4 ms·

Generally it's easier to book a trip with legs on different carriers if they have a codeshare arrangement, because you can just do it as a single itinerary thro

Generally it's easier to book a trip with legs on different carriers if they have a codeshare arrangement, because you can just do it as a single itinerary through one carrier's web site. Otherwise you often need a travel agent to be able to put together the itinerary (that's not strictly necessary though, just the way they make it work so no technical reason they couldn't just offer non codeshare flight numbers) The other thing is airline points/status - sometimes you get no status points/miles on non-codeshare partner flight numbers but you do on the codeshare flight numbers.

kalleboo 2y ago
I guess my question is, is it easier to upgrade the carrier website flight booking engines and mileage programs to deal with the original carrier flight numbers rather than upgrading all of the systems across the industry to deal with a larger name space for flight numbers universally?
bruce511 2y ago
Also, connections. If it's a connecting flight, and the incoming flight is running late, then the airline "sorts you out". Basically they know sboit your connection and make a plan. I've been on a plane out of Heathrow that waited for a 30-min late incoming flight. I've also been on a late flight where my connection has been rebooked for me because we arrived late. If you book "2 tickets" you're basically a no-show to the first flight, and you're on your own dealing with that airline.
- skissane 2y ago
  I did that once - book connecting flights on two different tickets - and although I ended up actually making the connection (despite the first flight running 2-3 hours late), the experience was so nerve-racking I swore I’d never do that again. It helped that the flight I was connecting to ended up running late too. The reason I did it was it was a personal side-trip (to see family) on an international work trip, and although my employer would let me mix work and personal travel on their booking (provided I reimbursed them for the cost of the personal portion), the bureaucracy involved had put me off going down that path.
  - thaumasiotes 2y ago
    > provided I reimbursed them for the cost of the personal portion How does that work, given that the cost of the personal portion isn't independent of the rest of the booking? I was just looking at a flight plan on kiwi.com that they could book for $900, with the individual legs costing $250, $350, and $500 if booked through the carriers.
    - skissane 2y ago
      They price two itineraries - one with the work part only, the other with both work and personal. They book the combined itinerary and then you reimburse them the differnce
      - RexM 2y ago
        Yep, I’ve done something similar. Flew to a conference for work, then had them fly me to my vacation destination instead of home. I basically ended up getting a free one-way flight for vacation.
    - Pinus 2y ago
      I’m not familiar with Kiwi, but I noticed a comment thread about them on travel.stackexchange.com recently, discussing whether to describe them as “fraud” or just “using booking practices that subject the client to extreme risks”. Be sure to read the fine print on that booking!
      - thaumasiotes 2y ago
        The only problem with them is that they will search for and book flights with exactly the maximum luggage allowance that you specify, and they don't make this clear or really point out that you need to specify an amount of luggage corresponding to the amount you'll be taking with you. They will also show you itineraries that result from booking separate legs of the flight separately, which I'm guessing is what you're referring to. That's not in the fine print; you cannot possibly avoid being made aware when that's happening.
- kalleboo 2y ago
  You don't need to be on a codeshare for that to work though, it just needs to be on the same itinerary - the flight numbers can be on different airlines and still on the same itinerary.
  - bsimpson 2y ago
    Do you know of any easy ways to book an arbitrary itinerary across carriers?
    - jachee 2y ago
      Sounds like a premium service someone could build. :)
      - chx 2y ago
        Nope, they can't, either the GDS allows booking it in which case it's already possible or the GDS doesn't allow booking it and then no app can do it. There are plenty services already which allows you to book the craziest itineraries. Like, ITA Matrix Powertools can construct a clickable link into Orbitz from ITA Matrix searches and it doesn't get crazier than that. There's Bookwithmatrix too.
      - colimbarna 2y ago
        Isn't it entirely dependent on the airlines, what counts as one itinery? How could I contractually obligate them to something they didn't agree to be contractually obligated to? (BTW: I've had multiairline itineraries many times. I think a lot of airlines are perfectly happy to do it because they can't fly domestic in that country and the domestic airline doesn't fly international. Also, there have been times when I haven't been able to, and I've been worried about it, and I got to the airport for manual checkin, and they've said "oh, i see you have an ongoing flight to such-and-such, do you want me to check you in for the whole journey?")
    - kalleboo 2y ago
      I don't know about "arbitrary" but most of my travel I book with something like Expedia ends up being split across carriers without using codeshare numbers. E.g. over Christmas I visited my parents in Australia and the domestic leg to Tokyo was a JL flight number, and international leg was a QF flight number, both on the same itinerary/using the same confirmation code.

kalleboo 2y ago

I guess my question is, is it easier to upgrade the carrier website flight booking engines and mileage programs to deal with the original carrier flight numbers rather than upgrading all of the systems across the industry to deal with a larger name space for flight numbers universally?

bruce511 2y ago

Also, connections. If it's a connecting flight, and the incoming flight is running late, then the airline "sorts you out". Basically they know sboit your connection and make a plan. I've been on a plane out of Heathrow that waited for a 30-min late incoming flight. I've also been on a late flight where my connection has been rebooked for me because we arrived late. If you book "2 tickets" you're basically a no-show to the first flight, and you're on your own dealing with that airline.

skissane 2y ago
I did that once - book connecting flights on two different tickets - and although I ended up actually making the connection (despite the first flight running 2-3 hours late), the experience was so nerve-racking I swore I’d never do that again. It helped that the flight I was connecting to ended up running late too. The reason I did it was it was a personal side-trip (to see family) on an international work trip, and although my employer would let me mix work and personal travel on their booking (provided I reimbursed them for the cost of the personal portion), the bureaucracy involved had put me off going down that path.
- thaumasiotes 2y ago
  > provided I reimbursed them for the cost of the personal portion How does that work, given that the cost of the personal portion isn't independent of the rest of the booking? I was just looking at a flight plan on kiwi.com that they could book for $900, with the individual legs costing $250, $350, and $500 if booked through the carriers.
  - skissane 2y ago
    They price two itineraries - one with the work part only, the other with both work and personal. They book the combined itinerary and then you reimburse them the differnce
    - RexM 2y ago
      Yep, I’ve done something similar. Flew to a conference for work, then had them fly me to my vacation destination instead of home. I basically ended up getting a free one-way flight for vacation.
  - Pinus 2y ago
    I’m not familiar with Kiwi, but I noticed a comment thread about them on travel.stackexchange.com recently, discussing whether to describe them as “fraud” or just “using booking practices that subject the client to extreme risks”. Be sure to read the fine print on that booking!
    - thaumasiotes 2y ago
      The only problem with them is that they will search for and book flights with exactly the maximum luggage allowance that you specify, and they don't make this clear or really point out that you need to specify an amount of luggage corresponding to the amount you'll be taking with you. They will also show you itineraries that result from booking separate legs of the flight separately, which I'm guessing is what you're referring to. That's not in the fine print; you cannot possibly avoid being made aware when that's happening.
kalleboo 2y ago
You don't need to be on a codeshare for that to work though, it just needs to be on the same itinerary - the flight numbers can be on different airlines and still on the same itinerary.
- bsimpson 2y ago
  Do you know of any easy ways to book an arbitrary itinerary across carriers?
  - jachee 2y ago
    Sounds like a premium service someone could build. :)
    - chx 2y ago
      Nope, they can't, either the GDS allows booking it in which case it's already possible or the GDS doesn't allow booking it and then no app can do it. There are plenty services already which allows you to book the craziest itineraries. Like, ITA Matrix Powertools can construct a clickable link into Orbitz from ITA Matrix searches and it doesn't get crazier than that. There's Bookwithmatrix too.
    - colimbarna 2y ago
      Isn't it entirely dependent on the airlines, what counts as one itinery? How could I contractually obligate them to something they didn't agree to be contractually obligated to? (BTW: I've had multiairline itineraries many times. I think a lot of airlines are perfectly happy to do it because they can't fly domestic in that country and the domestic airline doesn't fly international. Also, there have been times when I haven't been able to, and I've been worried about it, and I got to the airport for manual checkin, and they've said "oh, i see you have an ongoing flight to such-and-such, do you want me to check you in for the whole journey?")
  - kalleboo 2y ago
    I don't know about "arbitrary" but most of my travel I book with something like Expedia ends up being split across carriers without using codeshare numbers. E.g. over Christmas I visited my parents in Australia and the domestic leg to Tokyo was a JL flight number, and international leg was a QF flight number, both on the same itinerary/using the same confirmation code.