One airline sold your ticket. Another flew the plane. Which one is responsible?
It is common to book a flight under one airline's name and then see “operated by” another airline. When your flight is delayed, cancelled or overbooked, knowing which airline actually operated it can be important for your passenger rights.
At a glance
Two airline names can mean two different roles
Ticket
May show the airline that sold or marketed the flight
Operated by
Shows the airline actually flying the aircraft
Disruption
The operating airline is often the key airline for passenger rights
Keep
Your booking, boarding pass and both airline names
The airline that charged your card is not automatically the airline responsible for a disrupted flight.
Quick answer
Start with the airline named after “operated by”
The airline on your ticket and the airline flying the plane can be different. Passenger-rights rules in the EU, UK and Türkiye place the main disruption duties on the airline actually operating the flight. Canada also makes the operating carrier responsible for most APPR flight-disruption duties.
Saudi rules require passengers to be told which airline actually operates each part of a codeshare or partner-airline journey. So when two airline names appear, keep both — but pay particular attention to the airline that operated the disrupted flight.
On this page
The difference
The airline that sells the flight is not always the airline that flies it
Airline partnerships make this common. Your ticket may carry one airline's name and flight number while another airline provides the aircraft and crew.
The airline on your booking
This is the airline whose name or flight code appears on your ticket. In a codeshare, it may be the airline that sold or marketed the flight rather than the airline actually flying you.
The airline operating the flight
This is the airline actually responsible for flying the aircraft. Your booking will often show this with wording such as “operated by” followed by the airline's name.
Example: your booking might say “AB123 — operated by XYZ Airlines.” AB may be the airline that sold or marketed the seat, while XYZ Airlines is the airline actually operating the flight.
How to find it
Your booking usually tells you who is actually flying the plane
You do not need to decode airline agreements. Look for a few simple clues on the documents you already have.
Look for “operated by”
Your confirmation email or itinerary may show one airline name beside the flight number and another after the words “operated by.” The second airline is normally the one actually operating the flight.
Check your boarding pass
The boarding pass may show the operating airline more clearly than the original booking, especially when the flight was sold under another airline's code.
Check the airport departure board
Airport displays often show the airline operating the flight and may also list codeshare flight numbers from partner airlines.
Keep both airline names
Do not discard the original booking just because another airline operated the flight. Both names can be useful when working out which passenger-rights rules apply and who should handle the disruption.
Why it matters
The airline operating your flight can change who owes you help
When something goes wrong, the two airline names on your booking are not always interchangeable. The operating airline can affect who has to act and, on some routes, which passenger-rights rules cover the journey.
Who has to help you
For many disruption rights, the airline actually operating the flight is the one responsible for assistance such as rebooking, care or compensation.
Which passenger-rights rules cover the flight
On some international routes, the identity of the operating airline can affect whether a particular set of passenger-rights rules applies at all.
Where a claim should be directed
Sending a claim only to the airline that sold the ticket can cause delays if another airline actually operated the disrupted flight. Checking the operating airline first can make the route clearer.
What happens in partner-airline bookings
Codeshare and other airline partnerships can put more than one airline name on the same journey. The rules do not always treat those airlines in exactly the same way.
Passenger rights by country or region
Which airline matters depends on the passenger-rights rules covering your flight
The airline that sold the journey and the airline that operated it can be different. The examples below show how several of the passenger-rights systems Travaro supports treat that distinction.
European Union
EC261
The operating airline is central to your disruption rights
EC261 places its main delay, cancellation and denied-boarding duties on the operating air carrier — the airline that performs or intends to perform the flight. That can be different from the airline that sold the ticket or whose flight number appears first on your booking.
United Kingdom
UK261
The airline actually flying you usually matters most
UK261 also uses the concept of the operating air carrier. For disruption rights such as delay, cancellation and denied boarding, the airline actually operating the flight is usually the key airline even when another airline sold or marketed the ticket.
Canada
APPR
The operating carrier carries most APPR disruption duties
Canada's APPR says the carrier operating the flight is responsible for the main passenger obligations covering delays, cancellations and denied boarding. The airline that issued the ticket has separate information duties, so the two airline names can have different roles.
Saudi Arabia
GACA
Passengers must be told who actually operates each flight
Saudi rules require the airline you contract with to tell you when a journey uses codesharing or another commercial arrangement and to identify the actual carrier for each part of the trip. Keep both the selling airline and operating airline details when a disruption happens.
Türkiye
SHY-YOLCU
The operating airline is responsible for the core disruption duties
Türkiye's SHY-YOLCU rules define the airline operating the flight separately from the airline or other business that may have the passenger contract. The operating airline is the one named throughout the rules for cancellation, delay, denied boarding, care and compensation duties.
Oman
Oman CAA
Identify the airline operating the affected flight
On Oman-related journeys, check the actual carrier and route before applying Oman CAA rights. A partner flight sold under another code is not proof of the marketing airline’s operation.
Thailand
CAAT 101
Operating airline affects Thailand coverage
Thailand’s rights can depend on whether the flight is domestic or international and which airline operates it. A booking airline and the actual operator may differ.
Mexico
Mexico LAC
Check who actually operated the Mexico flight
For Mexico-related claims, identify the operator and the cause of disruption. A codeshare ticket does not by itself show which airline owes the relevant remedy.
India
DGCA
The operating airline is responsible under DGCA
India’s passenger-facilities rules place obligations on the airline that performs or intends to perform the covered flight, including qualifying foreign-carrier services.
What to do
Before you claim, identify the airline that actually operated the disrupted flight
This takes only a minute and can prevent confusion later. Keep the selling airline too — just do not assume the two have the same responsibility.
Open your booking and find the airline named after “operated by.” If there is no such wording, check your boarding pass or flight-status information.
Write down both the flight number shown on your ticket and the airline that actually operated the aircraft.
If your flight was disrupted, keep messages from both airlines. One may have sold the ticket while the other handled the flight and the disruption.
When making a compensation claim, do not assume the ticket seller is automatically the correct airline. The operating airline is often the important one under passenger-rights rules.
What to keep
Keep enough to show both who sold the flight and who operated it
A few ordinary travel documents usually make the airline roles clear. Save them before old booking details disappear from an app or account.
Booking confirmation
Keep the original itinerary showing the airline name, flight number and any “operated by” wording.
Boarding pass
Save the boarding pass because it can help confirm which airline operated the disrupted flight.
Disruption messages
Keep emails, texts and app notifications from both airlines, including any explanation of the delay or cancellation.
Replacement flight details
If you were moved to another airline or flight, keep the new itinerary as well as your original one.
Keep exploring
Related passenger-rights guides
Codeshare flights
Learn why one flight can have two airline names and different flight numbers, and what that means when something goes wrong.
Read guideRebooking rights
See what another flight or alternative travel the airline may need to offer after a disruption.
Read guideExtraordinary circumstances
Learn how the reason for a delay or cancellation can affect whether compensation is due.
Read guideCheck your journey
Not sure which airline is responsible for your disrupted flight?
Travaro checks your journey against the passenger-rights rules we support and can manage an eligible compensation claim from assessment through resolution.
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