Code sharing

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The code sharing (code division) is a method in air , several at the airlines a scheduled flight to share. Each of the companies involved operates this flight under its own flight number , the code. Code sharing is therefore a special form of interlining . This process is mostly used within economically linked alliances , such as Star Alliance , Oneworld Alliance or SkyTeam .

Advantages and disadvantages

Code sharing enables airlines to offer flights that they don't even operate themselves. These are merely cooperation partners and are also called marketing carriers . As a result, your route network expands considerably when viewed superficially. For the airline operating in each case, which is also referred to as the operating carrier , there is also usually a better utilization of its flights.

Passengers benefit from the fact that they can book and pay with their usual airline in their local language and currency and can complain there if problems arise. A disadvantage can arise for passengers traveling on an airline that they have not booked. This may not correspond to the desired quality standard or take surcharges for certain services, which are usually already included in the price of the originally booked company.

Implementation and labeling

The flight number of the company that issued it is noted on the ticket . Both flight numbers are usually displayed on the display board in the airport , possibly rotating. Codesharing flights that are not carried out by the respective airline itself can usually be recognized from flight plans by the footnote "is carried out by" ( English operated by ) and the often high four-digit flight number.

In the meantime, there are fewer and fewer codeshare agreements in which fixed seats are allocated (“Blocked Space Agreements”). The reservation systems also allow "Free Sale Agreements" within which both (or many) partners can book under their own flight number until all seats are sold. Usually, the airline operating the flight has better access rights than its partner.

Examples

Flight UX6012 from Palma de Mallorca to Madrid, here in 2012 with seven other flight numbers
  • The Lufthansa flight LH404 runs from Frankfurt to John F. Kennedy International Airport and is operated by Lufthansa. United Airlines operates the same flight under flight number UA8843 .
  • The Air France -Flight AF1419 leads from Frankfurt to Paris and is carried out by Air France. Delta Air Lines operates the same flight under flight number DL8357 . Aeromexico operates the same flight under flight number AM8019 .
  • Delta Air Lines flight DL017 runs from Paris to New York and is also operated by Delta Air Lines. Air France operates the same flight under flight number AF8990 . AeroMexico operates the same flight under flight number AM5979 .

There is triple code sharing here: Air France takes over the flight from Frankfurt to Paris. Delta Air Lines takes over the flight from Paris to New York. In order to be able to offer a joint flight from Frankfurt to New York, both airlines share the seats on the sections. AeroMexico, on the other hand, does not operate either of the two flights itself - it simply buys an additional contingent in order to be able to offer the route without having to fly it itself.

Code sharing between different modes of transport

In Europe in particular, it is possible for airlines to offer code sharing, but the journey takes place using other modes of transport. For this reason, different train stations have specially assigned IATA codes .

An economy class ticket is usually treated as a 2nd class ticket, whereas a business class or first class ticket entitles you to travel in 1st class. Often times, codeshare users have their own number of seats on the train.

Germany

When AIRail service of Deutsche Bahn have certain ICE trains between Stuttgart main station and Cologne main station and the mainline railway station at Frankfurt Airport a same Lufthansa - flight number , z. B. the ICE 670 runs at the same time as Lufthansa flight LH 348. Organizationally, the train journey is treated as a flight, i. H. the traveler may be a ticket already from a train station to book and gives his luggage in Frankfurt at counters of Lufthansa in Terminal T on.

Switzerland

From the end of 1999, the flight train concept from Swissair and SBB replaced very short feeder flights between Basel and Zurich (distance 80 km) with train connections. Since mid-October 2019, Swiss has also been offering this code sharing on 14 train connections per day in both directions between Lugano and Zurich, as flight operations on this route were not resumed after the cancellation of the bankruptcy of the operating Adria Airways .

France

Since Air France ceased domestic flights Strasbourg  - Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle in April 2013 and Strasbourg - Paris-Orly in March 2016, there has been a codeshare agreement with SNCF over several daily TGV connections between Strasbourg and Paris.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Sabine Rasch: This is how code sharing works. Basic knowledge of air traffic (8). airliners.de, July 24, 2014, accessed on August 28, 2014 .
  2. ^ Esther Geiger: Interfaces between train and flight. In: NZZ Online . May 13, 2003, accessed November 6, 2019 .
  3. ↑ Werner Enz: The smart one travels in the Swiss plane. In: NZZ Online . October 7, 2019, accessed November 6, 2019 .
  4. ^ Xavier Lacassin: Les TGV vont-ils un jour voler? February 21, 2014, accessed November 6, 2019 (French).