7 ms·

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 sti

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.
  - lxgr 2y ago
    A CRS/GDS locator (PNR, the 6-digit alphanumeric code often used to identify tickets, but really only points to a GDSs database entry) and a ticket are not the same thing, though. A PNR can include non-air travel segments like hotels and rental cars too, for example. That's something very different from a single airline issuing a ticket for a complete itinerary, which importantly makes them responsible for getting you to your final destination in case of missed connections, checking your baggage through etc. If you still have the confirmations or boarding passes, you could check for the three-digit numeric e-ticket number prefix, which defines which carrier actually issued the ticket.
    - kalleboo 2y ago
      There was a single ticket number for the itinerary, starting with 081 (Qantas)
  - Dalewyn 2y ago
    JAL (JL) and Quantas (QF) are both members of Oneworld, so they can share itineraries (and things like frequent flyer status and fare class) in a single booking regardless of codeshare.
lxgr 2y ago
Purely speculating, but I always assumed that the rationale for code share flight numbers must have been something technical, e.g. the airline code indicating which airline’s database a given record is located (ticket, bag tracking code etc). It’s probably not strictly necessary anymore today (as you say, I’m pretty sure I’ve had a ticket across two carries without a codeshare number), but maybe it was at some point?

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.
- lxgr 2y ago
  A CRS/GDS locator (PNR, the 6-digit alphanumeric code often used to identify tickets, but really only points to a GDSs database entry) and a ticket are not the same thing, though. A PNR can include non-air travel segments like hotels and rental cars too, for example. That's something very different from a single airline issuing a ticket for a complete itinerary, which importantly makes them responsible for getting you to your final destination in case of missed connections, checking your baggage through etc. If you still have the confirmations or boarding passes, you could check for the three-digit numeric e-ticket number prefix, which defines which carrier actually issued the ticket.
  - kalleboo 2y ago
    There was a single ticket number for the itinerary, starting with 081 (Qantas)
- Dalewyn 2y ago
  JAL (JL) and Quantas (QF) are both members of Oneworld, so they can share itineraries (and things like frequent flyer status and fare class) in a single booking regardless of codeshare.

lxgr 2y ago

Purely speculating, but I always assumed that the rationale for code share flight numbers must have been something technical, e.g. the airline code indicating which airline’s database a given record is located (ticket, bag tracking code etc). It’s probably not strictly necessary anymore today (as you say, I’m pretty sure I’ve had a ticket across two carries without a codeshare number), but maybe it was at some point?