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