgary,
| |
| | Circle fare tickets can also save you
|
| - drive through the Canadian Rockies to
| |
| | time and money. A circle trip is a
|
| Vancouver, and then
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| | multi-destination itinerary that involves
|
| - fly from Vancouver back to L.A.
| |
| | flying between three cities, rather than
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| This takes less money than buying a
| |
| | traveling to any of them on land.
|
| roundtrip ticket from Los Angeles to
| |
| | For example, you might fly out of Des
|
| Calgary and an expensive one-way ticket
| |
| | Moines to Oakland, then fly from Oakland
|
| back from Vancouver to Calgary. It also
| |
| | to San Diego, and finally fly back to Des
|
| takes less time than driving back to
| |
| | Moines from San Diego.
|
| Calgary-and gives more time to enjoy
| |
| | To get the cheapest circle trip fare,
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| Canada's beautiful national parks.
| |
| | your trip must follow the same conditions
|
| HOW OPEN JAW TICKET PRICES ARE DETERMINED
| |
| | outlined for the open jaw ticket:
|
| The open jaw fare "averages out" two
| |
| | 1) All flights must use the same airline
|
| roundtrip fares. Let's pursue the same
| |
| | or its partners,
|
| example-our traveler wants to book a
| |
| | 2) The second trip of the three needs to
|
| flight from Los Angeles to Calgary and
| |
| | be the shortest (except in a few cases),
|
| then another flight from Vancouver to Los
| |
| | and
|
| Angeles.
| |
| | 3) The fares must conform to the
|
| If the roundtrip fare from Los Angeles to
| |
| | airline's rules (see above for details).
|
| Calgary costs $400, and the roundtrip
| |
| | COMBINING OPEN JAW AND CIRCLE TRIPS
|
| fare from Los Angeles to Vancouver costs
| |
| | You may be wondering by now if these two
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| $350, our traveler would pay
| |
| | types of trips can be combined. Yes, they
|
| approximately $375 for her open jaw
| |
| | can. For example, you could fly from
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| ticket. In other words, the open jaw
| |
| | Boston to Phoenix, drive from Phoenix to
|
| ticket gives you the price of half of two
| |
| | Las Vegas, fly from Las Vegas to San
|
| roundtrip tickets.
| |
| | Jose, and then fly back to Boston from
|
| (We'll discuss how you set up an open jaw
| |
| | San Jose.
|
| ticket later in this article.)
| |
| | And, if an airline like Southwest offers
|
| WHEN YOU CAN USE OPEN JAW TICKETS
| |
| | cheap one-way tickets on several of your
|
| Usually, open jaw tickets are permitted
| |
| | intended routes, you can book even more
|
| either solely within one country or from
| |
| | creative and complex itineraries at low
|
| one country to one other country. For
| |
| | fares.
|
| example, you could fly from Chicago to
| |
| | BOOKING THE LEAST EXPENSIVE CIRCLE OR
|
| Durban, South Africa, drive to Cape Town,
| |
| | OPEN JAW TRIP
|
| and then fly back to Chicago from Cape
| |
| | Most online discount airfare sites offer
|
| Town.
| |
| | an easy way to set up a circle and/or
|
| One exception to the "one other country"
| |
| | open jaw ticket. On most sites, such as
|
| rule is that Europe is treated as one
| |
| | Travelocity and Orbitz, you'll choose the
|
| country. You can fly into Berlin and out
| |
| | multi-destination or multi-city option.
|
| of Copenhagen, into Rome and out of
| |
| | Some sites may use different phasing. For
|
| Amsterdam, or many other combinations.
| |
| | example, on Expedia, you'll first click
|
| The least expensive open jaw tickets are
| |
| | One-Way, and then choose
|
| usually available only when these three
| |
| | multi-destination. And, although some
|
| conditions are met:
| |
| | sites like Hotwire do not offer
|
| 1) The flights must be on the same
| |
| | multi-destination trips, they often have
|
| airline or its partners (e.g., KLM and
| |
| | links to sites that do.
|
| Northwest).
| |
| | In addition, since you can't use
|
| 2) The distance of the "open jaw," or the
| |
| | last-minute options such as Priceline's
|
| segment traveled on land, usually must be
| |
| | "Name your own price" bidding for circle
|
| shorter than either of the two flown
| |
| | and open jaw trips, you will almost
|
| segments.
| |
| | always get the best prices if you book
|
| 3) The fares used for the two flown
| |
| | your trip before the airline advanced
|
| sections must conform to airline rules:
| |
| | purchase deadlines.
|
| First, they must be combinable. For
| |
| | SO, bite into the open jaw fares or orbit
|
| example, many Canadian and U.S. fares are
| |
| | with the circle fares-even combine the
|
| not combinable with each other. Our
| |
| | two-and SAVE TIME AND MONEY!
|
