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Short answer
Three different parties can be involved in one trip: the seller who took your payment (often an online travel agency, or OTA), the airline whose flight number and name is on your ticket (the marketing/ticketing carrier), and the airline actually flying the plane (the operating carrier). As a rule, the operating carrier handles day-of disruptions like delays and cancellations, while the seller or ticketing carrier handles refunds and original booking changes — but this shifts if your itinerary is built from separate, self-connected tickets rather than one through-ticket.
If this is happening right now
- Check your booking confirmation for an “operated by” line — this tells you which airline is actually running the flight you’re on or affected by.
- For same-day disruptions (delay, cancellation, missed connection), go first to the operating carrier’s airport desk — they can rebook you fastest.
- For refunds, fare rules, or anything tied to how you originally paid, contact the OTA or the ticketing/marketing carrier named on your original booking.
What this is
This is about identifying which party in a multi-company booking owes you a specific kind of help — rebooking, refund, or compensation. It includes: booking through an OTA that combines two different airlines under a single reservation code (a “through ticket,” which carries connected protections), and a codeshare flight where the flight number belongs to one airline but a different airline operates the aircraft. It does not include a simple, single-airline, direct booking with no codeshare and no separate connecting ticket — that case has only one party to deal with, and confusion rarely arises.
Quick-check table
| Sign to check | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Booked through an OTA or directly with an airline? | OTAs add a layer — you may need to go through them for changes/refunds |
| One reservation code (PNR) or two separate ones? | One PNR usually means a “through ticket” with connected protections |
| Does “operated by” differ from the airline name on your ticket? | You’re on a codeshare — the operating carrier runs day-of service |
| Did the seller build your connection, or did you self-connect two bookings? | Self-connected separate tickets generally aren’t protected as one itinerary |
| Does your ticket’s flight number prefix match the plane you’re boarding? | A mismatched prefix is a sign of a codeshare arrangement |
Who’s who: seller, marketing carrier, operating carrier
- The seller (often an OTA): took your payment and issued the booking. They’re usually your first stop for refunds, changes to your original purchase, and payment disputes.
- The marketing/ticketing carrier: the airline whose name and flight number appear on your ticket, even if a different airline flies the plane. They’re generally responsible for the terms of the ticket itself — fare rules, refund eligibility, and often customer service complaints.
- The operating carrier: the airline that actually operates the aircraft for a given flight. They’re generally responsible for what happens on the day of travel — delays, cancellations, denied boarding, and rebooking onto their own later flights.
Through ticket vs. separate tickets: protections compared
| Feature | Through ticket (one reservation, combined by the seller) | Separate tickets (self-connected, two bookings) |
|---|---|---|
| Missed connection due to first flight’s delay | Generally the airline(s)’ responsibility to rebook or assist | Generally your own risk — no protection between the two bookings |
| Refund if one leg is cancelled | Often refundable together as one itinerary | Only the affected ticket is addressed; the other stands alone |
| Who handles rebooking | Operating carrier of the disrupted leg, coordinated with the ticketing carrier | Whichever airline you booked that specific leg with — no coordination between them |
| Compensation frameworks (where applicable) | May apply across the connected itinerary | Typically assessed only against the individual flight/leg affected |
Who owns rebooking, and who owns refunds
On a codeshare flight, the operating carrier is generally the one responsible for passenger care and rebooking on the day of disruption — meals, accommodation if needed, and getting you to your destination — even though the ticket may show a different airline’s name and flight number. For refunds tied to how and where you originally bought the ticket, the seller (OTA) or the ticketing/marketing carrier usually handles that process, since they hold the payment relationship. If your itinerary was self-built from two independent tickets, each airline treats its own segment as a separate contract — meaning a delay on the first ticket generally does not obligate the airline on the second ticket to do anything for you.
Numbered steps to find out who’s responsible for you
- Pull up your booking confirmation and look for “operated by,” a different airline logo, or a flight number prefix that doesn’t match the aircraft’s actual airline.
- Note whether you have one reservation code covering your full itinerary, or multiple separate ones.
- For a same-day disruption, go to the operating carrier’s desk first — they can act immediately, regardless of who sold you the ticket.
- For a refund or fare-rule question, go back to the seller (OTA) or the ticketing/marketing carrier listed on your original purchase.
- If you booked two entirely separate tickets to build your own connection, treat each ticket as independent — plan buffer time and separate contingencies for each leg rather than expecting either airline to cover the other’s delay.
Questions travelers ask
What exactly is a codeshare flight number? It’s a flight number sold by one airline (the marketing carrier) for a flight that’s physically operated by a different airline — you’ll usually see this noted as “operated by” on your ticket or boarding pass.
Do passenger-protection regulations like EU261 apply to codeshare flights? Generally yes, when the flight falls within that regulation’s scope — responsibility for compensation typically falls on the airline actually operating the flight, not just whichever airline sold the ticket.
What if I built my own connection using two separate bookings? Treat this as two independent contracts. If the first flight is delayed and you miss the second, the second airline generally has no obligation to rebook or refund you, since you never had a ticket on the flight you missed.
Can the OTA just tell me to contact the airline instead of helping? This can happen, particularly for day-of-travel disruptions the OTA has no power to fix directly — the operating carrier is usually better positioned to help on the day. For refunds or account-level issues, the OTA remains the right point of contact.
If this actually happens to you (Travel AI Rescue)
Working out which of three different companies actually owes you help — while standing at a gate with a missed connection — is exactly the kind of untangling this service is designed for.
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| Wrong answers in an emergency can be dangerous | SIM diagnosis uses a pre-approved decision tree; emergency numbers, embassies, and clinics come from official sources — never invented |
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Sources (checked 2026-07-20)
- UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) guidance on self-transfer/separate-ticket connections, as summarized via Thrifty Traveler and AirAdvisor
- AirTeo, “Does EU261 Apply to Codeshare Flights?”
- US Federal Register, “Refunds and Other Consumer Protections” (DOT rulemaking on interline/codeshare ticketing)
Update trigger: Re-check this article if DOT or EU261 rules materially change how codeshare or interline responsibility is assigned, or if a major OTA changes its stated refund-handling policy for multi-carrier bookings.
Related pages: Worldwide Travel Trouble hub · AirTag Shows My Bag — Why Can’t I Collect It? · Travel Insurance Exists — But Are You Eligible?
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