"Contact the other airline": which airline pays on a codeshare flight
Updated
General information, not legal advice. The outcome depends on the facts of your case.
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You claimed compensation for a delayed or cancelled flight, and the airline answered that it did not operate the flight and that you should contact its partner. Sometimes the partner then says the same about the first airline. EU261 has a clear rule on who pays, and with one booking you often have a choice.
What the law says
EU Regulation 261/2004 (EU261) puts the duty to pay on the operating air carrier: the airline that performs, or intends to perform, the flight (Articles 2(b) and 3(5)). The airline that only sold you the ticket under its own flight number is not responsible for that reason alone.
- The flight number does not decide it. A codeshare flight can carry several flight numbers. What counts is which airline flew it. Your boarding pass or booking usually says "operated by".
- One booking is one journey. When all your flights were on one booking, the delay is measured at your final destination, and the airline that operated a leg of the journey can be liable for the whole journey.
What the complaint boards have decided
- Finland, KRIL D/1009/35/2023 (2025): a Helsinki–Bangkok–Phuket journey on one booking. The partner's Bangkok–Phuket leg was cancelled. The airline that was to fly the first leg was held liable for the whole journey, whatever codes the flights had, and the passengers got €600 each.
- Sweden, ARN 2023-04093 (2023): an Arlanda–Miami–Pensacola booking with airline A, where partner B operated the cancelled leg. A said "not our flight". ARN said one booking means one flight, and A had to pay €600.
- Sweden, ARN 2023-16889 (2024): the airline that sold the ticket operated none of the flights. ARN said the claim had to go to the airline that operated the cancelled flight, and the passenger lost against the seller.
How to work out who to claim from
- Find who operated each flight. Look for "operated by" on the booking confirmation, the boarding pass or the airline's app.
- If the airline you booked with operated any flight on your booking, it can be liable for the partner's leg too. Answer its refusal and point to the single booking.
- If the airline you booked with operated none of the flights, send the claim to the airline that operated the disrupted flight. Attach your booking and the "operated by" line.
- If both airlines push you to the other, claim from both in writing, and say that the operating carrier must pay under Article 3(5). Keep both answers.
On a package holiday, the compensation also comes from the airline that flew you, not the tour operator. See charter flight or package holiday delayed.
When it is worth it, and when it is not
Usually worth it: one booking where the airline you booked with also flew one of the legs, or a refusal that only says "contact our partner" without naming who operated the flight.
Harder: separate bookings with different airlines, or a seller that operated none of the flights and you only claimed from the seller. Then start again with the operating airline, and check your time limit.
Appeal My Flight's pack contains a reply to the airline and the board complaint, built from standard texts and your answers, for €29 per booking. You send it yourself and keep the payout. We cannot promise an outcome.
FAQ
My ticket shows the airline I booked with, but the plane belonged to another airline. Who pays?
The airline that operated the flight. Check the "operated by" line. If the airline you booked with flew another leg of the same booking, it can be liable too.
The airline says it only sold the ticket. Is that a valid refusal?
Only if it operated none of the flights on your booking. Then claim from the airline that did.
Does a missed connection count if two airlines were involved?
Yes, if both flights were on one booking. The delay is measured at your final destination.
Got the airline's reply? Paste it into the rejection checker and see what court rulings say about their excuse.