Imagine that you book a flight on Airline A, then show up at the airport to find “Operated by Airline B” in small print on your boarding pass. That’s a codeshare flight, a common practice in which one airline operates the flight, but another sells the ticket. Codeshares increase your route options, but they also muddy the waters if something goes wrong.
Think about the three-hour delay, the last-minute cancellation, that flight you got bumped from. You contact Airline A, the one, on all your confirmation materials, and are informed, nope, compensation is Airline B’s problem. It’s completely confusing. However, the good news is that in order to get paid, all you need to know is who’s legally responsible.
In this article, we’ll cover what codeshare flights are, the responsibilities of who “owns” or takes on your legal claim when either filing or suing, how to properly file a claim, and how laws such as EU Regulation 261, UK261 or Canadian APPR protections can benefit you.
A codeshare flight is a commercial arrangement that permits two or more airlines to operate the same flight together. One airline, referred to as the operational carrier, operates a single aircraft, although the flight is also advertised as belonging to other airlines using their flight numbers. This is a standard procedure for both local and international flights.
Codesharing’s main benefit is its ability to increase network coverage and passenger accessibility without requiring more planes. It makes travel more convenient and frequently improves connections by allowing customers to book a journey on one airline while having a connection with a network that may include many airlines. For example, if you buy a ticket from Airline A for a flight that is run by Airline B, your ticket will state that the flight number belongs to Airline A, but the airplane, the crew, and ground handling services are provided by Airline B.
Passengers can gain a lot from this agreement since it gives them more travel alternatives, possibly better departure and arrival times, and simpler connections to other flights within the member airlines’ networks. Furthermore, passengers can accrue and use points or miles on many carriers thanks to frequent flyer advantages that are usually maintained even when travelling with a codeshare partner.
In the United States, airline companies and travel agents are required to tell passengers when a flight is flown on a different airline through a codeshare. Under 14CFR Part 257, they are required to prominently display the phrase “Operated by [Airline Name]” on the plane information website where fares and flight details are displayed, not buried inside a link or hidden behind a hover text. That mandate means customers are never left in the dark about which carrier will fly the plane they just booked. If that disclosure is not made at the time the product is sold, the U.S. DOT deems that practice to be unfair and has acted to fine agents and airlines for non-compliance.
Similarly, in Europe (including the UK), EU Regulation No 2111/2005 mandates that airlines, ticket sellers, and travel agents inform passengers of the identity of the airline that is operating the flight, at the earliest possible opportunity and no later than at check-in or boarding. This rule addresses any subsequent change to the operating carrier and requires a clear explanation to passengers of who is going to be operating their flight.
Therefore, when booking a flight, be it online, through an agent, or an airline website, check your itinerary for wording to the effect of “Operated by XYZ Airways.” That same wording is often found in your booking confirmation email and then repeated on airport departure screens or boarding passes, which feature both the marketing number and the flight code of the airline flying the route.
Let’s say you book an American Airlines flight from London to New York, but the plane is operated by British Airways. Your confirmation might say something like “AA123 (Operated by BA123).” It’s the wording that clearly attributes responsibility for the flight.
When your flight is canceled or delayed in a place where compensation is legally mandated, such as in the EU or UK under the air passenger rights laws, it’s the operating airline that has to pay out, even if you booked through a different carrier.
For instance, you bought a ticket from British Airways, but the flight is actually on Finnair. In the event that you are eligible for compensation, you would have to file your claim with Finnair since they are the operating carrier and are responsible for the operational disruption.
In the United States, statutory compensation is limited mainly to cases involving overbooking, where travelers are bumped from a flight by airlines that offer services to customers. In such instances, the operating carrier remains responsible. If they overbooked and refused you boarding, you would still submit your claim to the airline that physically operated that flight, without regard for whether or not it is also your ticketing carrier. In short, whenever disruption laws are enforceable, either in Europe, the UK, or under U.S. DOT regulations, the principal prevailing is that liability resides with the operating airline, rather than the carrier selling seats.
The difference between the airline you have booked with and the one actually flying the plane can be crucial on international trips, even more so when travelling in and out of Europe or the UK. If your journey is eligible for compensation under EU Regulation 261/2004, the amount of that compensation will depend on two factors: who operated the flight, and where the disruption took place.
For example, if you booked Delta Airlines for a flight from Atlanta to Amsterdam and it turns out that the trip is operated by KLM Airlines, you can be entitled to compensation under EU 261. Since KLM is an EU-based carrier, the flight qualifies even though you bought the ticket through Delta. If the flight is delayed by more than three hours or cancelled at short notice, you may be eligible for up to €600, but only by filing with KLM, not Delta.
If, on the other hand, Delta itself had operated the flight, you would not be entitled to anything under EU Law as US domestic carriers are not bound by EU flight delay compensation rules, even on transatlantic flights since your flight is neither departed from a European airport nor operated by a European airline.
Hence, when booking flights to or from Europe, it’s helpful to know not just who you booked through in the US, but whether the operating carrier is based in the EU because that dictates eligibility, and which airline you should seek compensation from.
If your codeshare flight experiences a cancellation, delay, or you are involuntarily denied boarding, take a look at your boarding pass or e-ticket; the operating carrier will be prominently displayed on the document (for example, “Operated By…”). That tells you who is responsible.
Then see if your disruption is eligible; free compensation calculators can help you decide if you fall within the scope of EU regulations. If applicable, gather evidence: confirmation of the booking, the boarding pass(es), proof of the delay or cancellation, screenshots of any electronic messages from the airline, anything else that verify the interruption and the role of the operating carrier.
With your evidence in hand, head to the operating airline’s official claims portal and file your request for compensation there. Quote the relevant regulation (if it is EU261 or Canada SOR/2019) and get everything you have in quickly. Airlines like to pass the buck to one another, but a receipt from the operating carrier and accompanying documentation can help you skip over processing delays.
If your claim has stalled or if it has been denied unfairly, you can ask for outside assistance from refund support services or raise the matter with regulators. But your first best step always is to file a claim with the operating carrier.
Codeshare flights could open up travel options, but they also complicate compensation when delays or cancellations happen. Remember: compensation claims must go to the airline that carried your flight, not the one that sold your ticket. Use the laws that apply, EU261, UK261, Canada APPR or US DOT regulations, at any time to claim what you are owed. Save documentation, act promptly, and if you are blocked, consider trusted professional compensation claim management companies such as Click2Refund to assist you.
Check the latest itinerary messages for the “Operated By…” information. If you had a disrupted flight, don’t wait; file with the correct airline(s) today to maximize your opportunity for getting what you are owed.