Buying two separate tickets a potential problem?
 

I'm looking at flights from midwest to DTW to AMS to BRE and return from HAJ to AMS to MSP and home. I cannot get the flights I want to come up on the Delta website or on Kayak. If I buy the AMS/BRE and HAJ/AMS ticket separately, the combined cost is less than any all-in-one ticket (not the schedule I want, however). Are there any issues I need to be aware of other than possible late flights and missing the connection? The arrival in AMS would be 5:55am and departure on KLM Cityhopper flight would be 8:45 to BRE. There would be 5 hours in AMS on return so that should be ok.
Any thoughts on this issue? Thanks!

The two potential problems are (a) a misconnect rendering the second ticket useless - much more important on the return than on the outbound, and (b) the need to collect bags and re-check them for the onward flights, which could be a problem in the event of the first/third flight arriving late.

You can put a cost to this by looking at the price of one-way flights bought tomorrow or the day after. Chances are Delta wouldn't make you pay a full fare if you missed the AMS-MSP flight, but the odds are good that you'd pay more than just a change fee, maybe a hefty fare adjustment.

Have you tried Expedia instead of Kayak? And when is this trip? If it's in the peak/summer season, I'd be somewhat more concerned.

I'd also look at trains to/from AMS airport - very connected to the whole northern European rail system.

Thank you for your response. This is in early-mid September. I will do carryon, so bag not an issue. Good point about trains; I've done that in the past, but the fare of $128 for the AMS/BRE and HAJ/AMS seems to be pretty comparable. I'll check again, tho.

I will check Expedia, and maybe call Delta. I usually prefer to buy directly from the airline.

Again, thanks! :)

Did you try on Delta or Kayak using "multicity" feature for each individual segment (and not just the open jaw). For example segments DTW-AMS, then AMS-BRE, then HAJ-AMS and finally AMS-DTW. That would be more likely to let you pick the schedule for each segment that you want but it would still be all on one ticket.

I think it would work the same even if you need a total of six segments, 3 on the outbound and 3 on the inbound.

laurie, thank you. Yes, I tried on Delta numerous times with separate segments and it always came up... something about my flights or routes not available on those dates, or somesuch. And I think Kayak wouldn't let me do 6 segments....BUT today I actually was able to do it on the Delta site.....so I wouldn't need to get two tickets. ......but train from and to AMS would be about $50 less....so I'll have to think about it. I do really like the train!

Thanks again!

In future searches on Delta, you need to use the search by schedule, not search by price which is the default. Delta tries to make things difficult in searches. Make a note of the flights you want, go to Delta's website, click multi-city and make sure you are searching by schedule. Enter each leg.

Thx, ky! Good info. I should have thought of that.