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I know this question might look simple but I have never booked a package using multiple airlines. This year we flew Manchester to Miami via Heathrow. All flights were with BA, next year it is looking cheaper if the return leg from Miami is with AA. I can book it all through AA website but does anyone know if I can select seats at booking for the AA flight . Also when coming back and checking in at Miami the flight has a BA flight number but is on an AA flight so which check in desk do I go to. Any other advice from someone who has done this route would be welcome.
Laurel Oak
02-08-2018, 09:33
You can reserve your seats on the AA Web site when you book. Once you have your booking reference you can change your seats if you wish.
So are you saying after I have booked my flights on BA website I can go onto AA website and choose my seats using my BA booking ref.?
If you book via AA, you will be able to reserve seats on AA flights only...
If you book via BA, you will be able to reserve seats on BA flights only...
You will NOT be able to reserve seats on 'codeshare' flights :(
Your booking ref. will not be recognized by the alternate provider...
P.S. If booked via AA use AA checkin - if booked via BA use BA checkin !!!
That's more like I thought it would be, other than check in. I thought if I was an an AA flight I would check in at an AA desk, but the more I think about it, if I do the booking on BA website and check in online then it will be with BA. I just thought bag drop would be at AA.
BA Twitter have told me that if I book on BA I can choose seats for the BA flights and after booking I would be able to book seats with AA for their flight although she could not say how it was done
Katys Grandad
02-08-2018, 12:40
If you book via AA, you will be able to reserve seats on AA flights only...
If you book via BA, you will be able to reserve seats on BA flights only...
You will NOT be able to reserve seats on 'codeshare' flights :(
Your booking ref. will not be recognized by the alternate provider...
P.S. If booked via AA use AA checkin - if booked via BA use BA checkin !!!
Sorry, but I beg to differ there.
If you book an itinerary on ba.com that includes AA flights then on booking the BA website automatically transfers you to aa.com to select seats on the AA operated flights. NB. AA do not charge for advance standard seat selection (Main Cabin Extra and exits require additional payment).
If you book on aa.com and the itinerary includes BA flights (note BA do charge for advance reservation on all seats) you just call AA and they will give you the BA reference so that you can at least see your reservation on ba.com and, if you so wish, pay for seat reservations. You most certainly can reserve seats on codeshares through the operating carrier.
Finally, with check in in person you always have to check in the operating carrier irrespective of who you booked with. There are many reasons for this, not least that BA and AA frequently operate from different terminals! Online check in is through the issuing carrier but bags must be dropped off with the operating carrier.
Thank you Katys Grandad, Your description of seat reservation matches what the Twitter lady said although she only thought there was a link from BA site to choose seats on AA and was not sure. Everything else seems entirely logical. If AA don't charge for seat selection then maybe I should be looking to them for all flights. However we would prefer to change at Heathrow rather than Philly then we don't have to collect cases between flights
Laurel Oak
02-08-2018, 15:01
So are you saying after I have booked my flights on BA website I can go onto AA website and choose my seats using my BA booking ref.?
Think your questions have been answered but I had thought you were booking your flights through AA on their web site hence my answer.
Katys Grandad
02-08-2018, 15:02
However we would prefer to change at Heathrow rather than Philly then we don't have to collect cases between flights
For me it’s a ‘swings and roundabouts’ situation there. BA to AA at Heathrow involves a change of terminal by bus and that route means Immigration and Customs has to be done in Miami which I don’t find much fun. With the Transatlantic from Manchester that is taken care of in Philadelphia so more or less straight out to baggage reclaim in Miami.
Just a Heads Up here, AA operate B777’s to Miami with a 3-4-3 configuration whereas the A330’s from Manchester are 2-4-2. Bit of an anorak point I know but my wife and I much prefer a seat pair to the almost inevitable sharing a 3 with a stranger so it’s usually the 330 for us unless we’re treating ourselves to a seat nearer the front.
Just to clarify - the switch from ba.com to aa.com happens when you opt to choose seats so I suppose it’s better described as semi-automatic really.
Gerry Reed
02-08-2018, 15:36
For me it’s a ‘swings and roundabouts’ situation there. BA to AA at Heathrow involves a change of terminal by bus and that route means Immigration and Customs has to be done in Miami which I don’t find much fun. With the Transatlantic from Manchester that is taken care of in Philadelphia so more or less straight out to baggage reclaim in Miami.
Just a Heads Up here, AA operate B777’s to Miami with a 3-4-3 configuration whereas the A330’s from Manchester are 2-4-2. Bit of an anorak point I know but my wife and I much prefer a seat pair to the almost inevitable sharing a 3 with a stranger so it’s usually the 330 for us unless we’re treating ourselves to a seat nearer the front.
Just to clarify - the switch from ba.com to aa.com happens when you opt to choose seats so I suppose it’s better described as semi-automatic really.
I don't think that is an "anorak" point. We usually travel as a threesome with our autistic daughter and hate 2.4.2 for the same reason - we want to sit with her between us and not have a stranger next to us. Ok on a short flight but on long haul it can be a real pain if they want to tell you their life story while you are trying to watch a film.
Katys Grandad
02-08-2018, 16:11
I don't think that is an "anorak" point. We usually travel as a threesome with our autistic daughter and hate 2.4.2 for the same reason - we want to sit with her between us and not have a stranger next to us. Ok on a short flight but on long haul it can be a real pain if they want to tell you their life story while you are trying to watch a film.
I was being a bit self deprecating with that remark Gerry. The fact that I know such things does rather make me sound a bit if an anorak!
Dads_Taxi
02-08-2018, 17:12
I think this is answered, but I'll throw my bit in too.
Basically, what Katy's Granddad said!!
We booked flights with BA, but the carriers were AA outbound and Aer Lingus homeward bound. I was able to use the reference codes on all three sites and select seats, and a nice chap at Aer Lingus was able to talk to me about our flights using the original booking reference (a BA reference) too.
You would check in with the carrier - in our case AA going and Aer Lingus returning.
My only words of wisdom are regarding entering APIS details - American Airlines just kept scrambling my info. If you think you've done it, leave the website, log back in and check it is still there, it was a total mess for us, resulting in ridiculous conversations at the check-ins about having too many infants (outbound) and not enough infants (inbound) !!
Enjoy.
Thanks everyone for the comments, I think I am pretty much ok with things now.
Dad's Taxi, I remember your trip report about AA and your problems. It's one of my concerns using AA.
Just wondered if any of you know if BA offer a night before check in or bag drop at Manchester airport
Laurel Oak
06-08-2018, 10:35
Just wondered if any of you know if BA offer a night before check in or bag drop at Manchester airport
Think Thomas Cook and Thomsons do a twilight check in but don’t think BA do.
Well, have booked my flights today and everything went through as had been advised regarding the seat reservation on the AA section. The only thing I have not seen yet is anywhere on the AA site asking for api. It's clearly marked on the BA site
Katys Grandad
07-08-2018, 20:00
The only thing I have not seen yet is anywhere on the AA site asking for api. It's clearly marked on the BA site
Go to your booking on aa.com and under the name of each passenger there is a link "add/edit passenger information" which you need to complete. Although it is not actually titled 'API' that is the information that AA submit for the purposes of API
The only thing I see on the AA site is asking for day of travel contact info. The only flight in the trip that is done by AA is Miami to London, so would they need api. It's clearly asked for on the BA site. Just a side note on the day of travel contact information on AA , despite filling it in, the next time I go on the site it is highlighted in red asking for the info again
Katys Grandad
08-08-2018, 10:17
I'm pretty sure that API is required for all flights to and from the UK but at this point I think I have to say that I don't know enough about how it works to comment. It might be that BA, being the outgoing and booking carrier, are required supply the necessary information for all flights in the itinerary but that's no more that 1 of many possible explanations. All I can say is that of the very many multiple carrier transatlantic trips I have made with AA/BA over 20+ years I don't recall ever having to provide the information to more than 1 airline.
Perhaps a quick call to BA would resolve it?
OK so now I have logged on to AA site rather than following the book seats link on the BA site and can see where KG refers to, so I assume I will have to fill these in as well as on the BA site and that the API from BA site will not be auto linked.
The worrying thing after DT's comments is that every time I have logged into the AA site the day of travel info that I have previously put in has vanished and I am asked for it again.
Dads Taxi , you said this happened to your API info, did you ever get it sorted or an explanation from AA as to why it happened?
Just had confirmation from BA that I only have to fill in api on BA site and will be auto linked to the AA flight