You may have checked the departure information screen for your flight and found the correct flight time, destination, and departure gate, but the flight number is different from the flight you booked.
You may also have booked your flight on Delta Airlines The website has a Delta flight number, but at your gate, it’s a French air or KLM Airlines flight.
Why? Maybe you’re on a codeshare flight.
Here’s what you need to know about why codeshare flights exist and how they affect passengers.
Related: JetBlue and British Airways are planning a code-sharing partnership
What is a codeshare flight?
A codeshare is an airline partnership in which two or more airlines share the same flight. In a codeshare agreement, one airline operates the flight (known as the “operating carrier”) while other airlines may market and sell tickets for the same flight under their own airline name and flight number (known as the “marketing carrier”).
You may hear the saying that Airline B will be “code-sharing” some of Airline A’s flights. This means they are entering into a codeshare agreement.
Related: Delta, El Al Launch Strategic Partnership With Frequent Flyer Perks and More
Why a joint venture agreement?
- Passengers can access a wider network of destinations without having to book separate tickets. After all, not every airline can fly everywhere. Airlines may be limited in where they can fly by government policy, aircraft availability, or airport slots, or they may be hesitant to open routes to an untested market. Codeshare flights are a low-risk way for airlines to offer more flights to their customers and frequent flyer program members.
- If your preferred airline doesn’t fly to the country you want to visit, it can still sell you a codeshare flight there, giving you the convenience and familiarity of booking through your regular airline. You also don’t have to memorize different airline codes — your entire multi-leg itinerary can be ticketed by your preferred airline using a single airline code.
- Passengers can enjoy a streamlined booking process, easier connections, and more coordinated services, such as check-in and baggage handling. When the operating carrier has a different baggage policy than the marketing carrier, the marketing carrier’s policy usually takes precedence, since you purchased your flight using the marketing carrier’s flight number.
- Keep your elite status benefits with the marketing airline? You can usually use them on a codeshare flight when you have purchased the flight with the marketing airline code, note that codeshares are usually with alliance partner airlines, so you will receive status benefits. However, some status benefits may not be recognised by the operating airline, such as if you receive seat upgrades through your status with the marketing airline, especially if the operating airline does not offer similar benefits to its elite members.
- It allows airlines that are not members of the same alliance to offer seamless connections and other collaborative benefits. For example, Air Canada operates codeshare partnerships with Emirates and Etihad Airways, even though neither of these Middle Eastern airlines are members of the Star Alliance. This partnership allows you to earn and redeem Aeroplan points on Emirates and Etihad flights.
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Related: How to redeem Aeroplan points for maximum value
How do codeshare flights work?
You can book a flight from Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) to Frankfurt Airport (FRA) on the United Airlines website. The flight has the UA flight number (UA8838), but the booking page notes that Lufthansa operates the flight.
United is the marketing carrier for the flight, while Lufthansa will be the operating carrier. This is an example of a codeshare flight.
You can also book this flight through Lufthansa’s website, where it sells tickets under flight code LH403. While you’ll still be on a codeshare flight, you’ll be booking the flight through the operating carrier rather than a separate marketing carrier.
This varies by airline, but if you try to check in online (or at the airport) through the marketing airline’s website or check-in counter, you will likely be redirected to the website or check-in counter of the airline operating the flight as they will be responsible for getting you to your destination.
When you go through security and look at the departure board to see which gate your flight will depart from, you may see different flight numbers rotating across the board. For example, this Lufthansa flight may show an LH number (the operating carrier), a UA codeshare number, and possibly another marketing carrier code, such as LX (aka Swiss Airlines).
All of these codes are for the same flight, just reflecting different codes being marketed and sold, so all passengers on the flight, regardless of how they booked their tickets, know which gate to board at.
As you board the plane, you may hear welcome announcements from specific partner airlines — these may be marketing airlines that have sold seats on this flight through a codeshare agreement.
For travellers, it is important to be aware when booking if the flight is a codeshare so that expectations are set appropriately. This is because different airlines operate different products, from seats to food and drinks to the service provided. A trip to Germany on Lufthansa’s “Queen of the Skies” Boeing 747-8 will be quite different from United flights to Europe.
Related: Is Lufthansa Premium Economy Class Worth It for Traveling to Europe?
There is not much variation between airlines in economy class; even premium economy is relatively standardized across the industry.
However, there can be significant differences between carriers in business and first class, so you should choose your operating carrier carefully and pay attention to the code. American Airlines and Qatar Airways share the code on flights between the US and Doha’s Hamad International Airport (DOH), with Qatar Airways operating most services. If you’re booking through American Airlines and have a choice between an American-operated flight and a Qatar Airways-operated flight, we think Qatar’s Qsuite is the best option.
Related: Qatar Airways Qsuite Review: Still Setting the Standard for Business Class
Speaking of premium economy, not all airlines offer it. If you book a premium economy itinerary on American that is a combination of American Airlines and Qatar Airways operated flights, with the latter being a codeshare flight with the code AA, since Qatar Airways does not offer a premium economy product, you will be seated in economy on Qatar Airways operated flights.
This can be an unpleasant surprise when boarding a plane.
The last line
Codeshare flights are a convenient way for airlines to offer more routes, destinations and ticket options to passengers, even if they don’t fly to the airport you want to go to.
One great benefit is the convenience of booking multiple flights on multiple airlines through one airline’s website, as you can trust the airline’s ticketing process, baggage policies, and elite customer benefits.
However, you should make sure you know the carrier of the flight you are booking so you know exactly what to expect when you board the plane.
A complicated four-digit flight number is the best indication that your flight is a codeshare flight operated by another airline than the one you booked with.
