6 pitfalls to avoid when booking with partner airlines

At first glance, purchasing an airline ticket appears to be a simple task: search for flights, then either buy a ticket or use miles. However, it can become more complicated, particularly with partner bookings in the mix.

A partner booking happens when the airline you purchased your ticket from is different from the one you're actually flying. The ticketing airline, whether you paid with cash or miles, is the one you booked with, while the operating airline is the one providing your flight. Many partners belong to the same airline alliance, but this isn't always true, as airlines may also have non-alliance partnerships. The process can get even trickier with multiple operating airlines involved.

There are various reasons you might opt for a partner booking. When paying for a revenue flight, you might discover a more convenient itinerary or a lower fare via a partner. If you're using points or miles for a flight, a partner might offer cheaper redemption options, or you may lack sufficient miles in the operating airline's loyalty program.

What potential issues could arise, and how can you avoid them? Here are several mistakes to steer clear of when making partner bookings.

Failing to monitor your reservation for updates

It's important to regularly check your reservation right up until your departure to ensure there are no schedule changes, cancellations, or aircraft swaps that might displace you from your chosen seat. Many travelers refer to this as "gardening" your reservation.

Airlines frequently make schedule adjustments and can cancel flights at any point from your booking to your departure date. The earlier you book, the more likely your flights may change. You might receive notifications about schedule changes, but it's not something to rely on. While some airlines excel at informing travelers of changes, others may not, even if they have your contact details. If you're dealing with a partner booking, ensure the operating airline has your contact information, not just the ticketing airline.

If your itinerary involves multiple airlines, be vigilant about schedule changes to prevent any modifications to one leg of your trip from causing you to miss your subsequent flight on a different airline.

Occasionally, the ticketing airline may open up availability or offer to rebook you on its own flights if your operating airline's flight is canceled or if a schedule change disrupts your travel plans.

I experienced this firsthand recently. I received an email about what appeared to be a minor schedule adjustment on an award booking made with Delta SkyMiles, which involved flights on both Delta Air Lines and WestJet. Thankfully, I didn't take that email at face value, as a closer look at my itinerary on Delta's website revealed it was not a simple change at all.

While my Delta flight did have a slight schedule adjustment, my WestJet flight had been completely canceled. I found myself automatically rebooked onto a new itinerary with two stops instead of one, resulting in an arrival time nine hours later than planned. I utilized Delta's online chat feature to request a rebooking on Delta flights only, aiming to reach my destination closer to my original schedule. Though the email prompted me to recheck my reservation, I usually monitor my bookings regularly, so I would have noticed the change before travel.

Failing to compare award redemption rates among different partners

If you hold points and miles across various loyalty programs, you may have multiple options for booking the same itinerary.

Suppose you want to experience Qsuite, Qatar Airways' business class, on a flight from the U.S. to Doha. A newcomer to points and miles might assume that only Avios, the currency of Qatar's Privilege Club loyalty program, can be used to book Qatar Airways flights. However, that's not accurate.

As a member of the Oneworld alliance, Qatar Airways flights can be booked using miles from several partner airlines, including American Airlines and Alaska Airlines. Each airline has different redemption rates, making it crucial to investigate various programs, look for the desired flights, and identify the best redemption opportunities in each program.

Another important aspect to consider is the taxes and fees associated with award redemptions through partners. Some airline programs may require fewer miles but impose high fuel surcharges or additional booking fees, while others may have lower fees but demand more miles.

Failing to confirm award availability before transferring points and miles

Unfortunately, there are instances when flights appear available online for award travel but cannot actually be booked. This is referred to as "phantom award space." While frustrating, it's even more problematic if you've already transferred points from flexible rewards programs, such as Chase Ultimate Rewards or American Express Membership Rewards, as these transfers are usually irreversible.

Phantom space is particularly common with partner bookings since partners may not have the same access to seats as the airline operating the flight, or they might not update availability as quickly or frequently as the primary airline.

To minimize the risk of encountering phantom award space, you can call the partner airline (whose miles you wish to redeem) to inquire about booking the award over the phone, and also check with other partners to see if the award is available through them.

Presuming your reservation has been correctly ticketed

Typically, when you book a flight with a partner airline, the ticket isn't issued right away. The confirmation number you receive at the time of booking — also known as the passenger name record (PNR) or record locator — doesn't indicate that your reservation has been ticketed. You can confirm ticketing when you receive a ticket number.

In some instances of partner bookings, ticketing may take several days. The partner airline you booked with usually needs to confirm seat availability and request the ticket from the airline that operates the flight. Occasionally, reservations may fail to ticket, leading to cancellations without notification.

If you can't locate your ticket number or verify that your reservation has been ticketed through online checks, don’t hesitate to call the airline for confirmation. Additionally, if there's a schedule change and you're rebooked on a different flight, be sure to follow up to confirm that the new flight has been properly ticketed.

Not being clear on who 'controls' the ticket or who to reach out to for issues

Schedule changes, delays, and cancellations can be more challenging to navigate with partner bookings. Often, the airline you're flying will direct you to reach out to the airline that issued your ticket for rebooking or any inquiries.

If it's over 24 hours before your flight, the ticketing airline has control over the ticket and can make modifications. However, if it's less than 24 hours prior to travel, the operating airline takes over and can make adjustments or rebook you in the event of delays or cancellations. This happened to me a few years back when I was returning from Buenos Aires to the U.S.

I used British Airways Avios to book a flight with American Airlines. Upon arriving at the airport in Buenos Aires, I discovered my flight had just been canceled. Since the flight was scheduled to depart in two hours, I was able to work with American's customer service at the check-in counter. They rebooked me on a flight the next day, despite my booking being with Avios. However, if your initial flight is canceled and you're connecting to another airline, you might still need to contact the airline you booked with.

Unfortunately, airlines sometimes either lack knowledge or refuse to take responsibility for issues related to partner bookings, leading to a blame game. This was the case last summer with friends of Nick Ewen, TPG's senior editorial director, during a schedule change — their tickets were not reissued correctly, and then weather delayed their initial flight.

"They went back and forth with customer service from JetBlue and Condor, unable to get assistance for the ticket reissue," Nick shared. "JetBlue acknowledged that the weather issue was its fault and attempted to rebook them, but Condor still had 'control' over the ticket in the system. When he contacted Condor, they insisted there was nothing they could do because JetBlue was at fault," he explained.

Nick's friends had to pay for new tickets and expenses from an unexpected overnight hotel stay, but they received refunds for their original tickets and are filing a travel insurance claim for the new expenses.

Neglecting to credit your miles to the appropriate airline

When you book a partner flight using cash instead of miles, you can earn miles for your journey. Thus, it's important to think ahead about where to credit your miles effectively.

If you’ve booked with an international airline that you don’t often fly, it may be advantageous to credit those miles to a partner program that you utilize more frequently. Additionally, different programs offer varying earning rates, so it's wise to assess how many miles you could accumulate with each partner.

In conclusion

Booking through partners can be an excellent way to save miles on award travel or reduce costs on cash tickets. However, it can introduce some complexity compared to booking directly with the airline operating your flight. Being aware of potential challenges ahead of time can help you address any issues that come up more swiftly.