Originally Posted by
lcohen999
If people are always getting stuck like this, why book the codeshare
I always get my TA to do everything on one ticket but always use flight numbers from the operating carrier, not a codeshare. So my ANZ flight might be AC9999 but I will always book it as NZ105 so I can control which booking class things go into.
Seems like it would be a great way to avoid all of this...unless there are some serious savings involved
I agree with you, 100%. However, there have been a few times on the phone, with even experienced AC rez agents, where they are hell-bent on booking an AC codeshare flight number when connecting to intra-Europe segments with SK, LX, SN, LH and OS. Even when 99 percent of the time using the true operating carrier flight number doesn't change the fare by a euro. The one feisty agent said "we should get the money for booking this, that's why we need to use the 4-digit AC codeshare number". Irritating.
Then there are the crazy sky-high fares when connecting in IAH and LAX from AC to UA and vice versa. For example, fares that should be $500 turn into $1200 or higher if codeshares are not confirmed with either all AC or all UA. Recent examples are YYC-LAX-CLD/SAN and YYC-IAH-AUS.
Another annoying aspect of these codeshares is that for most of these flights, you can't confirm a pre-assigned seat or use e-upgrade credits when your window opens, 2 more reasons to stay away from them unless there is a huge price difference.