Codeshare agreements are common practice in the aviation industry – but they can be confusing for customers. This guide to codeshares should answer your questions.
What on earth is a codeshare?
Even the biggest airlines only fly to a limited number of destinations, but it’s in an airline’s interest to pretend they cover everywhere so you book with them by default. Therefore, they team up, usually with airlines that fill in a lot of the blank spots on the route map. Both airlines agree to put each other’s ‘code’ on the flight, irrespective of which airline’s plane it is.
How does this benefit the passenger?
Part of the benefit is at the booking stage – it means you don’t have to go hunting for obscure airlines that connect cities. But the main hassle reducing factor is in the seamless connections on a single, cheaper booking. If you book a flight to Canberra in Australia with Etihad, Etihad will get you as far as Melbourne. The Melbourne to Canberra leg will then be on codeshare partner Virgin Australia. But – crucially – your luggage will be transferred through to the final destination. And you’ll get Etihad frequent flyer points for all the flight legs.
Why else does it work?
For airlines, they can reduce costs with aspects such as shared sales offices and maintenance crews. These savings, by and large, are reflected in lower fares. The airlines also coordinate flight times, meaning shorter transfers, and allow passengers access to each other’s facilities such as airport lounges.
What are the downsides?
To put it charitably, sometimes the codeshare partner isn’t up to the standards of the airline you’re booking with. You’d be annoyed, for example, to discover that your transatlantic flight is actually being operated by Delta rather than Virgin Atlantic.
OK. How do avoid being lumped with Fleabag Air?
When booking, the flight number will probably be with your airline – that’s the code that’s being shared. But buried away somewhere nearby will be something saying “operated by”. That tells you which airline’s metal you’ll be flying on.
Which codeshare partner should I book with?
90% of the time, it won’t matter all that much – you may as well go for the one you’re most familiar with, or you’ve got a frequent flyer account with. However, sometimes there can be a bizarre price differential – and it’s worth checking with both.
Which are the main codeshares I should I be aware of?
Most are part of one of the three main alliance schemes. But some airlines are not part of these alliances. These include Virgin Atlantic (which codeshares with Air New Zealand, Singapore Airlines, Delta and Air China amongst others) and Emirates (which has 21 codeshare partners including Alaska Airlines, Bangkok Airways and Qantas).
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