A multi-city or open-jaw ticket lets you fly into one Indian city and leave from another, for example Toronto to Delhi, then Mumbai to Toronto, on a single booking. Fares are usually priced close to a normal return, often with a modest premium rather than double. It works best when you are covering two regions of India and would otherwise waste days or money doubling back.
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✓ Fact-checked · Oct 2026
What is an open-jaw ticket, and how is it different from multi-city?
An open-jaw is a return ticket where the two ends don’t match: you land in one city and depart from another, or you leave from one Canadian airport and come home to a different one.
Agents sort them into three types:
- Destination open-jaw: Toronto to Delhi, return Mumbai to Toronto. The most common request we see on the Canada-India desk.
- Origin open-jaw: Vancouver to Delhi, return Delhi to Calgary. Handy when family has moved or a student is relocating.
- Double open-jaw: Calgary to Delhi, return Mumbai to Toronto. Both ends differ, so it needs the most careful pricing.
“Multi-city” is the booking-engine name for the same idea, with more room to add legs: Canada to Delhi, Delhi to Kochi, Kochi to Dubai, Dubai to Canada. Each leg is a separate line in the search form, but airlines still decide whether it prices as one fare or as a stack of one-ways. Travel writers at The Points Guy make the same point: the whole appeal is flying into one city and out of another without paying for the backtrack.
Is an open-jaw ticket more expensive than a return?
Sometimes it costs the same, usually it costs a bit more, and occasionally it’s cheaper than the return you were about to book. There is no fixed rule, which is exactly why quoting it properly takes time.
Here’s what actually drives the number:
- Which airline and fare class are available on each end. A return fare is priced as two halves. If the Mumbai-to-Toronto half is in a higher booking class on your dates than Delhi-to-Toronto, the open-jaw inherits the higher half.
- Whether both ends are on the same carrier or alliance. Mixed carriers on one ticket narrow your choices a lot.
- Season. Open-jaw tickets feel the same peaks as everything else. Late December and June departures from Canada squeeze fares at both ends.
- Distance between the two Indian cities. Airlines generally set limits on the unflown gap between your arrival and departure cities on special open-jaw fares. Delhi and Mumbai, roughly 1,150 km by air, are routinely allowed. Delhi plus Kochi or Chennai may be priced differently. Fare rules vary, so treat this as general guidance.
For reference, Air Canada’s own fare pages in early October 2026 showed Toronto-Delhi returns from about CAD 1,618 for late October travel, and from CAD 1,906 to 2,080 from Winnipeg and Edmonton. Those are “from” fares collected over the previous 48 hours, and they move daily. An open-jaw on the same dates won’t match them to the dollar, but it shouldn’t be a different universe either. If someone quotes you double, ask why.
Which cities can you actually fly into and out of?
From Canada, the nonstop choices into India are narrower than people assume. Toronto-Delhi and Vancouver-Delhi are the main nonstops, and Air India has announced a seasonal Toronto-Mumbai nonstop starting 25 October 2026, three times a week to 26 March 2027, according to Flymag’s coverage of the schedule. Schedules change, so confirm before you build a plan around it.
Everything else, including Amritsar, Kochi, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad, connects through Delhi, Mumbai, a Gulf hub or a European one. That’s actually helpful for open-jaw routing, because you already have an arrival city and a connection to choose.
| Routing idea | Who it suits | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Toronto → Delhi, Mumbai → Toronto | Families split between Punjab/Delhi and Maharashtra/Gujarat | Mumbai nonstop is seasonal; otherwise one end connects |
| Vancouver → Delhi, Delhi → Calgary | Moving a student or relative between Canadian cities | Different home airports can change the taxes and the fare class |
| Toronto → Amritsar, Delhi → Toronto | Roadtrip or train from Punjab to Delhi, then home | Amritsar service is mostly connecting, so confirm the current schedule and how bags are checked |
| Canada → Delhi, Kochi → Dubai → Canada | North-to-south trips with a Gulf stopover on the way back | Stopover length and cost depend on the fare rules |
When is an open-jaw actually worth it?
It’s worth it when the alternative is a long, pointless trip back to where you landed. A few honest cases:
- A wedding in Gujarat and visiting parents in Delhi. Land in Delhi, take the train or a short domestic flight to Gujarat, fly home from Ahmedabad or Mumbai. You skip the loop back.
- Two families in two states. Spend a week in Chandigarh, then a week in Kerala. Rather than doubling back through Delhi at the end, you exit from Kochi.
- A trip that continues past India. India to Nepal or Sri Lanka or a Gulf stopover, then home. Compare it with the stopover options in our stopover destinations guide.
Say you’re flying from Calgary, your parents are in Delhi and your in-laws live in Mumbai. A plain return into Delhi means a domestic flight from Mumbai back to Delhi before the long-haul home, which adds fees and a missed-connection risk. An open-jaw fare into Delhi and out of Mumbai replaces all of that with one itinerary. You still need a domestic hop in the middle, but you can book it at a time that suits the family and not the long-haul schedule.
And when it isn’t worth it? A short stay of under two weeks in one city, where both ends share a fare class. Book the normal return. You’ll save time and there’s less to go wrong.
Why do online booking sites price these badly?
Because the search engines are built for the return trip and the one-way. A multi-city search is an afterthought.
Three things go wrong. Some sites price the legs as separate one-ways, which tends to cost more on international sectors. Some don’t show every carrier’s combined fare for odd city pairs. And some combine two separate tickets, which looks like one booking but isn’t one, and that has baggage consequences we’ll get to in a moment.
It is worth running your own search first. Plug in each leg, compare with a plain return, and note the gap. Our post on comparing booking sites covers how the big ones differ. My rule of thumb: if the open-jaw lands within a couple of hundred dollars of a plain return, it’s usually worth taking for the saved backtracking. Much higher than that, and it’s worth having someone price it by hand.
That’s where a real agent helps. At Metairfare we price multi-city and group routings by hand against negotiated and unpublished fares with 50+ airlines, and we’re happy to compare the open-jaw against two separate options before you commit. Our team is Calgary-based and reachable on +1-877-700-0520, with 750+ Google reviews and 2,000+ Trustpilot reviews behind it.
What are the pitfalls of multi-city and open-jaw tickets?
The big risks are separate tickets, baggage, and what happens if you miss a leg. Each one is avoidable if you know it’s there.
Separate tickets are not one itinerary
One ticket number covering every flight means the airline looks after you if a connection breaks. Two tickets stitched together mean you’re on your own. If your first flight lands late and you miss the second, the second airline owes you nothing. This is the biggest reason to keep the long-haul and the connection on one booking, and it’s covered in more detail in our layovers and connections guide.
Baggage changes when the booking changes
On a single ticket, bags are normally checked through to the final point. On separate tickets you collect, clear customs and re-check. And Indian domestic economy allowances are tight: Air India and IndiGo both allow most domestic economy passengers 15 kg checked, which is well below the two-piece international allowance you probably paid for. Families coming home with gifts and suitcases of clothes feel this first. Buy extra domestic baggage in advance, because it’s cheaper than at the counter.
Skip a leg and the rest can be cancelled
Most airlines treat a no-show on one segment as a reason to cancel the segments that follow. If you plan to take a train or road trip instead of the domestic flight inside an open-jaw, ask first, because how this is handled depends on the fare. Leaving a gap on purpose (the “surface sector”) is the point of an open-jaw. Missing a flight you were booked on is a different matter.
Changes cost more
Open-jaw and multi-city fares often have stricter change rules than a plain return. If your dates might move, ask what the change fee is before paying.
What about visas and entry points?
For an Indian e-Visa, arrival is restricted to designated airports and seaports, but you can leave through any Indian immigration check post, according to the Indian e-Visa portal. Delhi, Mumbai and Cochin are all on the arrival list, so a Delhi-in, Mumbai-out plan is fine. If you hold an OCI card, none of this applies to you the same way, and our OCI booking tips go through it.
How do you build one that works?
A sensible order of operations:
- Write down the fixed dates and the cities you must be in. Everything else flexes.
- Price a plain return into your main city as a baseline.
- Price the open-jaw on the same dates. Note the difference.
- Price the separate-ticket alternative, then add the baggage and risk.
- Check change rules, then book. If the numbers are close, choose the one ticket.
The Canada to India flights guide covers where each nonstop and connection fits in, and our cheapest-month breakdown helps with the timing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I fly into Delhi and return from Mumbai on one ticket?
Yes. It’s a standard destination open-jaw, and many airlines price it as one return itinerary. You arrange your own travel between Delhi and Mumbai, by train or a separate domestic flight. Fares depend on your dates and the booking class available on each end, so it’s worth getting a quote for both.
Is a multi-city ticket cheaper than two one-way tickets?
Often, but not always. International one-ways can cost a lot more than half a return, so a true open-jaw usually beats two one-ways. Compare both on your dates, because on some routes and seasons the one-way pair is close or even lower.
What happens if I miss the domestic flight in the middle of an open-jaw?
If the domestic leg is part of the same ticket and you don’t fly it, the airline may cancel the remaining segments. If it’s a separate ticket, only that flight is affected. Check the fare rules before replacing a booked flight with a train, and tell the airline in advance where possible.
Can I start my trip in one Canadian city and return to another?
Yes, that’s an origin open-jaw, such as Vancouver to Delhi and Delhi to Calgary. It’s useful for students relocating or families who have moved. Taxes and fare classes differ by airport, so the price can land above or below a normal return.
Does an open-jaw ticket allow a stopover on the way?
Often, yes, within the rules of the fare. Gulf and European hubs usually allow stopovers that are priced in or add a modest charge. The permitted length and cost vary by airline and ticket, so ask for the stopover to be built into the quote and not added later.
Will my baggage be checked through on a multi-city ticket?
On a single ticket, bags are generally checked to your final destination for each leg. On separate tickets, you collect and re-check them. Domestic flights in India commonly allow only 15 kg in economy, so confirm the allowance before you fly.
Can I change the return city after booking?
Usually, but it counts as a change and may involve a fee plus any fare difference. Open-jaw fares can carry stricter conditions than standard returns. Ask for the change rules in writing before you pay, particularly if your plans are not firm.
Planning a Delhi-in, Mumbai-out trip, or two Canadian cities on one ticket? Call +1-877-700-0520 or WhatsApp us your cities and dates, and an agent will price the open-jaw against a standard return.
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