Everything You Need To Know About Booking Separate Airline Tickets

It’s safe to say that most travelers prefer a nonstop flight to reach their destination, but that’s not always possible. If you live in a small or midsize city with fewer direct flight options, you might have to settle for an itinerary that has a layover in an airline’s hub airport — say, flying from Columbus to London via New York’s JFK Airport. Most often, you’ll be able to buy this as one through ticket, either on a single airline or an airline and its codeshare partner. But in other scenarios, it might be beneficial to book those two legs as two individual tickets — although doing so comes with a certain level of risk. Find out everything you need to know about booking separate airline tickets.

What Are the Benefits of Booking Individual Tickets?

One of the top reasons you might consider booking each leg of your flight itinerary separately is cost. For example, KLM could be offering a flight from Washington, D.C., to Krakow, Poland, via Amsterdam that costs $1,500 round trip. But if you search using Google Flights — one of our favorite tools for finding flight deals — the site may suggest what Google calls a “virtual interline” itinerary. Instead, you would book the flight to Amsterdam with KLM and then book a separate leg on a low-cost carrier such as EasyJet and make a self-transfer to reach your final destination of Krakow. In this case, booking separately could save you a significant amount on airfare.

Another reason some travelers prefer to book separate tickets is that it often affords them more flexibility. For instance, if travelers have a preferred airline, but that airline doesn’t offer the flights they are looking for, they might book a portion of the itinerary to the preferred airline’s hub and the rest of the trip on a separate carrier. This often works well when trying to redeem points, too, as airlines may offer better redemption deals to certain airports. If you’re willing to get yourself to a different airport on a separate ticket, you could score that award ticket for much less. 

And finally, you might also consider booking separate tickets if you want to add a short stopover to your trip. If you’re flying all the way to Europe, after all, maybe you want to spend a few hours exploring Amsterdam before you continue on to your final destination. 

What Are the Risks of Buying Airline Tickets Separately? 

The single biggest risk with booking separately is flight delays. Because you’re booking with separate carriers, if your first flight is delayed, causing you to miss your next flight, the second carrier has no obligation to rebook you free of charge. In contrast, if you buy a single ticket with the same airline, the carrier is obligated to rebook you on the next available flight to your final destination. 

Another potentially thorny issue? Luggage. If you’re planning to check a bag on separate tickets, you’ll have to check it with the first operating carrier, claim it at your transfer airport, and then recheck it with the next airline. If your first flight is delayed, you may not have enough time to meet the baggage check-in cutoff time for your next flight, or if the first airline loses your bag, it might be more of a headache to locate it and deliver to your final destination. And if both airlines charge baggage fees for your ticket, you’ll end up paying more for checking luggage, too.

Finally, there’s also a risk that airlines could change their schedules. The risk is greater the further out you book, when most airlines have “placeholder” schedules. These schedules are based on historical passenger data — it isn’t until a few months out that many airlines adjust their schedules to what they actually plan to fly. If you bought a single ticket, the airline will reaccommodate you in the event of a schedule change, but if you book separately, airlines won’t rebook for free because of another airline’s schedule change. 

As USA Today explains, “The crux of the problem is that if you book separate tickets from point A to point B to point C, the airline operating your first flight has no responsibility to transport you to your final destination. What you may think of as a single trip is actually two separate itineraries, and each carrier is only required to fly you on the segment you booked with it.”

Tips for Booking Separate Airline Tickets

Despite the risks, it might still make sense to book a split ticket. If you do, be sure to leave a healthy buffer in between flights. Most experts recommend a minimum layover of four to six hours — or more if the layover involves an airport change or if you’ll have to spend extra time clearing customs and immigration. (If that’s the case, be sure to check entry requirements at your layover city — if you’ve booked separately, you’ll have to enter the country to check in again with another carrier.)

Some experts even caution against a same-day layover. “The only time when a split ticket can make sense is when you are planning to spend some extra time in your connection city — at least an overnight stay,” says Robert Niles, editor of Theme Park Insider. “That extra time gives you some wiggle room should your initial flight not get you to the connecting airport when you planned.”

If you’re planning to go this route, it may make sense to purchase travel insurance, too, which can cover you in the event of flight delays. But as financial website This Is Money cautions, you’ll need to read the fine print of your policy carefully to ensure you have full coverage. 

Given the risks, you’ll always want to be prepared for the unexpected when booking separately. While your travel day may go smoothly — and save you hundreds of dollars in the process — make sure you have your essentials packed in your carry-on, including toiletries and a change of clothes, so you’re covered in case of unforeseen disruptions.