A stranger in Seattle made me question my whole flight booking system

I was bragging about scoring a $180 ticket to Chicago when this guy next to me said he pays half that by booking separate one-way legs on different airlines. He showed me his layover trick in Denver, splitting the trip into two $90 tickets. Has anyone else tried splitting routes like that, or is it too risky if one leg gets delayed?

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the_faith2mo ago

Yep, I do this all the time now. The key is booking the first leg with the airline that has the most daily flights, so if yours gets canceled you can rebook within a couple hours. Also never do it with less than a 2.5 hour gap and always check if your bags will make it, that's where people get burned.

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stellac972mo ago

Totally flipped my opinion on this. I used to think splitting tickets was just asking for trouble, but then I did it myself flying to Boston through Atlanta and saved like 60 bucks. Yeah there's some risk if the first flight runs late, but I just made sure I had a solid 3 hour gap and the airline apps kept me updated anyway. Honestly the money saved makes it worth trying at least once on a route you know well.

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