Multi-city vs one-way tickets on Europe's budget airlines
On full-service airlines, a multi-city ticket can be cheaper than separate tickets, and one booking can be less risky if a leg is changed. On Europe’s budget airlines you’ll mostly book separate one-ways, because that’s how they sell them. There, the order of your cities and the days you fly matter more than the ticket type.
The short version
If your trip is long-haul on a full-service airline, price a multi-city ticket and compare it with one-ways. Going’s guide says multi-city fares can be cheaper, especially on long-haul routes. Travellers on the Rick Steves forum add that one ticket may be less risky if the airline changes or cancels a leg, and they say to price both ways before you buy.
If your trip hops between European cities on Ryanair, Wizz Air, airBaltic or Volotea, you’re almost certainly buying one-way fares. Going notes that for short-haul travel, separate one-ways can sometimes be cheaper, depending on the airline and route. Your real choices are which order to visit the cities in, which days to fly, and how much buffer to leave between flights.
What each option is
A multi-city ticket
One booking with several flights on it, usually on one airline or its partners. The legs are priced together. If the airline cancels or moves one flight, it usually has to sort out the rest of the booking. Changing one leg can mean the whole ticket is repriced.
Separate one-way tickets
Each flight is its own booking. You can mix airlines, change one leg without touching the others, and pick the cheapest flight for each hop. Nobody looks after the connections. If a delay makes you miss your next flight, that flight is gone and the new one is your cost.
Open jaw
An open-jaw ticket is a return ticket where the destination or the origin isn’t the same in both directions, for example flying into Lisbon and home from Athens. On budget airlines you get the same effect at no extra cost, because every leg is already a one-way.
Airline multi-city tools
Two budget airlines offer something in between:
- Ryanair MultiCity puts several Ryanair flights into one booking. According to Irish Travel Addict’s guide, it’s mainly a convenience and not usually cheaper, the routing generally returns to your home country, and the stops usually stay within one destination country.
- WIZZ Link joins Wizz Air flights into one self-transfer journey. Wizz says it includes ConnectSure by Dohop, which helps you reach your destination if a disruption makes you miss the second flight.
Both stay within one airline, so neither can mix the cheapest legs from different airlines.
Side by side
| Multi-city ticket | Separate one-ways | Airline tool (Ryanair MultiCity, WIZZ Link) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typical use | Long-haul, full-service airlines | Budget airlines in Europe | One budget airline, several hops |
| Price | Can be cheaper on long-haul | Each leg at its own fare | Not usually cheaper (Ryanair) |
| Mix airlines | Partners only | Yes | No |
| Missed connection | Handled on the booking | Your risk | WIZZ Link: ConnectSure helps |
| Change one leg | Ticket may be repriced | Only that leg changes | Depends on the airline |
| Choose the order | You choose | You choose | You choose, within the airline’s network |
Where the price really moves
Whichever way you book, you still choose the order of the cities and the days you fly. On budget airlines, that’s where the price moves.
I ran a real search on 5 October 2026: Warsaw round trip through Lisbon, Barcelona, Paris, Rome and Athens, between 2 November and 1 December, with 3 to 6 nights in each city. Each route was a chain of one-way flights you’d book separately. The same five cities came out at anything from €261.76 to €414.42 in flights, depending on the order and the dates, so the dearest route cost 58% more than the cheapest.
Fares were checked that day, and Wizz Air and Volotea fares weren’t available in that search, so another day could find cheaper legs. It’s not a price you’ll get.
I explain how to find that order in the cheapest order to visit cities.
How to book separate one-ways safely
Leave a buffer between flights
Separate bookings don’t wait for each other. On a city-hopping trip it’s rarely an issue, because you stay a few nights between flights. It matters when you try to connect through a city on the same day: leave several hours, or stay the night.
Watch the flight times as closely as the fare
I care about this part most. Land after midnight and you pay for a hotel bed you’ll barely use, while last night’s room in the previous city is already on your card. Take off at dawn and your night ends before it starts. A fare that costs you a night of sleep or a wasted hotel night isn’t cheap.
Check what the fare includes
Budget fares often don’t include a cabin bag or checked luggage. Add the bags you need to every leg before comparing totals, and confirm the final price where you book.
Book the hard legs first
If one leg has only a few flights a week, book it first and fit the rest around it. Separate tickets let you do that.
How ffly fits in
ffly, a multi-city trip planner, is built for the separate one-ways case. Give it your cities, dates and nights, and it compares orders and dates for the whole trip, ranks routes by Best schedule, Balanced or Cheapest, and favours sensible flight times over pre-dawn starts and midnight landings.
Each flight is then yours to book with the airline or a booking site, under their terms, since ffly is a search tool and doesn’t sell tickets. Fares may not include bags, so add those when you book.
The iPhone app gives you 3 free searches, and the web search runs one free search a day.
FAQ
Is it cheaper to book multi-city or separate one-way flights?
It depends on the airline. On long-haul full-service routes, a multi-city ticket can be cheaper, so price both. On Europe’s budget airlines, you’re usually buying one-way fares either way, and the order and dates of your flights change the total far more than the ticket type does.
Can you book multi-city flights on Ryanair?
Yes. Ryanair MultiCity puts several Ryanair flights in one booking. Irish Travel Addict’s guide says it’s mostly a convenience and not usually cheaper, with routing that generally returns to your home country.
Does Wizz Air have multi-city booking?
Wizz Air has WIZZ Link, which combines Wizz Air flights into one self-transfer journey. It includes ConnectSure by Dohop, which helps if a disruption makes you miss the second flight.
What is an open-jaw ticket?
A return ticket where the destination or the origin is different in each direction, such as flying into Lisbon and home from Athens. On budget airlines every leg is a one-way, so you can do this without a special ticket.
What happens if I miss a flight on a separate ticket?
The next airline doesn’t have to wait for you or rebook you, so you usually buy a new flight. That’s why separate tickets need a buffer between flights, or a night’s stay, when you connect.
Key takeaways
- On long-haul full-service routes, a multi-city ticket can be cheaper and may be less risky if a leg changes, so price it against one-ways.
- On Europe’s budget airlines you mostly book separate one-way flights, whichever tool you use.
- Ryanair MultiCity is mostly a convenience and not usually cheaper, and WIZZ Link adds connection help only within Wizz Air.
- In a real five-city search, the order and dates changed the flights total from €262 to €414 with the same ticket type.
- With separate tickets, leave buffers, watch flight times and add bags before you compare prices.