booking

Open Jaw

Open-Jaw Routing

Definition

An award ticket where the outbound destination and return origin (or outbound origin and return destination) are different cities.

Why it matters

Example: JFK → CDG outbound, FCO → JFK return. Saves cash on the intra-Europe positioner. Most programs allow open-jaws within the same region; Alaska even allows trans-regional open-jaws.

Related terms in booking

Saver Award

The cheapest published points price for a flight or hotel night. Award charts publish two tiers: saver (lower, capacity-controlled) and standard (higher, more available).

Saver-Level Inventory

Award seats released at the cheapest published price. Typically 0-4 saver seats per flight, often released 11 months out and then closed within hours.

Stopover

An overnight (or longer) layover on an award ticket, usually allowed once per direction on certain programs. Effectively two destinations on a single award.

Round-the-World

A single award ticket that includes multiple long-haul segments across multiple continents. Available on a few programs (Star Alliance, oneworld).