What are Separate tickets?

Separate tickets are two independent bookings covering one journey with a connection, where no airline is responsible for the transfer between them.

Also called: Self-transfer, Self-connection.

How it works#

The saving against a through booking is real and so is the exposure: if the first flight runs late, the second is simply lost. There is no right to rebooking, no duty of care and usually no insurance cover for the missed flight. Bags are normally not checked through, and in many countries immigration has to be cleared between the two tickets.

Not to be confused with#

Separate tickets are not the same as a codeshare connection: on a codeshare both legs sit in one booking with unbroken airline responsibility.

In German#

The German term is Getrennte Tickets. German version of this term

Related terms#

• Minimum connection time: Minimum connection time is the shortest connection a reservation system will sell at a given airport between two flights.
• Through-checked baggage: Through-checked baggage is luggage tagged to the final destination at the first departure, so it does not need collecting at the connecting airport.
• Positioning flight: A positioning flight is a separately booked flight to the airport where the real trip starts, often because that is where award space was found.

Articles that use this term#

• Why booking separate tickets can cost you
• How much connection time do you actually need?
• Will your bag be checked through?
• What do you do first when your flight is cancelled?
• When is the best time to book a flight?
• What’s in the fare rules, and why read them?