With a little work, you can often add more cities to your trip for the same cost or for not much more than you were going to pay anyway. Depending on where you’re flying, it can be cheaper to book a multi-city ticket than separate one-way tickets.
How do I book multiple destination flights?
Many booking websites allow you to choose between roundtrip, one-way, or multi-city when looking for flights. Once you choose the multi-city option, just keep adding flights and dates until your trip is complete (many sites limit you to six legs). When you’re done, you’ll have all of your flights on one itinerary, just like you would for a regular roundtrip. We have a full tutorial that explains how to do this step by step.
Is it cheaper to buy multiple plane tickets? Is a multi-city flight cheaper than several one-ways?
When it comes to long-haul flights, it’s typically cheaper to lump them together on one itinerary instead of buying one-way flights. However, once you’ve reached the region you want to explore, it can be cheaper to buy the short-haul flights one by one.
The reason is because all the flights in a single itinerary need to be on the same airlines or between airlines that have a partnership. However, the cheapest intra-Europe flights, for example, are usually on Ryanair or easyJet which don't have partnerships with airlines like Delta British Airways. And sometimes, it may actually be cheaper to take a train between European cities rather than fly, an option not available to you if you try including the B-C connection in your single itinerary.
For example, if you want to fly from San Francisco to Dublin, hop to Paris, scoot to Athens, and then fly home from Berlin, your best best may be to book a multi-city flight from San Francisco to Dublin, and Berlin to San Francisco on one ticket, and then buy one-ways for the shorter flights within Europe.
On the other hand, if you plan to cross several regions—for example, flying from San Francisco to Hong Kong to London to San Francisco, it may be cheaper to book it all on one ticket.
Of course, while this is true most of the time, it isn’t always. For example on ANA or TAP Air Portugal, it's often cheaper to include all segments. A bit of guess-and-check is helpful here rather than assuming.
Can you do roundtrip from different airports?
Yes. If you depart from one airport but return to another, or fly to one airport and return from another, this is called an open-jaw flight.
What is an open-jaw flight?
An open-jaw flight is when you fly from Point A to Point B and then Point C to Point A, or from Point A to Point B and then from Point B to Point C. For example, you might fly to London from Seattle, but then fly back from London to Portland. Or you might fly from NYC to Paris, but then return to NYC from London
You’d book it the same way as a multi-city flight and can be useful if you plan to do a lot of on-the-ground travel.
What is a double open-jaw ticket?
A double open-jaw ticket is similar to an open-jaw, but all cities are different, so you might fly from Point A to Point B and then from Point C to Point D (e.g from NYC to London, and then from Paris to Boston). It’s still usually cheaper than buying two one-way tickets because it’s still considered a roundtrip ticket as far as the airline is concerned.
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FAQs
A multi-city flight doesn't follow a typical there-and-back itinerary, but goes from Point A to B and on to C. Meet the travel membership saving you hundreds of dollars on flights. We've helped millions travel and experience the world without breaking the bank.
What are multi-city flights? ›
By selecting “Multi-city” as the trip type, you can book a round trip for different routes in each direction. For example, you can fly from Helsinki to Rome and return from Paris to Helsinki, the travel between Rome and Paris being arranged on your own by other means.
What does multiple flights mean? ›
As booking multi-city flights allow multiple flight destinations, you're able to see and visit various cities or countries in just one trip. They add that flexibility where you can create layovers, combine numerous trips, or even fly in and out of different airports.
What does multiple airlines mean? ›
"Multiple Airlines" indicates a flight with a connection in which the different legs are flown by different airlines. For example, for a flight from New York City to Berlin, you might fly United Airlines from New York City to Amsterdam, and then switch to a Lufthansa flight to Berlin.
How do multi-stop flights work? ›
It's a single ticket with multiple stops, anywhere in the world. You can leverage one-way flights, airline hubs, flight specials, and unusual destinations to create the most valuable airfare possible. You can also stopover at key destinations, giving you an entirely new area to explore at little or no cost.
What is an example of a multi-city flight? ›
By selecting “Multi-city” as the trip type, you can book a round trip for different routes in each direction. For example, you can fly from Helsinki to Rome and return from Paris to Helsinki, the travel between Rome and Paris being arranged on your own by other means.
What does multi-city mean? ›
mul·ti·city ˌməl-tē-ˈsi-tē -ˌtī- : having, consisting of, or involving more than two cities. multicity flights. a multicity tour.
Is it better to book multi-city flights? ›
Generally, no. Booking fees are reduced (per item) when booking a Multi-City Flight, and in addition, for some reason the algorithms work to our advantage when booking many cities in advance. But this is not always the case.
What are the benefits of multi-city flights? ›
Business Trips
Consequently, management and other staff constantly need to travel between offices. Multi-city flights help facilitate these interactions. With one single purchase, you can visit multiple different offices and possibly even spend a Sunday relaxing in your favourite holiday spot.
How to plan a multi-city trip? ›
“How to Plan a Multi-Destination Trip: A Step-by-Step Guide”
- Decide on a budget. ...
- Trip duration. ...
- Destinations. ...
- Choose Attractions & Activities. ...
- Look at flights and accommodation. ...
- Research destination travel arrangements. ...
- Make a brief agenda. ...
- Book your main travel, accommodation, and in-destination travel.
Using more than one airline is often the cheapest way to travel but it may require a certain amount of planning to reduce the risks involved. Airport transit visas — if your passport typically requires a visa to visit most countries, then you need to do your research before booking a trip.
Can you book multiple flights on different airlines? ›
It's possible to book flights with different airlines on the same trip. You'll need to make one-way bookings for each airline following the steps on Book a flight. Good to know: Two one-way flights with low-cost airlines usually come to the same price as a return flight.
What does multiple airlines mean on Expedia? ›
Booking a ticket on "Multiple Airlines" means you would receive two (or more) separate tickets. Which in most cases means you will have to recheck luggage on layovers and risk missing the second flight if the first one is delayed. The same terminology also applies on other websites, such as Kayak.
What are the disadvantages of multi-city flights? ›
Multi-city flights can be more complicated to book, and you may not be able to get as good of a deal as you would on a single-city flight. Additionally, you may not be able to see as much as you would if you were to take separate trips to each city.
Are multi-city flights cheaper than one ways? ›
Is a multi-city flight cheaper than several one-ways? When it comes to long-haul flights, it's typically cheaper to lump them together on one itinerary instead of buying one-way flights. However, once you've reached the region you want to explore, it can be cheaper to buy the short-haul flights one by one.
What is a multi-stop ticket? ›
A multi-destination or multi-stop air ticket is a trip that includes 3 or more flights to 2 or more world zones, regardless of which oceans you cross.
Is it cheaper to book multi-city flights together? ›
Is a multi-city flight cheaper than several one-ways? When it comes to long-haul flights, it's typically cheaper to lump them together on one itinerary instead of buying one-way flights. However, once you've reached the region you want to explore, it can be cheaper to buy the short-haul flights one by one.
How does multi-city trip work? ›
A multi-city flight is a single travel booking that allows you to visit several cities during one trip. They are typically less expensive than booking one-way flights between multiple destinations—and they're easier. A multi-city flight will keep your itinerary tied together.
