"open jaw" question

I'm taking a cruise next year which leaves out of AMS and then returns out of Stockholm. I've been looking at all these websites for an idea of cost since we'd like to do business for the long haul portions. I was wondering if it would be easier to do RT into and out of AMS and then just get a short cheap flight from Stockholm to AMS. Thought that might be more cost effective than the open jaw tickets. I have no "points" to use so this will be all cash tickets. Any thoughts.

Teanne

I was wondering if it would be easier to do RT into and out of AMS and then just get a short cheap flight from Stockholm to AMS. Thought that might be more cost effective than the open jaw tickets.

Sometimes, that can mean that A-B-A plus a one-way ticket B-C is cheaper, but sometimes not. You have to do the work to find out.

There's a convenience factor too; you might not be able to check your bags all the way through coming back, and you'd need to be sure that there's plenty of time to make the connection, even if the short hop flight is delayed. The round trip airline will be under no obligation to accommodate you if you no-show for the return longhaul flight.

I'm taking a cruise next year which leaves out of AMS and then returns out of Stockholm. I've been looking at all these websites for an idea of cost since we'd like to do business for the long haul portions. I was wondering if it would be easier to do RT into and out of AMS and then just get a short cheap flight from Stockholm to AMS. Thought that might be more cost effective than the open jaw tickets. I have no "points" to use so this will be all cash tickets. Any thoughts.

 

Teanne

Alas, it really depends - sometimes it might be cheaper to do a R/T plus single flight, sometimes not. There's really no substitute for running a variety of searches, and seeing what comes up.

The 'best' airfare is a combination of price, schedule and routing. How many stops are you willing to make in order to get the price down? Are you willing to take unusual routings? Real-life example: I am leaving in a month for a 5-week trip to Europe, the core of which is 4 weeks in London. To get there, I'm flying to Barcelona via Istanbul going, and flying from Dublin via EWR on the return. To and from London is via train. Some people would be horrified by this routing, but by doing it this way, I'm saving enough in taxes and surcharges (these are rewards tickets) to pay for 3-night stays in both Barcelona and Dublin. You need to determine what your personal tolerance for connections is vs. cost saving.

Note also that there are often business class sales in the summer, when business travel is less frequent. Thus, you might be able to snag a great rate if you wait for a while.

I'm taking a cruise next year which leaves out of AMS and then returns out of Stockholm. I've been looking at all these websites for an idea of cost since we'd like to do business for the long haul portions. I was wondering if it would be easier to do RT into and out of AMS and then just get a short cheap flight from Stockholm to AMS. Thought that might be more cost effective than the open jaw tickets. I have no "points" to use so this will be all cash tickets. Any thoughts.

 

Teanne

Easier? I don't think an itinerary on two separate tickets is usually "easier." Chances are you'd have to collect your bags at AMS and then check in all over again for your 2nd ticket. And there are all sorts of risks if the first flight is delayed and you miss the flight on the 2nd ticket.

But if by "easier" you mean "cheaper" then the answer is a definite maybe! You really won't know for sure until you go online and search. See what the price is for a RT to/from AMS plus a separate ticket ARN-AMS. Then do another search using the "multi-city" feature to check for a flight into AMS and a return flight departing from ARN.

Go here and plug in some dates, airport codes, fare choices and see what you find out.... http://matrix.itasoftware.com

Note: you cannot buy tickets on this site but it will show you a plethora of choices and fares.

Finally, be very careful of a short hop from Stockholm to London on a low cost European carrier. Luggage fees are very strict and usually very exhorbitant and could bump your fare up above using different routing.

If you are considering British Airways business class (likely since they have non-stops from AUS to London) then two really easy ways to save money are to sign up for AARP and get yourself the BA Chase Visa credit card.

-AARP gets you $400 off each Club World or First ticket and you don't need to be above 50 to sign up. It was a great joke amongst my friends that in my late 20s I signed up for it! ($16/yr)

-Chase Visa gets you an additional 10% off the entire fare ($95/yr)

I have easily saved well into five figures in the last couple of years alone using these two methods.

At this moment I'm looking at business class fares between JFK and Athens for a quick weekend trip next month, between these discounts I'm looking at only $2600 per person, which really isn't much more than the economy price and superb value given this is relatively short notice.

Look at SAS for you Stockholm to Amsterdam flight if you choose that option. It's a main line carrier that often, considering add on fees, is less than the Ryan Airs of Europe.

Go here and plug in some dates, airport codes, fare choices and see what you find out.... http://matrix.itasoftware.com

 

 

 

Note: you cannot buy tickets on this site but it will show you a plethora of choices and fares.

 

 

 

Finally, be very careful of a short hop from Stockholm to London on a low cost European carrier. Luggage fees are very strict and usually very exhorbitant and could bump your fare up above using different routing.

Thank you for the Matrix information, soooo helpful and useful to be able to compare lots of different airline prices at once

Thanks for sharing, you're a star☀️

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If you're still investigating adding on a OW ticket to a roundtrip, also look at "flipping" the itinerary and using ARN as the "gateway" instead of AMS. Then get a ARN-AMS ticket at the front end of the trip. It's worth comparing the price.

The stopover between the roundtrip and one way tickets increases your risk. I'd allow at least 4 hours for possible arrival delay, Customs/Immigration, transferring and re-checking your luggage onto the next flight and re-clearing security. Ideally, spend the night. Flying from ARN-AMS at the *end* of the cruise is less risky since you're homeward bound and there's no cruise to miss.

Hope this helps.

If you're still investigating adding on a OW ticket to a roundtrip, also look at "flipping" the itinerary and using ARN as the "gateway" instead of AMS. Then get a ARN-AMS ticket at the front end of the trip. It's worth comparing the price.

 

The stopover between the roundtrip and one way tickets increases your risk. I'd allow at least 4 hours for possible arrival delay, Customs/Immigration, transferring and re-checking your luggage onto the next flight and re-clearing security. Ideally, spend the night. Flying from ARN-AMS at the *end* of the cruise is less risky since you're homeward bound and there's no cruise to miss.

 

Hope this helps.

Thanks for the input. That is something to consider. I still have to wait until at least med July to start really looking. I've done some "pretend" bookings but changing the dates out for a month earlier but their still really high. About 3K pp for business. Was hoping for something much cheaper. Can't afford that much for flights-even business.

Teanne