Code share pricing
 

How come code share prices can sometimes vary so greatly? As an example, I took a quick look at prices from NYC-Rio de Janeiro (GIG). Varig flies that route, with UA offering a code share (same flights, of course). When I price it as a UA flight, the biz class ticket comes to approx. $7,300. However, that same flight, booked on Varig, is under $6,000. Wouldn't I get UA miles even if I booked through Varig?
What's the reason behind the drastic price difference?

If you want a better pricing, e-mail [email protected]. I have had to be creative to save money for my firm's travels.

SFO-YVR does the same thing sometimes, too - it often prices as up to $50 cheaper as a NW flight (codeshared on AS metal) than as the same fare purchased from AS.

Mike

In code-sharing, one airline purchases seats on the other airline's aircraft and resells them with its own flight number. Each airline is free to price their seats as they see fit, based on supply and demand. In your case, apparently UA feels they can sell the seat at a higher fare while Varig feels they need to lower their fare in order to sell the seat.

Or UA may want to use its seats on the Varig flight for connecting passengers from other cities where the fare is higher and so it prices your ticket higher to match the higher fares it thinks it can get from other cities.

Congratulations, you're a smart flyer by checking out the price of both the "real" flight and the code-share flight.

Think of the code-share flight by carrier X subcontracting the job to carrier Y, the main carrier. Technically, carrier X and Y are still competitors. Any fare coordination will result in anti-trust suits (unless you get anti-trust immunity like NW/KL).

Depending on the agreement, you may or may not get miles.

e.g.

NW/KL -- You get mileage regardless of metal that you're flying.

CO/AF -- If you're a CO OP member, you MUST fly on a CO-coded ticket if you're flying on AF metal to get miles.

- Pat

That's a bad example (since it's wrong).

No code share is necessary to get miles. CO OP members get miles on AF (metal) flights systemwide through March 30, 2002, after which the Continental alliance with Air France will be terminated and Air France will no longer participate in the OnePass program. CO won't necessarily treat them as "status" miles, but you can indeed earn miles.

As mentioned earlier, code share prices aren't always higher if you buy the code share instead of the fare of whoever operates the metal. This often can be used to your advantage when you have particular dates in mind but the lowest fares of the operator are sold out. Check the codeshare fares -- they may be cheaper than what the operating airline offers.


[This message has been edited by Quokka (edited 03-03-2002).]

I've found the same to be true on AA/TAM to Brasil. TAM fares are cheaper for the same AA flight but you can't use VIPOWs or miles to upgrade the TAM code share.

As a side note, the through fares (AA: DFW-GRU, JJ: GRU-REC) are much cheaper than 2 tickets.

I've been pricing 1way Biz fares YYC-PVR & YVR-PVR on expedia.com & travelocity.com & looking for permissible stopover cities.
Thru fare = about$439 to $470 USD. With a 'bad' stopover it's $1700 to $2100.
DEN prices cheap only in Y on AC/UA/MX. BUT when I phoned AC, she got me $468.46 & told me that YYC-DEN written by AC on UA metal must be in J class, while DEN-PVR/MX must be in C class! I guess the software of Travelocity & Expedia can't handle it. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

Okay as far as AA goes on code shares a lot of the time booking on the OA will earn milage but NOT top tier status. Possible reason for the higher prices is also limited seats the OA only allows so many seats for the code share partner so if the per say AA flt number has 1 left to sell vrs 100 on the actual carrier its gona blow the price sky high and amount will vary according to seats left
also far as I know no airline allows upgrades or other perks on codeshare flts with exception of such as AA/AE



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sunsetaz

i haven't looked at many code shares. the few i have looked at , south africa when aa was a partner & qantas/aa both had a large spread (30-40%) to get the aa seats.

recently, i looked at lan chile on aa dfw-scl and the lan chile fare was about 25% less. i booked the aa to get the ugs.