What Is an Open Jaw Itinerary? When and How to Use Open Jaws
July 30, 2025
If you don’t know what an open-jaw itinerary is and haven’t booked flights this way, you’re not alone.
The simplest way to think about an open jaw is that it represents a gap without flights at some point in an itinerary. A common use is for two-way travel on an itinerary where the destination and/or the origin cities aren’t the same in both directions.
An example of an open-jaw itinerary with flights from Chicago (ORD) to Paris (CDG) and Madrid (MAD) to Chicago is depicted below.
United,Award Booking,Free Oneway
Your Three Best Stopover/Open Jaw/Free One Way Options on United Awards to Europe
June 4, 2015
Last month, I helped my friend book a bread-and-butter United award to Europe. She flew from Newark to Rome to spend a few days, continued to Madrid for a few days, then returned home to Newark. All of it was booked as one award for 60,000 United miles + $110 in taxes.
Source: gcmap.comI had helped her book one of the three highest value United awards to Europe, the "Stopover (Complete Two City)" award.
United,Award Booking,Free Oneway
Your Three Best Stopover/Open Jaw/Free One Way Options on United Awards to Europe
June 4, 2015
Last month, I helped my friend book a bread-and-butter United award to Europe. She flew from Newark to Rome to spend a few days, continued to Madrid for a few days, then returned home to Newark. All of it was booked as one award for 60,000 United miles + $110 in taxes.
Source: gcmap.comI had helped her book one of the three highest value United awards to Europe, the "Stopover (Complete Two City)" award.
Best Of,SkyTeam,Delta,Award Booking
How to Use Delta Miles to Book an Open Jaw Across Regions
June 10, 2014
Delta allows one open jaw per roundtrip award that you can use to see more cities on a single award and to unlock free one ways.
A simple, valid open jaw routing on Delta. The open jaw is between Amsterdam and Paris.Delta allows an open jaw to straddle two regions, so that your outbound can go to Bangkok in Southeast Asia and your return can start from Sydney, Australia.